Isabel Hampton Robb facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Isabel Hampton Robb
Born	August 26, 1859 Welland, Ontario
Died	April 15, 1910 Cleveland, Ohio
Education	Bellevue Training School for Nurses
Medical career
Field	Nursing
Institutions	Johns Hopkins Hospital, Nurses' Associated Alumnae of the US and Canada
Awards	American Nurses Association Hall of Fame inductee

Isabel Adams Hampton Robb (1859–1910) was a very important American nurse. She wrote books, managed nursing schools, and was a big leader in her field. Isabel was the first head nurse at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. She also wrote many important textbooks. Isabel helped start big nursing groups like the National League for Nursing and the American Nurses Association. She made nursing a more respected job. She did this by creating better training programs at Johns Hopkins.

Isabel's Early Life and Nursing Career

Isabel Hampton was born in Welland, Ontario, Canada, on August 26, 1859. When she was 17, she became a public school teacher. She went to college after high school. She also learned a lot by studying on her own.

In 1881, Isabel joined the Bellevue Hospital Training School for Nurses. She finished her training in 1883. After graduating, she worked as a nurse in New York for a short time. Then, she went to Rome, Italy, to work at St. Paul's House. This hospital helped American and European travelers.

When she came back to the United States, she worked as a private nurse in New Jersey. In 1886, Isabel moved to Chicago. There, she became the superintendent of the Illinois Training School for Nurses. This school was at the Cook County Hospital.

While in Chicago, she made many changes that are still used today. One big change was creating a grading system for nursing students. Students had to show they were good enough to become qualified nurses. Before Isabel's changes, nursing was often done by women who couldn't find other jobs.

Leading the Way at Johns Hopkins

Isabel's First Steps at Hopkins Nursing

Isabel Hampton, pictured in the dark dress, standing with the 1893 graduating class of the Johns Hopkins Training School for Nurses.

In 1889, Isabel Hampton became the head nurse and principal of the training school at the new Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. Her strong leadership was quickly noticed. William Osler, the chairman of Johns Hopkins Hospital, was very impressed. He said she looked like a "Greek statue" and knew she was the right person for the job.

Isabel kept suggesting new ideas and teaching. She also wrote textbooks. Right away, she made the nursing program longer, from 2 to 3 years. She also set up eight-hour workdays for nurses. She stopped giving students money (stipends). She also started a Nurses' Alumnae Association and a Nurses' Journal Club.

Nursing: Its Principles and Practice

While at Johns Hopkins, Isabel wrote her famous book, Nursing: Its Principles and Practice. It was published in 1893. A review of the book said it "stands without a competitor." This book was very important for understanding nursing. It explained many topics in detail.

The book included:

• A plan for a 3-year nursing course.
• How to manage hospital wards.
• Proper hygiene rules in hospitals.
• How to take notes on bacteria.
• How to make beds correctly.

This detailed book brought a lot of structure to nursing. It showed how important nurses were in hospitals. Isabel herself said that these changes would "relieve the nurses of much of the domestic side of their work." This meant nurses could spend more time on actual nursing. As a result, patients would get better care. Her book helped make nursing education the same everywhere. It was used in the United States and other countries.

This book was one of the first texts to be written on nursing in America. It was crucial in establishing nursing as a legitimate and necessary profession in the medical field.
Author	Isabel Hampton Robb
Original title	Nursing: Its Principles and Practice
Subject	Nursing
Genre	Medicine
Set in	United States of America
Publication date	1909

More Ways Isabel Helped Nursing

In 1893, Isabel helped organize the nurses' section at the World's Fair in Chicago. This event helped her and Lavinia Dock start the American Society of Superintendents of Training Schools for Nurses. This group later became the National League for Nursing Education. Isabel was the first president of this organization.

Isabel said she was so interested in Johns Hopkins because it was "the first in this country to have a primary interest in education, research, and health care."

Later Life and Achievements (1894-1910)

In 1894, Isabel left Johns Hopkins to marry Dr. Hunter Robb. He was a doctor who specialized in women's health at Johns Hopkins. Isabel and Dr. Robb moved to Ohio. Dr. Robb had a new job as a professor at Case Western Reserve University. Isabel and her husband had two children, born in 1895 and 1902.

In 1896, Isabel became the first president of the Nurses' Associated Alumnae of the United States and Canada. This group is now called the American Nurses Association. Isabel also helped start the American Journal of Nurses. She also helped create a course on Hospital Economics in 1899. This course was at the Teachers College, Columbia University. Isabel, M. Adelaide Nutting, and Lavinia Dock were among the first teachers for this course. They taught for free.

Isabel was important in creating the curriculum for the Lakeside Hospital Training School for Nurses. This school later became part of Case Western's School of Nursing. Lakeside's program was one of the first to use the ideas of Florence Nightingale.

Isabel was also an active member of the Matrons Council. This was a small international group of nurses. They worked on making nursing a better profession. In 1899, a committee was formed to create the International Council of Nurses. Isabel was an American representative for this group.

Isabel also wrote two more books: Nursing Ethics in 1900 and Educational Standards for Nurses in 1907. A review of Nursing Ethics in 1901 said it was different from other books. It focused only on the rules and practice of nursing. It did not try to teach too many other subjects. The review said that nurses needed other books for subjects like anatomy and first aid.

Death

Isabel Hampton Robb died on April 15, 1910. She was in an accident with a streetcar in Cleveland, Ohio. She is buried in St. Mary's Cemetery in Burlington, New Jersey.

Awards and Lasting Impact

In 1976, Isabel Hampton Robb was honored. She was put into the American Nurses Association Hall of Fame.

Many awards and funds today honor Isabel Hampton's memory. They encourage leadership and new ideas in nursing. These are some of the most respected nursing awards:

• Isabel Robb Memorial Fund - This fund helps nursing students with scholarships.
• Isabel Hampton Robb Leadership Award - This award goes to a student nurse leader. Their leadership should be like Isabel Hampton Robb's.
• The NLN Isabel Hampton Robb Award for Outstanding Leadership in Clinical Practice - This award is given to a nurse who shows Isabel Hampton Robb's ideals in their work.

Works

• Nursing: Its Principles and Practice (1893)
• Nursing Ethics (1900)
• Educational Standards for Nurses (1907)