"St Agnes Hospital" (1896)

One of the first hospitals in America for African Americans.Its beginning were primitive,with a single cold water facet in the kitchen and a wood stove to

heat water and sterilize equipment.During its first six months of operation,the hospital cared for 17 inpatients and 35 outpatients.An additional 223 people received St.Agne's s medical and nursing care in their homes.The first head nurse was Marie Louise Burgress,an African American graduate of the New England Hospital for women and children.Students would clean,cook,and make beds during the six-month trial period.If they passed and wanted a career in nursing,they entered the hospital as student nurses.Most of their education was on-the-job training with the matron,staff nurses,and physicians on wards,in the operating room on home visits.They also heard lectures,which focused on the diseases and conditions of the current patient population.In 1898,St.Agnes graduated its first two nurses after a training program of 18 months.