- Ellen Dougherty
Ellen Dougherty (September 20, 1844 to November 3, 1919), a
New Zealand nurse, was the firstRegistered Nurse in the world. She trained at Wellington Hospital from 1885 and completed a certificate in nursing in 1887. In 1893 she accepted the post of matron ofPalmerston North Hospital.In 1901, New Zealand became the first country to pass legislation, the
Nurses Registration Act , on the registration of nurses. Dougherty was then the first to be registered on January 10, 1902. She retired in 1908.Dougherty is buried at Clareville Cemetery, Carterton, New Zealand. Her medal is at the Nurses Chapel at Wellington Hospital. For the centenary of Nursing, it was arranged with Nursing Council in Wellington that her grave be restored, and on the anniversary of January 10, 2002, the grave was rededicated with family, historians and media attending.
The UK began nurse registration in 1919, the year Ellen Dougherty died.
ee also
*
Nursing External links
* [http://www.dnzb.govt.nz/dnzb/default.asp?Find_Quick.asp?PersonEssay=2D15 Openshaw, M. G. "Dougherty, Ellen 1844 - 1919". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, updated 7 April 2006]
* [http://www.shef.ac.uk/~nmhuk/extra/firstnurses/dougherty.html David J Wright, Sheffield University]Further reading
* Macgregor, Miriam (1975) "Petticoat pioneers; North Island women of the colonial era" Book 2 - cited in Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
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