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by Dorothy M. Keeney (Author)
The Untold Story of Annie McKay and the Boston Public School Nurses 1905-1988, The Formation of the Massachusetts School Nurse Organization for the first time tells the story of Annie McKay, Boston's first school nurse in 1905, and the Boston public school nurses. It explores the beginnings of school nursing in Boston, the Instructive District Nursing Association (IDNA), the new nurses hired by the Boston School Committee in 1907, the various laws passed by the legislature that effected school nursing, changing times for women, gender inequity, the funding and salaries of school nurses, Medicaid Reimbursement, and Boston's school desegregation. During this pandemic time, discover how Boston school nurses dealt with the 1917-1918 Spanish flu, and polio epidemics. The book also covers the formation and first 20 years of the Massachusetts School Nurse Organization. Boston school nurse historian Keeney takes the reader on an empowering, engaging, and emotional journey through the past, to further enlighten the reader about the challenges and struggles over adversity that led to the transformation of Massachusetts school nursing in the 20th century. She discusses in great detail many issues that transformed nurses from the stereotypical doctor's handmaiden, struggling to obtain a respected professional status, to the school nurse who is now the clinical health expert in the school, the health care provider for students and staff while in school, an advocate for preventive health maintenance, and competent health professional of today. This book is perfect for all nurses, nursing students, and community members interested and drawn to the history of school nursing, and persons captivated by the history of Boston.
