My name is Mary Eliza Mahoney. I was born May 7, 1845 in Dorchester, Massachusetts.

My
parents were freed slaves, originally from North Carolina, who moved north before the Civil War
in pursuit of a life with less racial discrimination.
I knew early on that I wanted to become a nurse; possibly due to seeing immediate emergence of
nurses during the American Civil War. I was admitted into a 16-month program at the New
England Hospital for Women and Children (now the Dimock Community Health Center) at the
age of 33, alongside 39 other students in 1878. I graduated in 1879 as a registered nurse alongside
3 other colleagues.
After gaining my nursing diploma, at the time of my graduation, seriously ill patients were
routinely treated at home rather than in a hospital. I registered with the Nurses Directory at the
Massachusetts Medical Library and began working as a private duty nurse.
I worked for many years as a private care nurse, earning a distinguished reputation. Because of the
disparity between black nurses and their white counterparts, In 1908, I became co-founder of the
National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses (NACGN), and in 1909, delivered the welcome
address at that organization's first annual convention. In that speech, I passionately called out the
inequalities in nursing education and called for demonstrations to have more African American
students admitted to nursing school. After this speech I was elected to be association chaplain of
NACGN and was given a lifetime membership.
From 1911 to 1912, I served as director of the Howard Orphan Asylum for black children in Kings
Park, Long Island, New York. The Howard Orphan Asylum served as a home for freed colored
children and the colored elderly. This institution was run by African Americans. Here, I finished
my career, helping people and using my knowledge however I knew best.
One of many goals that I had hoped of achieving, was to change the way patients and families
thought of minority nurses. As a passionate believer in equality in nursing, I spent much of my life
working to challenge perceptions and abolish discrimination in the field. Being an African
American, in a predominantly white society, I often received discrimination as an African
American nurse. I believed that all people should have the opportunity to chase their dreams
without racial discrimination.
During my 40 years in nursing, I provided exemplary patient care and made outstanding
contributions to nursing organizations. My legendary bedside manner and calm demeanor won me
positions with the most important families along the East Coast. Families that employed me praised
my calm and quiet efficiency. My professionalism helped raise the status of all nurses. My drive
and passion for nursing helped shape the standards at which the profession has come
to expect and continues to develop.
I was also actively involved in women's equality issues and became a strong supporter of the right
to vote movement. When the Nineteenth Amendment was passed in 1920, I proudly became one
of the first women in Boston to register to vote.
One of my greatest accomplishments was being the first African-American woman to break down
the barriers and gain admittance to the nursing profession in the United States. Throughout my
impressive career, I helped to distinguish the nursing profession for women of all races. I joined
the emerging professional organizations of the day and continually pushed for increased
memberships of black women with groups like the ANA. I fought not only for women of color but
also for educational and professional rights for all minorities. I also participated in the Civil
Rights movement to achieve women’s suffrage in America.
I was an enduring figure in the fight for basic human rights. My fight to legitimize the role of black
women in nursing and to establish nursing as a professional career was largely under the radar of
the general public.
Some of my nursing contemporaries include Linda Richards and Susie Taylor

My continued vision for nursing is for everyone to have access to affordable and quality healthcare
services. This system is envisioned to be accessible to every patient centered and evidence-based
care facility that will improve the health care. In order to realize this dream, the system requires
drastic remodeling in various aspects.
Nursing staffing is not only a present issue but that has been a center of discussion over the years
especially in the last decade. As we try to grapple with the health care reforms, we cannot ignore
the ongoing staffing in the nursing sector.
Nursing has continually faced increased differences in demand and supply that the system has
showed sign of insufficient number of nurses. According to Kany (2004), this is due to the
problems that exist between the value and image associated with nursing. In addition to this, this
deficiency has been associated to the limited role nurses have had in the identification of the
priorities in the delivery of healthcare.
Nursing should be made accessible to all people and create a true profession through the use of
more qualified training programs. This will help more candidates become qualified Nurses
In years to come, nursing schools may face a worsening crisis, with enrollment increasing as more
faculty members retire. Faced with this situation, more schools of nursing institutions should be
established while existing ones should be expanded to meet up with the demands for qualified
nurses. A more educated nursing workforce would be better equipped to meet the demands of an
evolving health care system, and this need could be met by increasing the percentage of nurses
with a BSN. An increase in the proportion of nurses with a BSN also would create a workforce
poised to achieve higher levels of education at the master’s and doctoral levels, required for nurses
to serve as primary care providers, nurse researchers, and nurse faculty positions currently in great
demand across the profession and within the health care system. In addition to increased numbers
of BSN-educated nurses, schools of nursing must build their capacities to prepare more students
at the graduate level who can assume roles in advanced practice, leadership, teaching, and research.

References.
Kany, K. (May 31, 2004). "Nursing in the Next Decade: Implications for Health Care and for
Patient Safety" Online Journal of Issues in Nursing; Vol. 9 No. 2, Manuscript 3. Retrieved May
24, 2018 from
http://ojin.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/Tabl
eofContents/Volume92004/No2May04/PatientSafety.html

Mary Mahoney Award. Retrieved on May 24, 2018 from

https://www.nursingworld.org/ana/national-awards-program/mary-mahoney-award/
Mary Mahoney (1845–1926) . American Nurses Association. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
https://www.jacksonvilleu.com/blog/nursing/mary-eliza-mahoney/

Mary Mahoney, First African American Nurse. Retrieved May 24, 2018 from http://nursing-
theory.org/famous-nurses/Mary-Eliza-Mahoney.php

Mary Mahoney. Retrieved May 24, 2018 from https://www.asrn.org/journal-chronicle-

nursing/282-mary-eliza-mahoney.html

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. “The Future of Nursing: Focus
on Education”. Retrieved on May 28, 2018 from
http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/Reports/2010/The-Future-of-Nursing-Leading-Change-
Advancing-Health/Report-Brief-Education.aspx