Henny Tscherning

[1][2] Born on 5 March 1853 in Copenhagen, Tscherning was the daughter of postal inspector Theodor Schultz and his wife Anna Margrathe Ipsen.

As there were no established formal training courses for nurses as the time, in 1878 she started as an apprentice at the Municipal Hospital in Copenhagen, working under the head physician Andreas Brünniche and matron Margaret Bahnson.

She initially received little backing for her proposals but after marrying the surgeon Eilert Adam Tscherning in 1886, she was able to draw attention to the need for formal training as well as for official recognition of nursing as a profession.

In 1899, after being invited to stand as a candidate for the newly formed Danish Nurses' Organization, she was elected president at the first general meeting, replacing Charlotte Norrie who had occupied the post for only a few months.

[1] Tscherning earned widespread respect both in Denmark and abroad as an effective organiser, a discreet politician and a strong leader in the early years of the Danish Nurses' Organization.

[2] She gained the support of her colleagues, always showing appreciation of good work, and was expert in choosing assistants who could help her achieve results, both during her term as president and after she had retired.