Mary Adelaide Nutting (November 1, 1858 – October 3, 1948) was a Canadian nurse, educator, and pioneer in the field of hospital care.

This was a common trend for many people who remained loyal to the English crown during the American Revolutionary War, and subsequent to the US victory fled the country to seek refuge in the British colony of Quebec.

Having found her first real niche, she spent a brief time studying the arts in Lowell, Massachusetts, and continued this education back in Ottawa.

She is remembered as a very independent woman, and made the personal decision early on to not marry to prevent any hindrance of her career aspirations.

[5] This was compounded by the fact that Nutting underwent the painful experience of watching her mother slowly die at the hands of "incompetent" health care.

[1] Almost by sheer chance, she came across a newspaper article advertising for a brand-new opportunity to participate in a nurse training program at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

When Hampton made the decision to resign just a year later, Nutting assumed the role as superintendent and principal of the nursing school, which entailed both administrative and hospital service leadership.

[7] In her newfound position of authority, Nutting saw an opportunity to make changes to the program at Johns Hopkins University and breakthroughs in the development of nursing curricula throughout the country.

Considered the "Magna Carta" of nurse teaching, her presentation convinced Hopkins leadership to make drastic reforms.

Further, Nutting instituted a watershed preparatory program that served the purpose of easing nurses in the hospital environment, including classes in anatomy, physiology, materia medica, and hygiene.

[1] Nutting also made early breakthroughs in the field of public health, instituting nursing programs that provided at home care for people in poorer communities, especially for sick mothers.

This work, a four-volume series, written from 1907 to 1912 and co-authored by Lavinia Dock, provided a comprehensive account of nursing practice up to that point.

Further, Nutting established the American Journal of Nursing (1900), which provided a crucial information source for aspiring professionals and scholars.

[1][4] Nutting's ultimate goal was to coalesce nurse training schools with university education systems, which was not going to be attainable during her time at Hopkins.

Therefore, in 1889, Nutting convinced the new dean at the Teachers College at Columbia, James E. Russell, to allow nurses to partake in hospital economics and physiology courses offered at the institution.

"[1] A list of some of her most important works: Despite being a Canadian citizen, Mary Adelaide Nutting was more than willing to assist in the home effort when war erupted in Europe.

[10] Nutting was involved in a variety of women's suffrage movements and programs, and was also a staunch advocate for making education and medical care more accessible to all people.

The "Mary Adelaide Nutting Award" is given once a year, to a recipient who was shown devotion and furthered the development of nursing education.