HISTORY

The MGH Alumnae Association had its first meeting in 1895, twenty-two years after the founding of the MGH School of Nursing. The name of “The Alumnae Association of Boston Training School for Nurses attached to the Massachusetts General Hospital” was chosen. Within one year, the Alumnae Association provided educational lectures at their meetings that helped to keep members informed of current events.

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In 1905, the organization’s Constitution and By-Laws were adopted. The first order of business was to raise money, primarily through fairs, teas, etc. Over the next few years membership benefits were added: first to publish the Quarterly Record to provide news of members and their work; next an Endowment Fund was established and a Sick Relief Fund to care for alumnae during their illness and recuperation. The present day MGH Nurses’ Alumnae Association was incorporated in 1940.

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In recognition of the male graduates of MGHSON* and IHP, the NAA changed its name to the MGH Nurses' Alumni Association in 2021.

 * In the late 1960s, when McClean Hospital School of Nursing closed its program, McClean students were melded into the MGHSON until the MGH closed its program in 1981. 

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Of note is the NAA’s mission had its origins from the first year of organization, which is its commitment to nursing education and professional development.  As many MGH SON graduates became leaders in bringing about changes in the practice of nursing and establish professional standards of practice, the NAA updated its mission to include recording and maintaining the history of nursing at MGH and to support research and community engagement.  

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THE NAA TODAY

Today, the NAA is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization of over 500 members.  A volunteer board of directors oversees it’s operations.  Programs, conducted by volunteer committees of members, include:

• Organizing events of interest to members, such as annual Homecoming and lectures

• Initiatives to preserve the history of nursing at MGH

• Support for Nursing Research

• Providing scholarships to nursing students at the MGH IHP

• Publishing The Record annually, and Beyond the Cap bi-annually