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Frontier nursing: nursing work and training in Alberta, 1890-1905
1Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton.
Summary
Early nursing in Alberta (1890-1905) saw hospitals establish training programs to address nurse shortages. These programs prepared nurses for both hospital duties and entrepreneurial private practice, adapting to frontier conditions.
Area of Science:
- History of Nursing
- Healthcare Education
- Canadian Medical History
Background:
- Examines nursing work and training in Alberta, 1890-1905.
- Analyzes recruitment, employment conditions, and preparation of nurses.
- Investigates the link between hospital training and graduate nurse employment.
Observation:
- Hospitals struggled to recruit graduate nurses, leading to the establishment of training programs.
- Medicine Hat General Hospital (1894) and Calgary General Hospital (1895) initiated early programs.
- Hospitals increasingly relied on pupil nurses for staffing, with 10 programs by 1915.
Findings:
- Graduate nurses primarily worked in hospitals, performing administrative and patient care tasks.
- Training programs, while not designed for private practice, integrated hospital and home nursing due to similar primitive conditions.
- Pupil nurses gained private duty experience through 'hiring out' during training.
Implications:
- Hospital-based training programs influenced the development of nursing practice in early Alberta.
- The need for nurses spurred innovative training solutions and shaped professional roles.
- Understanding historical nursing education provides context for contemporary healthcare workforce challenges.