title: Key ideas in nursing's first century.
abstract: This article identifies some of the major ideas underpinning modern American nursing in its first 100 years, and postulates that distinct periods in nursing's early formal development were dominated by a particular theme or set of ideas. The themes, which were largely determined by social priorities, scientific advances, and national emergencies, overlapped, enriched each other, and provided an impetus for nursing to evolve into the highly skilled profession it has become.
authors.affiliation: University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, USA. ellendbaer@aol.com
authors.forename: Ellen Davidson
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Baer
mesh_terms: D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000266:history*; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009738:Nursing Service, Hospital / Q000266:history*; D010687:Philosophy, Nursing; D011361:Professional Competence; D011637:Public Health Nursing / Q000266:history*