Famous American Nurses

Naomi Judd was an American actress and singer. She is best remembered as one-half of the country music duo, The Judds, which won nine Country Music Association awards and five Grammy Awards between 1980 and 1991. Naomi Judd stopped performing in 1991 due to health reasons. In 2022, she was made an inductee of the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Clara Barton was an American nurse best remembered for founding the American Red Cross. She is renowned for her civil rights advocacy and humanitarian work. She also played an important role in the Civil War, serving as a hospital nurse, a patent clerk, and a teacher. In 1973, Barton was made an inductee of the National Women's Hall of Fame.

Margaret Sanger was an American writer and sex educator. She is credited with popularizing the term birth control. A birth control activist, Sanger established the first birth control clinic in America. She also set up organizations that later became the well-known non-profit organization Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She also played a key role in legalizing contraception in the US.

Rachel Robinson is an American retired professor and registered nurse. She is best known as the widow of the popular baseball player, Jackie Robinson. She is credited with founding the Jackie Robinson Foundation, which provides leadership and educational opportunities for minority students. Rachel Robinson has been portrayed in a couple of films.

Yetunde Price was the personal assistant and oldest half-sister of famous American tennis players, Serena and Venus Williams. She also worked as a nurse before being killed in a shooting on September 14, 2003, near a drug house in Compton, California. It was later confirmed that Yetunde Price was an innocent, ill-fated victim.

Ethel Roosevelt Derby was an American nurse best remembered as the youngest daughter of Theodore Roosevelt. Ethel played an important role in preserving the legacy of her family home and the legacy of her father for future generations. Ethel Roosevelt Derby also played a prominent role during the First World War, serving as a nurse in France.

Kristen Gilbert is an American serial killer who worked as a nurse. She was convicted of two attempted murders and four murders of patients admitted to the Northampton Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Massachusetts. Nicknamed The Angel of Death, Kristen Gilbert was found guilty of inducing cardiac arrest in patients at the hospital.

Agnes von Kurowsky was an American nurse who served during the First World War in an American National Red Cross hospital in Milan. She is credited with inspiring Ernest Hemingway's character Catherine Barkley in his 1929 novel A Farewell to Arms. Agnes von Kurowsky and Ernest Hemingway's love story was portrayed in the 1996 movie In Love and War.

Elizabeth Freeman was an African American midwife and herbalist. She is best remembered as the first enslaved African American person to win a freedom suit in Massachusetts. After gaining her freedom, Elizabeth Freeman became widely known for her skills as a midwife, nurse, and healer.

Bonnie Nettles was an American registered nurse best remembered for co-founding the Heaven's Gate new religious movement alongside  Marshall Applewhite. Nettles died of cancer in 1985, 12 years before the religious group's mass suicide in 1997. Bonnie Nettles was one of the two main leaders of the group.

Mary Eliza Mahoney was an African-American nurse. In 1879, she became the first African American to successfully complete her course from an American school of nursing. She helped eliminate racial discrimination in the nursing profession. Mahoney was made an inductee of the American Nurses Association Hall of Fame and the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1976 and 1993 respectively.

Lillian Wald was an American nurse, author, and humanitarian. She is credited with establishing the Henry Street Settlement, a not-for-profit social service agency in New York City. After founding the agency, Lillian Wald became an activist and fought for the rights of minorities and women. She also supported racial integration and campaigned for suffrage.  

Hildegard Peplau was an American nurse best remembered for creating the middle-range nursing theory, which helped revolutionize the scholarly work in the field of nursing. She was the first nurse to publish her nursing theory since Florence Nightingale. Hildegard Peplau's work paved the way for humane treatment of people with personality and behavior disorders.

Sahra Noor is a Somali-American health care executive and nurse. She is best known for her service as the CEO at the People's Center Health Services which is located in Minneapolis. Sahra Noor is also known as the sister of the popular politician, Ilhan Omar.

