Isabel Hampton Robb

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
Notable prizes	American Nurses Association Hall of Fame inductee

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

Isabel Adams Hampton Robb (1860–1910) was an American nurse theorist, author, nursing school administrator and early leader. Hampton was the first Superintendent of Nurses at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, wrote several influential textbooks, and helped to found the organizations that became known as the National League for Nursing, the International Council of Nurses, and the American Nurses Association. Hampton also played a large role in advancing the social status of nursing through her work in developing a curriculum of more advanced training during her time at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing.

Isabel Hampton was born in Welland, Ontario, on August 26, 1859. Hampton started early her teaching profession at the early age of 17 at a public school in Merritton, Ontario. She attended a collegiate institution after high school, but a significant part of her early education was attained through independent study. Hampton enrolled in the Bellevue Hospital Training School for Nurses in 1881 and graduated in 1883. After graduation, she briefly worked as a nurse in New York and later went to work in Rome at St. Paul's House. Here, she worked for a hospital that served American and European travelers.

Upon returning the United States, she worked as a private duty nurse for the Conover family in New Jersey. In 1886, Hampton went to Chicago and assumed the role of superintendent of Illinois Training School for Nurses at the Cook County Hospital. During her time in Chicago, she implemented reforms, many of which are still followed today. One of her most notable contributions to the system of nursing education was the implementation of a grading policy for nursing students. Students would need to prove their competency in order to receive qualifications. Before Hampton's reforms, nursing had been largely taken up by lower-class women who were unable to hold other jobs.

In 1889, Hampton was appointed the superintendent of nurses and principal of the training school at the new Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. Hampton's strong leadership and educational background was immediately recognized by the chairman of the Johns Hopkins Hospital, William Osler, after he said the following during the interviewing process: "Miss Isabel Hampton entered the room looking like an animated Greek statue...we knew that all was settled...Her certificates were looked at...and all was settled in a few minutes." She continued to suggest reforms, participate in teaching, and publish textbooks. Right from the beginning, Hampton extended the nursing program's length from 2 to 3 years, while also establishing eight-hour workdays for nurses. She also eliminated stipends, began a Nurses' Alumnae Association, and created a Nurses' Journal Club.