![]() (A survey published in The Journal of Nursing Regulation found that 6.7 percent of nurses in the nation in 2020 were Black.) Her success opened doors for future generations of Black women in nursing, and she would devote the rest of her career to making the profession more accessible, particularly through her role as one of the first Black members of the Nurses Associated Alumnae of the United States and Canada, now the American Nurses Association. “I owe my life to that dear soul,” one patient was quoted as saying in the 1954 journal article. Mahoney’s guiding motto was, “Work more and better the coming year than the previous year.”Īfter she graduated, she became a private nurse, caring primarily for wealthy white patients whom she regarded as family. Mahoney’s sister, Ellen, attempted to complete the program as well but failed the final exam. The program’s standards were high, and few succeeded of the 40 or so applicants in 1878, nine withdrew, 13 were considered unsuitable and nine of 18 who had been accepted for trial failed to be admitted. “A woman doctor wanted her there, and that was the only influence she had.”Īt just five feet tall and 90 pounds, Mahoney was a slight but hardworking student. “She cooked, washed and scrubbed and - she got in,” a family friend, identified only as Miss Hawley, was quoted as saying in The American Journal of Nursing in 1954. But she persevered, spending 16 hours a day, seven days a week ironing, scrubbing and cleaning before she worked her way into the nursing program. One who did earn a diploma was Mary Eliza Mahoney, widely regarded as the first trained Black nurse in America.Īt the time, domestic service was virtually the only job opportunity for a Black woman indeed, the hospital initially employed Mahoney as a maid. Only nine were admitted, and after 16 demanding months, only three of them are believed to have graduated. ![]() In 1878, about 40 candidates applied for the nursing program at the New England Hospital for Women and Children in Boston. This article is part of Overlooked, a series of obituaries about remarkable people whose deaths, beginning in 1851, went unreported in The Times. ![]()
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