Training Nurses in Sandusky

September 26, 1907 was the date of the first official graduating class from the Providence School of Nursing. Providence Hospital opened its doors at 1912 Hayes Avenue on April 5, 1904, under the direction of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine of the Cleveland Diocese. In 1923, the diocesan boundaries were re-drawn, placing Sandusky in the Toledo diocese, so the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine transferred ownership to the Sisters of St. Francis, Sylvania, Ohio.

Leo Bahnsen, the first male nurse at Providence Hospital, is shown making his rounds in 1938 in a male ward at Providence Hospital:

In 1918, local Red Cross officials taught nursing skills to volunteers to help in the war effort during World War One, as well as to assist with local victims of influenza.

From 1910 to 1937, Good Samaritan Hospital also trained nurses. A listing in the 1923 Sandusky City Directory shows Good Samaritan Hospital at 624 Van Buren Street, and the Good Samaritan Hospital nurses’ home at 612 Van Buren Street.

Here is a scene from the Good Samaritan nurses’ residence in 1923; the young ladies may actually be Good Samaritan nursing students:

If male callers came to visit the nursing students, they had to stay in the “beau’s room” at the end of the hall, and they were never to enter the upstairs rooms of the young ladies.

Names of individual nurses who resided in Sandusky were listed on pages 501 and 502 of the 1923 Sandusky City Directory.

Today individuals who wish to enter into a career in nursing can enroll at Firelands Regional Medical Center School of Nursing. The history of the school has its origins in Sandusky, dating back to 1905. Today's Firelands Regional Medical Center is the combination of three former hospitals in Sandusky, Good Samaritan Hospital, Sandusky Memorial Hospital, and Providence Hospital.

Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to learn more about the history of health care in the Sandusky area. Books, historical newspaper articles, city directories, and other archival resources provide details about the former hospitals, nurses and doctors who served Sandusky residents.