General Content
The Genesee Hospital School of Nursing Collection, 1890-1978, 80 lf. (121 boxes, 14 volumes)
The collection consists of Board of Managers meeting minutes (1892-1978); By-laws, monthly reports by Superintendent (1893-1906), correspondence (1894-1901), (1976-1979), financial reports (1890s), and board subject files. Contains school publications (e.g. Genre, 1939-1978, Bulletin, 1940-1978, Graduation programs & invitations, The Announcement, 1927, 1932, Student Handbooks, 1957-1959, 1975-1978, and miscellaneous recruitment brochures. Also contains financial aid materials, student records (1890-1978), courses (including outlines & bibliographies, 1960s & 1970s), and extensive subject files including information on various classes, class activities, procedure books, etc. and Scrapbooks (1912-1978)
Processed by William C. Black in March 1996 and
Robert Dickson in April & May 2006.
The first patient was admitted to the Rochester Homeopathic Hospital (now The Genesee Hospital) in 1889, and the “Rochester Homeopathic Hospital Training School for Nurses” opened nine weeks later in December 1889. Under the auspices of Mrs. Hiram Sibley, President of the Training School board, the first “Probies” (short for probationary nurses) reported to Ms. Isabella Davis, who became the first Superintendent of the Hospital and Nurses.
In 1891, the first class of three nurses graduated. The Training School was incorporated, separate from the Hospital, in 1891 and Ms. Eva Allerton became the first Superintendent of the Hospital of Nurses. The school moved from a two year to three year program in 1897. A new Nurse Dormitory was constructed in 1989, allowing the students to move from rooms in the administration building. The school grew rapidly under Allerton’s leadership and a school nurse graduate was the first to receive certification as a Registered Nurse (RN) in 1903, (Ida Jane Anderson) possible as a reward to Allerton for her many hours spent in Albany working for the Licensure of Nurses.
In 1911, George Eastman donated funding for the construction of the new Nurses dormitory named Eastman Hall. The Rochester Homeopathic Hospital changed its name to The Genesee Hospital in 1926, and the school became the Genesee Hospital School of Nursing. The training school progressed steadily into the 1970s when the decision was made to close the school was made by the Board. This was part of a nation-wide trend to remove nursing education from the management of hospitals to colleges and universities. As the result, college Nursing degrees became the norm. At the School’s close in 1978, 2,063 nurses had been graduated by the school.
RG-01 Board of Managers
Boxes 1-2, Arranged chronologically.
Consists of Board minutes (1892-1978), by-laws, monthly reports to the Superintendent (1893-1906), Board subject files including correspondence & misc. materials for Superintendent Allerton (1892-1901), The National League of Nursing Correspondence (1970s), Membership of the Board, and various committee minutes (1966-1970). Also includes materials from task force, 1975.
RG- 02 Correspondence
Box 3, Arranged chronologically.
Contains school correspondence, (1976-1979), primarily concerned with the closure of the school.
RG-03 Publications
Boxes 3-6, Arranged Chronologically.
Consists of the various publications of the school to include the school yearbook The Genre (1939-1978), that was originally named The Golden Haze through 1961. Additionally, The Genesee Hospital School of Nursing Bulletin (1940-1978), Student Handbooks from the 1950 & 1970s, Graduation Programs (1893-1978) and invitations (1895-1978), the Announcement from 1927, 1935 and miscellaneous recruitment brochures.
RG-04 Financial Aid
Box 7, Arranged alphabetically and chronologically.
Contains New York Higher Education Assistance Corporation correspondence to 1978, general correspondence, fund balances, and Federal Nursing Loan Program Materials, etc. primarily from the 1960s & 1970s.
RG-05 Subject Files
Boxes 9-11, Arranged alphabetically.
Contains various files of the school, including histories of the classes, nurses graduation publicity, (1964-1973), precedent books, (1939-1951), instructions for students, Nurses’ Home regulations, (1940), inventory of silver in cupboard, (1972),Medical Aseptic Technic (1930s), Accreditation Report, (1972), Jessica Heal-Alice Horner correspondence, (1930), and various student class notebooks.
RG-06 Academic Courses
Boxes 12-20, Arranged alphabetically.
Contains course outlines, exams, bibliographies, etc. for the courses offered in the 1960s & 1970s. Also includes Student Awards, Curriculum format, and NLN Achievement Test for the 1970s.
RG-09 Student Records
Boxes 21 – 110, Arranged alphabetically and chronologically.
Consists of three series: Series one is Student Graduate Records from 1901 through 1978. Series two consists of Student Records of Non-Graduates who left before completing the required curriculum from 1921 through 1978. Series three consists of five volumes of Student Registers of the Rochester Homeopathic Hospital from 1896 through 1926.