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About the MGH SCHOOL of NURSING

The School's Class of 1889

For more than a century (1873 – 1981) the MGH has associated with, or conducted, a school of nursing.  The original school, the Boston Training School for Nurses (1873 – 1895) was the third in the United States established according to the plans proposed by Florence Nightingale.  The founding committee suggested the school as offering a desirable new occupation for self-supporting women. 

​Over the ensuing decades, the MGH School of Nursing evolved to meet the changing needs of the profession and graduated almost 8,000 nurses.  These nurses not only cared for the sick but administered and taught in schools of nursing around the world, wrote textbooks on nursing, served as local, national, and international leaders in the profession, have shaped laws and regulations, and served their country in times of war and peace. In short, MGH SON graduates have led and helped to shape the field of nursing for almost 150 years.

Holding Class in the Ether Dome

In 1981, MGH discontinued the school’s diploma program and established the Institute of Health Professions, which includes accredited baccalaureate, master’s, Doctor of Nursing Practice programs and post-graduate APRN certificate programs.  Information at https://www.mghihp.edu/school-nursing

MGH NAA Alumni gather at the dedication of the Ruth Sleeper Suite 2023

Nursing Sundial Sculpture

Commissioned by world-renowned sculptress, Nancy Schön, the Nursing Sundial Sculpture is a gift from the Massachusetts General Hospital Nurses’ Alumni Association.  It sits on the Bulfinch Lawn Oval and was created to honor the nursing profession and the nurses of MGH.   To learn more about the sculpture, click here.

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Nursing Sundial Sculpture
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