The heart of health care
Although COVID-19 has brought the tremendous work of nurses to the spotlight, they have labored and given their hearts to heal patients throughout history.
Honoring the critical role nurses have in the world and sharing the rich history and heritage of the profession is the Living History Museum at the University of Maryland School of Nursing. It is one of the only museums dedicated to nursing, which is the nation’s second-largest profession and the largest profession for women.
Established in 1999, the museum features hundreds of historic objects and photographs, as well as audio histories and video presentations, and traces the evolution of nursing education, research, and practice at the University of Maryland, from its early years as a hospital training school to its emergence as a premier professional nursing school.
Early History
The University of Maryland School of Nursing was founded in 1889 by Louisa Parsons. Parsons had worked with Florence Nightingale, who founded the first nursing school in the world in 1860. Parsons, a decorated military nurse, was handpicked by Nightingale to accompany British soldiers on two campaigns into Egypt and the Sudan between 1883 and 1885. For her
