1908 – 1920: The early years

In the late 1800s, the quality of nursing in the United States varied widely. There were no standards for entry into practice. As early as 1898, nurse leaders started formal local nurses’ associations in the country, including in Washington state. Washington’s first county nurses’ association was formed in Spokane in October 1898. Local associations in Seattle, Tacoma, Walla Walla, and Whatcom County rapidly followed.

One Strong Voice, 2019

In 1908, a group of 14 nurse leaders officially formed the Washington State Graduate Nurses Association, later renamed the Washington State Nurses Association in 1940. At the time, a “graduate nurse” referred to someone who had completed a formal nursing education program, distinguishing them from untrained or less-trained caregivers.

In 1909, WSGNA was instrumental in the passage of the first Nurse Practice Act in Washington state. Before Nurse Practice Acts, anyone could call themselves a nurse, and there were no clear definitions of what nurses could or could not do.

In 1912, As the nation struggled with a growing tuberculosis epidemic, WSGNA members contributed funds to build the Riverton Sanitorium for the care of nurses who contracted TB. The private TB facility was in south King County.

The national influenza epidemic of 1917-1918 and World War I (1914-1918) produced the first nursing shortage and longer hours — 20-24-hour duty. WSNA fought for better hours in the next decade.

Nurses were urged to join the armed forces, and they responded en masse even though they were volunteers without equal pay or benefits. The first WSGNA president, May S. Loomis, oversaw nurse recruitment for the state.

May S. Loomis, the first president of WSGNA, was instrumental in securing passage of Washington’s first Nurse Practice Act.

Future WSGNA President Anna R. Moore in the ward uniform of the American Red Cross during World War I.