Pennsylvania Continuing Education Requirements

It shouldn’t take a history buff to know that Pennsylvania was one of the original 13 colonies in America, making it one of the oldest states throughout the country. Pennsylvania was the second state to ratify the United States Constitution, and is home to Independence Hall, where the U.S. Declaration of Independence was drafted and signed.

During the Revolutionary War, nurses played a key role in bravely stepping up and taking care of the sick and wounded during battle. They also played a huge role during the yellow fever epidemic of 1793, which killed close to 10 percent of Philadelphia’s population. Other epidemics such as smallpox, malaria, and typhus were common in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, which often devastated entire communities.

As infrastructure began in the eighteenth century, one of America’s first-ever government-sponsored hospital facilities was built in Philadelphia called the Philadelphia Almshouse. Prior to hospital establishments, nurses and doctors would travel to homes to take care of the sick. The growth of hospitals was revolutionary in terms of how quickly this developed the nursing industry. The Philadelphia Almshouse later became known as the Philadelphia General Hospital, which closed its doors in 1977.

Although the nursing profession has dramatically changed since the revolutionary days, it’s important to know that nurses throughout Pennsylvania played a critical role during a pivotal time in our country’s history.