WASHINGTON STATE HISTORY MUSEUM EXHIBIT UNCOVERS A CENTURY’S DEVELOPMENT OF NURSING
Nurses at Your Service: A Century of Caring Opens April 11
TACOMA – Mar. 10 – Opening April 11 at the Washington State History Museum,
Nurses at Your Service: A Century of Caring uncovers a century’s development of nursing in Washington state. Rare documents,
medical equipment and photographs tell how the field has advanced since nurses began
registering in the state.
On display through July 5, learn how war, technology, science and compassion have
drastically changed the way patients receive care.
The nursing centennial celebrates the
first nurses’ examining board (now called the Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission),
which established laws in 1909 requiring nurses in Washington to meet education requirements,
pass an examination and apply to be a registered nurse.
Guests will be able to view an antique pharmacopeia, an early medical publication used by
nurses to learn surgery, anatomy, symptomatology and diagnosis. It was brought to Vancouver
from Montreal by Sisters of Providence in the late 19th Century.
Additionally, guests will learn stories of Washington nurses who served in France during
WWI and see sheet music written to romanticize the relationship between a nurse and her
patient, a Soldier.
Guests will also see vintage nursing uniforms, early 1900s healthcare equipment, historic
photographs and original Asahel Curtis glass negative plates of nurses at the first
Children’s Orthopedic Hospital and Seattle General Hospital (now where the Fred Hutchison
Cancer Center, Seattle, is located).
Organized by the Washington State History Museum and the Washington State Nursing
Centennial Consortium.
FREE lecture on April 15
“Perspectives on the History of Washington State Nursing”
Wednesday, April 15
4:30 p.m. at the University of Washington-Tacoma, William W. Philip Hall
Marjorie DesRosier, RN, PhD, addresses 100 years of professional nursing in Washington
state.
Lecture funded by Psi Chapter-at-Large, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor
Society of Nursing and the UWT Nursing Founder's Endowment Fund.
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High resolution photos are available on our
online image gallery, or upon request from Marketing Office.
About the
Washington State History Museum
The Washington State History Museum, flagship of the Washington State Historical Society, is located at 1911 Pacific Avenue in downtown Tacoma, just off 1-5. The Washington State History Museum presents exhibits, programs and events that bring Washington's history to life. The Washington State Historical Society has been dedicated to collecting, preserving and vividly presenting Washington's rich and varied history since 1891.
HOURS - Wednesday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., with extended hours and FREE admission every third Thursday from 2 - 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
ADMISSION - $8 for adults; $7 for seniors, age 60
and above; $6 for students and military with valid ID; children, age 5 and below, and members are always
FREE.
CONTACT – 1-888-BE THERE, www.WashingtonHistory.org
Media Contact:
Marketing Office
public relations coordinator
Washington State History Museum
253-798-5877