Colonel Lawrence Washington
First Male Army Nurse
Thank you to RocScrubs’ Black History Month series for highlighting this story.
Lawrence Washington was born in Washington, D.C in 1935. Prior to enrolling in nursing school, he enlisted as an aidman working at Walter Reed General Hospital from 1954–1956. He first earned a diploma from Freedman’s Hospital School of Nursing and later graduated with his Bachelor’s in Nursing from the University of Maryland in 1968. In 1962 he became the first man in the Army Nurse Corps, entering with the rank of 2nd lieutenant reserve officer where he served as a psychiatric mental health nurse. Washington was sworn into the regular U.S. Army in 1967, making him the first male nurse (and Black male nurse) ever to serve in the U.S. Army. He went on to serve over 27 years of active duty with the U.S. Army and became the first Black nurse to be promoted to the rank of Colonel.
In addition to his military contributions, Washington also became a nurse educator. He continued his education and earned his Master’s in Nursing from The Catholic University in Washington D.C. He worked as a clinical instructor for Louisiana State University and as an adjunct faculty for The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio School of Nursing. He taught as an assistant professor for Columbia Union College, today known as Washington Adventist University, and at Howard University College of Pharmacy, Nursing and Allied Health Sciences among others. While working as an assistant Professor at George Mason University College of Nursing and Health Science, he was promoted as the program coordinator for the Saudi-U.S. University Project where he taught the importance of health promotion and disease prevention within the community. His dedication to the profession is also evidenced by his commitment to memberships with many nursing organizations such as the American Nurses Association, Sigma Theta Tau International and the Army Nurse Corps Association.
Historical Background: It is important to note the military history behind Freedman’s Hospital School of Nursing. Post-Civil War, the program was established in Washington, D.C. by the federal government’s Freedmen’s Bureau, as a way for graduates to provide emergency care to former slaves after combat. Established in 1893, the Howard University Training School for Nurses transitioned to Freedmen’s Hospital School of Nursing in 1894. Congress then transferred the Freedmen’s Hospital School of Nursing to Howard University in 1967. Freedman’s School of Nursing graduated over 1500 nurses and, during its era of operation, was one of the few institutions accessible for Black nurses to enter the nursing profession.
Sources
We sourced the above information from Black Then, Minority Nurse, and The History Makers.
Learn More
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Know Your History
- American Association for the History of Nursing to attend monthly webinars on topics of nursing history, view the calendar here.
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Examine Bias
- NurseManifest to attend live zoom sessions with fellow nurses on nursing’s overdue reckoning on racism or to sign their pledge.
- Breaking Bias in Healthcare, an online course created by scientist Anu Gupta, to learn how bias is related to our brain’s neurobiology and can be mitigated with mindfulness.
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- National Coalition for Ethnic Minority Nurse Association to stay engaged with topics relevant to nurses of color.
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