Maryland Nurses Association records

Collection

Identifier: L1979-33

Staff Only
Not requestable

Scope and Content of the Records

The records of the Maryland Nurses Association document its creation in 1903; its organizational structure and everyday activities; its annual conventions; and its commitment to the establishment of nursing professional standards. The multiple accessions of the records make it difficult to ascertain their place or person of origin. The records primarily consist of annual meeting proceedings, board of director minutes, committee information, and collective bargaining activities.

The nearly complete runs of the annual meeting proceedings and Board of Director minutes provide succinct depictions of the most important issues facing the association over the course of its history.

The collective bargaining activities of the Maryland Nurses Association are documented in Series V: Economic and General Welfare Program and mainly consist of the records of professional chapters at various medical facilities. According to the bylaws of the staff chapter of Prince George's General Hospital and Medical Center, the professional chapters served to "implement ANA standards of nursing and stimulate and promote the Professional development of nurses and advance their economic and general welfare through effective and aggressive collective bargaining." Although the records focus on only eleven medical facilities and corporations, the information provided is comprehensive.

The records included limited documents from the district organizations and the executive director and office files, and contain incomplete runs of the organizational bylaws.

Dates

Creation: 1882-1989

Creator

Maryland Nurses Association (Organization)

Restrictions on Access

Collection is open for research use.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Georgia State University is the owner of the physical collection and makes reproductions available for research, subject to the copyright law of the United States and item condition. Georgia State University may or may not own the rights to materials in the collection. It is the researcher's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and obtain permission from the copyright holder before publication, reproduction, or display of the materials beyond what is reasonable under copyright law. Researchers may quote selections from the collection under the fair use provision of copyright law.

History of the Maryland Nurses Association

On December 14, 1903, over 400 nurses gathered in Baltimore to organize the Maryland State Association of Graduate Nurses. At that first meeting, the Maryland State Association of Graduate Nurses established its priorities as creating a state registration program, fostering relationships among Maryland nurses, promoting nursing standards, and later, serving as the primary collective bargaining agent for nurses.

The organization changed its name to the Maryland State Nurses' Association and joined the newly formed Middle Atlantic Division of the American Nurses' Association in 1921. It took the name Maryland Nurses Association, Inc. in 1959. From its creation, it has been a constituent member of the American Nurses' Association and adheres to ANA bylaws and the ANA Code for Nurses.

In 1909, the association created the Central Directory of Registered Nurses as a profit-sharing corporation. The Central Directory of Registered Nurses provided preapproved registered nurses and licensed practical nurses for private duty and to hospitals and to other healthcare institutions when requested. It became a non-profit agency owned and operated by the association in the late 1940s.

The Maryland Nurses Association has used an evolving organizational structure consisting of constituent associations, or district nurses' association (DNA); the offices of presidents, vice-presidents, secretary, and treasurer that form an Executive Committee; a Board of Directors composed of elected members; appointed committees and cabinets; councils of elected and appointed members; divisions composed of elected members; task forces and commissions composed of volunteer or elected members who advise the Board of Directors on a particular issue; professional chapters and cabinets that carry out collective bargaining at places of employment; sections for specific groups of professional nurses; and special interest groups.

The Maryland Nurses Association quickly established itself as an advocate for professional standards in nursing education, training, and legislation with the passage of the Nurses Bill and the appointment of a State Board of Examiners in 1904. The association's commitment to nursing legislation and advocacy for nurses' rights was further solidified with the formation of the Committee on Economic and General Welfare in 1958. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the MNA filed a collective bargaining petition with the Labor Commission, obtained a registered lobbyist, and hired a labor lawyer to work with the Economic and General Welfare Program and local units. The General and Economic Welfare Program of the MNA operated through the use of professional chapters that were responsible to the Council on Professional Employment Activities.

For further historical information on the MNA, see Twenty-fifth Anniversary of the Maryland State Nurses Association: An Historical Sketch, 1903-1928, by Helen C. Bartlett and Highlights of Nursing in Maryland, 1903-1976, by Alice Sundberg, et al. in the Historical Materials series.

Extent

22.5 Linear Feet (in 50 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The Maryland State Association of Graduate Nurses established its priorities as creating a state registration program, fostering relationships among Maryland nurses, promoting nursing standards, and later, serving as the primary collective bargaining agent for nurses. The records of the Maryland Nurses Association document its creation in 1903; its organizational structure and everyday activities; its annual conventions; and its commitment to the establishment of nursing professional standards.

Organization of the Records

Organized into 9 series:

Series I. Annual Meetings/Conventions
Series II. Bylaws and Constitutions
Series III. Board of Directors and Executive Committee
Series IV. Structural Units
- Subseries A. Committees
- Subseries B. Councils
- Subseries C. Divisions
- Subseries D. Special Interest Groups
- Subseries E. Task Forces
Series V. Economic and General Welfare Program
Series VI. Office Files
Series VII. Financial Documents
Series VIII. Central Directory of Registered Nurses
Series IX. Historical Material

This collection is comprised of materials from five different accessions (L1977-16, L1979-33, L1985-31, L1988-32, and L1989-10) and was processed and described multiple times over the years. As a result, the materials are not all physically stored together, but the materials are intellectually integrated within this finding aid. The L1979-16 and L1979-33 accessions had been previously processed and their original arrangement has been retained as much as possible. Additional series were created to accommodate material from the most recent two accessions. Materials from accession L1977-16 is stored in boxes 1077-1083. Materials from accession L1979-33 is stored in boxes 1661-1671. Materials from accession L1985-31 is stored in boxes 2099-2100. Materials from L1988-32 and L1989-10 were processed together and are stored in boxes 1-29.

Acquisition Information

Donated by Maryland Nurses Association, 1977-1989 (accessions L1977-16, L1979-33, L1985-31, L1988-32, and L1989-10).

Separated Materials

During processing, an oversized poster, a ledger, and pamphlets were separated to the Southern Labor Archives Oversize Collection and the Southern Labor Archives Pamphlet Collection finding aid (note that this collection has been weeded over time).