A North American-Style Profession: The Reconfiguration of Nursing in Ecuador, 1941-1965

ABSTRACT

This article uses the case study of the National School of Nursing to explore the changes in the field of care, specifically nursing, in Ecuador between 1941 and 1965. It explores processes such as the North Americanization and professionalization of the field of care, which was strengthened as a feminine field. The Rockefeller Foundation and the Pan American Sanitary Office’s cooperation with Ecuadorian institutions allowed the establishment of the Nightingale model in that country. Drawning on Political History, the text discusses the action of nurses, showing that, far from being mere recipients of national and international projects, they were agents in reconfiguring of nursing. To this end, it studies the construction of spaces, the configuration of hierarchies, and the development of historical narratives. The changes made in this period shaped the nursing we know today.

Keywords:
Nursing; Caring; Political History; Rockefeller Foundation; Female