Pearl McIver

Pearl McIver (June 23, 1893 – June 3, 1976) was an American nurse and public official. She was noted for her work with the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) and was the first nurse to be employed by the body in providing consultation services on nursing administration. McIver later served with various health organizations, and retired in 1957 after being the USPHS' Chief of the Division of Public Health Nursing. She was inducted into the American Nurses Association Hall of Fame in 2014.

Biography

Early life McIver was born on June 23, 1893, in Lowry, Minnesota. She was the daughter of a Scottish immigrant father and her mother, from Minnesota, was of Norwegian descent. She began her career as a school teacher in North Dakota.

Education McIver attended the University of Minnesota's School of Nursing. She nursed children during the 1918 flu pandemic, and cared for them by removing her mask and cap. McIver then wrapped the child in cloth and rocked them in her arms until they calmed down and consumed fluids. She graduated from the school in 1919, and remained at the university to work in the hospital for the next three years. McIver later obtained Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degrees in administration from Teachers College, Columbia University.

McIver was also the director of public health nursing in the Missouri State Health Department.

In 1933, she was employed by the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) in their Division of Public Health, as the first US Public Health Nurse. She was the first nurse to be employed by the USPHS to provide consultation on nursing administration. McIver was convinced that the strengths of each individual director of public health nursing of each state would influence its scope and quality. Her goal was to have an experienced nursing director in the health department of every state.

Post-retirement She also worked with the American Nurses Association (ANA) for nearly 20 years, and was its president between 1948 and 1950. McIver was the editor of the American Journal of Nursing and served as the Vice-President of the American Public Health Association where she oversaw the foundation of the organization's nursing section. She was the chairperson of the Federal Nursing Council, was a member of the Expert Panel of Nursing for the World Health Organization, was the chairperson of the International Council of Nurses Constitution Committee, and was the Vice-Chairperson of the American Nurses Foundation.

Personal life McIver died on June 3, 1976, at the age of 83.

Legacy McIver helped to influence a greater than 40% increase in employment in the local public health sectors of each state.

In 1955 the Lasker Foundation jointly awarded the Mary Woodland Lasker Public Service Award to McIver along with Margaret Arnstein and Lucile Petry Leone. McIver was inducted into the American Nurses Association Hall of Fame in 2014.

Works Missouri., & McIver, P. (1931). Annual report of public health nursing, 1931. Jefferson City: State Board of Health of Missouri. McIver, P. (1934). An analysis of first level public health nursing in ten selected health organizations. New York, N.Y.: National Organization for Public Health Nursing. McIver, P. (1937). Public health nursing. Washington: U.S. Govt. Print. Off. McIver, P. (1942). Registered nurses in the U.S.A. McIver, P. (1943). Public health nursing. Washington: U.S. Govt. Print. Off. McIver, P. (1943). Negro nurses and the war effort. Mabel K. Staupers Papers, Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, Howard University, Washington, D.C. (box 96-2) Petry, Lucile, Margaret Arnstein, and Pearl McIver. "Research for Improved Nursing Practices." Public Health Reports 67, no. 2 (1952): 183-88. Accessed May 11, 2021. doi:10.2307/4588035.