Bessie Lillian Carter was an American nurse best remembered as the mother of Jimmy Carter, who served as the 39th president of the USA. She is also remembered for her immense contributions to nursing in Georgia. Lillian Gordy Carter also served in India as a Peace Corps volunteer.

Dorothea Orem was an American nursing theorist. She is best remembered for creating the self-care deficit nursing theory, which is also called the Orem's Model of Nursing. Developed between 1959 and 2001, the theory is often used in primary care and rehabilitation settings, where the patient is taught to be independent.

Madeleine Leininger was an American nursing professor and nursing theorist. She is credited with developing the concept of transcultural nursing. Madeleine Leininger's contributions to nursing theory were honored by the American Academy of Nursing with a Living Legend award in 1998.

Mamie Johnson was an American baseball player and the first female pitcher to take part in the Negro leagues. She was also one of the three women to play in the Negro leagues. Mamie Johnson's life and career have inspired a couple of books, namely A Strong Right Arm and Mamie on the Mound.

Mary Breckinridge was an American nurse midwife best remembered for founding the Frontier Nursing Service, which educates nurse-midwives and provides healthcare services to the rural population. In 1995, Mary Breckinridge was made an inductee of the National Women's Hall of Fame.

Mary Ann Bickerdyke was an American medical worker who played an important role during the American Civil War, serving as a hospital administrator for Union soldiers. She is also credited with setting up 300 field hospitals during the war. A lifelong advocate for veterans, Mary Bickerdyke also served as a lawyer and assisted veterans to obtain pensions after the war.

Ruby Bradley was a US Army Nurse Corps officer and one of the most celebrated women in the history of US military. She was a prisoner of war in Japan during the Second World War, for which she was honored with the Prisoner of War Medal. Ruby Bradley was also awarded many other medals, including the American Campaign Medal.

Clara Maass was an American nurse who volunteered as a contract nurse and served in the United States Army during the Spanish-American War. She served again in the Eighth U.S. Army Corps from 1899 to 1900. After her second assignment with the army, Clara Maass volunteered for experiments to study yellow fever. She died of the disease at age 25.

Maura Clarke was an American religious sister best remembered for her service as a missionary in El Salvador and Nicaragua. She worked with the refugees and poor in Central America from the late-1950s until her murder in 1980. Maura Clarke and three other missionaries were raped and murdered by members of the Armed Forces of El Salvador in December 1980.

Ellen Church was an American nurse and flight attendant. She wanted to establish herself as a commercial pilot. Since airlines were not hiring women pilots at that time, Church convinced Boeing Air Transport that having nurses as flight-stewardesses would help bring in more passengers. Subsequently, in 1930, Ellen Church became the first female flight attendant.

Florence Wald was an American nurse best remembered for her service as the Dean of Yale School of Nursing. She is also remembered for founding Connecticut Hospice, America's first hospice program. In 1998, Florence Wald was made an inductee of the National Women's Hall of Fame.

Aleda E. Lutz was an American flight nurse who served in the United States Army during the Second World War. Lutz was the first woman from America to die in combat during the Second World War. One of the most decorated women in the U.S. military history, Aleda E. Lutz was honored with numerous prestigious awards and honors, including the Purple Heart.

Annie Fox was an American army officer best remembered for her service as the chief nurse in the United States Army Nurse Corps. She became the first woman to be honored with the Purple Heart as she was stationed at Hickam Field during the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

Reba Z. Whittle was an American nurse who served in the US Army Nurse Corps during the Second World War. In 1944, she was part of the European Theater when her aircraft was shot down. She was injured during the crash and was honored with the Purple Heart in 1945. Reba Z. Whittle was also honored with the Air Medal.

Bertha Holt was an American activist best remembered for establishing the Holt International Children's Services, a humanitarian organization and adoption agency. In 2002, Bertha Holt was made an inductee of the National Women's Hall of Fame.

Margaret Murdock is an American nurse and retired United States Army officer. She is best known for her participation in international shooting competitions. She competed at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, where she won a silver medal for her country. Margaret Murdock has been made an inductee of five halls of fame, including the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.

