Did any of the qualifications required to apply to the Bellevue Nurse Training School surprise you?

Did any of the qualifications required to apply to the Bellevue Nurse Training School surprise you?

As a Catholic, I thought that it was surprising that more nurses weren't from a Catholic background as there would have been lots of Catholics in New York City at that time.

I was not surprised by the required qualifications. For the time period, I considered them to be quite fair...even generous with the lodging/food/monetary compensation.

I was surprised that one of the major qualifications was that the applicants had to have good Christian background and perhaps that is why they were so well taken care of.

What always astonishes me, is that many people originally came to America because they were locked out of professions, opportunity, and felt persecuted or mistreated due to their social status or religion… and then once established in a new place forgot all about how they only wanted an opportunity that was never going to be offered to them. It seems this forgetfulness applies to the qualifications to be a nursing student as well! While Una’s reasons for joining the program were definitely suspect, we quickly learn that in spite of not having a “moral upbringing”, Una was very competent at her job and much more tuned in to the afflictions of the working poor. Her compassion and empathy surpassed that of many of her colleagues. I wonder how many competent people may be overlooked for jobs because they don’t check a box.

Jessica F--I agree completely. Those rules are almost laughable today, but seemed to be what was expected for the time. But Una's ability to succeed really highlights that there are many other characteristics that could help a nurse trainee be successful. In Una's time I think there was much greater emphasis on sameness and conformity than we have today. Today, I think we have a bit more understanding of the gifts of those that falls outside the mainstream (at least I hope so!).

I was surprised by the "Christian" qualification, but for the time, I think that was just a substitute for the more vague "of sound moral character," required by the helping professions even today. Una had qualities that were more relevant to the profession, such as resourcefulness, empathy, and compassion, and these qualities may heve come through in her interview even more than she realized.

Applicants were required to be 21-35, single, religious, conscientious and of sympathetic character. Schools today would not ask about an applicant's religion, but emphasize good grades in sciences.

Cathyoc - you're right, there were a lot of Catholics in NYC during this time. But there was still significant prejudice against them. Even though they weren't explicitly excluded from the training school, it was several decades before you see many Catholic women on the school's roster. (They made up less than 5% of the school's trainees between 1875-1890.) The same was true of the nursing school at New York Hospital, which opened up soon after Bellevue. And there were even fewer Jewish women who attended the school (many, though, were trained at Mt. Sinai Hospital in NY, which also opened soon after Bellevue).

Although it didn't surprise me, I found it very interesting (and unfortunate) how the program explicitly excluded divorced women. Only one divorced woman was granted admission prior to 1920.

I knew about the anti-Catholic sentiment but I hadn't known about the exclusion of divorced women. Thanks for sharing that bit of information Amanda. I thought that the requirements were fairly standard for the time. Nursing was working very hard to establish/maintain its reputation as a profession. Given the historical context, it is not surprising that there would be a focus on making sure that nursing trainees were above reproach. I agree with Juliaa that Una had some qualifications that would make her an excellent nurse. She had a deeper understanding of the living conditions and circumstances of many of her poorer patients than her fellow trainees may have.