Clara Barton
CLARA BARTON
NUR 4720
CLARA BARTON
Clara Barton was one of the most dedicated nurses and influential women of her time. She changed the course of nursing. Her name is second only to Florence Nightingale’s in the history of nursing. She was born on Christmas day, 1821 in Massachusetts. She became a teacher at the young age of seventeen. Along with becoming a teacher she also opened up a free school in New Jersey. Under her leadership the school grew to a size of six hundred pupils. However the school replaced her with a male instructor. Frustrated with this decision, she moved to Washington DC and began work in the US Patent office. This was the first time a woman had ever had the position of a clerk in the federal government. With the eruption of Civil War, in the United States, Ms. Barton dedicated herself to aiding soldiers on the front lines. During her service she refused to take a salary for her services. Never before had women been allowed on the front lines, camps, or battle front hospitals.
Ms. Barton practiced nursing exclusively on the front lines serving the most critically injured first. Through this she experienced the horrors of war first hand on sixteen different battlefields. She worked alongside Dr. James Dunn, a surgeon at the battle of Antietam, and earned the title “angel of the Battlefield”. “In my feeble estimation, General McClellan, with all his laurels, sinks into insignificance beside the true heroine of the age, the angel of the battlefield.”(Dunn)Ms. Barton is most remembered for initiating the American National Red Cross and presiding over it for twenty-two years.
The courage and determination this woman had has impacted nursing in an extremely positive way. Her courage while nursing the soldiers in the Civil War was extraordinary. Ms. Barton’s close friend, Susan Rosenvold often made references about Ms. Barton’s bravery and dedication.
NUR 4720
CLARA BARTON
Clara Barton was one of the most dedicated nurses and influential women of her time. She changed the course of nursing. Her name is second only to Florence Nightingale’s in the history of nursing. She was born on Christmas day, 1821 in Massachusetts. She became a teacher at the young age of seventeen. Along with becoming a teacher she also opened up a free school in New Jersey. Under her leadership the school grew to a size of six hundred pupils. However the school replaced her with a male instructor. Frustrated with this decision, she moved to Washington DC and began work in the US Patent office. This was the first time a woman had ever had the position of a clerk in the federal government. With the eruption of Civil War, in the United States, Ms. Barton dedicated herself to aiding soldiers on the front lines. During her service she refused to take a salary for her services. Never before had women been allowed on the front lines, camps, or battle front hospitals.
Ms. Barton practiced nursing exclusively on the front lines serving the most critically injured first. Through this she experienced the horrors of war first hand on sixteen different battlefields. She worked alongside Dr. James Dunn, a surgeon at the battle of Antietam, and earned the title “angel of the Battlefield”. “In my feeble estimation, General McClellan, with all his laurels, sinks into insignificance beside the true heroine of the age, the angel of the battlefield.”(Dunn)Ms. Barton is most remembered for initiating the American National Red Cross and presiding over it for twenty-two years.
The courage and determination this woman had has impacted nursing in an extremely positive way. Her courage while nursing the soldiers in the Civil War was extraordinary. Ms. Barton’s close friend, Susan Rosenvold often made references about Ms. Barton’s bravery and dedication.
Bibliography: Works Cited www.redcross.org. (2012). Retrieved from American Red Cross. Library of Congress Finding Aid. (2013). Retrieved from http://findingaids.loc.gov. Selwick, T. (2012). Professional Nurse. Retrieved from http://www.ProfessionalNurse.com.