Mary Adelaide Nutting was a Canadian educator, nurse, and a pioneer in the field of nursing. She is best remembered for her association with the Johns Hopkins University, where she helped found a modern nursing program. Mary Adelaide Nutting was also part of an experimental program at the Teachers College in Columbia University.

Jane Delano was an American nurse best remembered for founding the American Red Cross Nursing Service. She is also remembered for her service as the president of an organization named the American Nurses Association. Jane Delano is a member of the American Nurses Association Hall of Fame. 

Elsie Ott was an American nurse and a member of the Army Nurse Corps. Ott received the prestigious United States Air Medal for finding a way to shift the wounded soldiers to safety from the front line; she was the first woman to receive the medal.

Josephine Heffernan was an Irish-American nurse best remembered for her service during World War I. In 1913, she joined the US Army Nurse Corps. Four years later, Josephine Heffernan was appointed chief nurse at a facility at Fort McDowell in California. After the war, Heffernan continued to work as a nurse in places like the US, the Philippines, and China.

Louise McManus was an American nurse best remembered for establishing schools of nursing in college in the United States. She is credited with creating the Institute for Nursing Research, which is part of Teachers College, Columbia University. In 1994, Louise McManus was made an inductee of the National Women's Hall of Fame.

Mabel Keaton Staupers was a Caribbean-American nurse best remembered as a pioneer in the field of nursing in the USA. Staupers fought for racial equality in the field of nursing and supported the inclusion of black nurses into the US Navy and Army during the Second World War.

Cordelia E. Cook was an American combat nurse who served in the US Army Nurse Corps during the Second World War. Cook was the first woman in the history of the US Army to receive both the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star Medal. After the war, Cordelia E. Cook worked as a nurse at Doctors Hospital North in Ohio.

Sherri Rasmussen was an American woman who was associated with Glendale Adventist Medical Center, where she was serving as the director of nursing. Rasmussen was murdered in 1986 and the police failed to identify a suspect at that time. In 2009, A DNA sample collected from the crime scene revealed the killer to be Stephanie Lazarus, a police officer herself.

Florence A. Blanchfield was a US Army Colonel who served as the superintendent of the US Army Nursing Corps between 1943 and 1947. In 1945, Blanchfield received the Distinguished Service Medal. In 1951, Florence A. Blanchfield was honored by the International Red Cross with the Florence Nightingale Medal. Kentucky's Florence A. Blanchfield Army Community Hospital is named in her honor. 

Julia Dempsey was an American nurse, hospital administrator, and religious sister. She worked as an assistant to Dr. William J. Mayo, who called her the best among all his assistants. Julia Dempsey is also credited with establishing Saint Mary’s Hospital Training School for Nurses. 

Mary J. Safford was an American nurse, educator, physician, and humanitarian. She served alongside Mary Ann Bickerdyke during the American Civil War, treating the injured and sick near Fort Donelson. She also served in Cairo, Illinois, earning her the nickname Cairo Angel. Mary Safford later became a gynecologist and was the first woman in the US to perform an ovariotomy. 

Sue S. Dauser was an American nurse best remembered for her service as the superintendent of the US Navy Nurse Corps. She is credited with guiding the Nurse Corps through the Second World War. For her contributions as superintendent, Sue S. Dauser was honored with the prestigious Navy Distinguished Service Medal.

Jane Currie Blaikie Hoge was an American nurse, fund raiser, and welfare worker during the American Civil War. Before the war, she established a homeless shelter in Chicago. During the war, Hoge helped recruit nurses for the Union army. After the war, Jane Currie Blaikie Hoge raised funds to help rebuild her nation.

Lucy Minnigerode was an American nurse best remembered for her service during the First World War. She is credited with founding the US Public Health Service Nursing Corps. In 1925, the International Committee of the Red Cross honored her with the Florence Nightingale Medal, making Lucy Minnigerode the eighth American recipient of the prestigious medal.