Running head: MAHONEY’S IMPACT ON THE SOCIALIZATION OF NEW NURSES 1

Mahoney’s Impact on the Socialization of New Nurses

Sandra Wambui

Roseman University
MAHONEY’S IMPACT ON THE SOCIALIZATION OF NEW NURSES 2

MAHONEY’S IMPACT ON THE SOCIALIZATION OF NEW NURSES

There are many significant nursing leaders that have impacted modern day healthcare.

One of those leaders is Mary Eliza Mahoney. In 1879, Mary Eliza was the first African

American Woman in the United States to earn a nursing degree (Spring, 2017). She went through

a rigorous and demanding 16-month program at the New England Hospital for Women and

Children to attain her degree. Upon graduating, she became one of the first, active African

American members of Nurses Associated Alumnae of the United States and Canada, which later

was renamed to American Nurses Association (Pierce, 2017). At the time, The Nurses

Associated Alumnae of the United States consisted of mainly Caucasian members who were not

welcoming of the African Americans nurses. Due to this reason, Mahoney went on to co-found a

group called National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses that advocated for the equality of

African American nurses (Spring, 2017). After graduating, Mahoney chose not to work in public

nursing due to the prevalent discrimination that was taking place in Massachusetts at the time.

Instead, she chose to work as a private duty nurse where she worked for many prestigious

families that appreciated her professionalism. Although, she was the only African American

nurse in the directory, she quickly gained recognition and developed a successful career through

the word of mouth and reviews. Her patient's families were always astonished by her skills, great

care, attentiveness, and professionalism. Throughout her career, Mahoney sought to remove the

barriers of race and gender in the nursing profession. She also advocated for quality education

for African American nurses. As a result of her success and inspiration, other African American

women started making their way into the nursing field. By 1899, five other African American

women had graduated from the nursing program at the New England Hospital for Women and

Children (Pierce, 2017). She not only paved the way for African American women, but for other
MAHONEY’S IMPACT ON THE SOCIALIZATION OF NEW NURSES 3

races and genders to enter the nursing profession. She also advocated for quality education for

African American nurses. Thanks to Mahoney's dedication to equality and advancement for

minorities, there are nurses of many backgrounds practicing today.

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References

Pierce, P. M. (2017, October 11). Mary Eliza Mahoney: First African American Nurse [web

blog]. Retrieved from https://ceufast.com/blog/mary-eliza-mahoney

Spring, K. A. (2017). Mary Eliza Mahoney [web blog]. Retrieved from

https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mary-mahoney