The British College of Nurses was set up in 1926 by Ethel Bedford Fenwick in order to offer its members professional education and support of various kinds. It was to be run by nurses, for nurses, in a democratic manner. Fenwick had many supporters but the College only lasted for thirty years.
As a condition of their royal charters both Fenwick's Royal British Nurses' Association and the rival Royal College of Nursing were required to have public figures who were not nurses on their boards. Fenwick was determined that "no employers of Nurses, nor any member of an employing body", should have a seat on the British College of Nurses Council (BCN), and in setting up an organisation that was not covered by a royal charter ensured that the BCN was governed by a Council "formed of Registered Nurses only".
The BCN was an educational organisation with a postgraduate college and it offered opportunities for professional development. It awarded Fellowships (FBCN) and Diplomas in nursing.
The BCN also offered legal protection and more personal help when needed. It was well funded by an anonymous donor who had been encouraged by Fenwick's husband, Dr. Bedford Fenwick. He acted as trustee and treasurer, while Mrs. Bedford Fenwick was the president.
The aims of the College were "efficient professional and civic education, economic security, legal protection, social and benevolent help". Ethel Bedford Fenwick died in 1947 and the BCN closed in 1956.
Fellows of the British College of Nurses
References
- David Doughan, Peter Gordon, Dictionary of British Women's Organisations, 1825 – 1960, Routledge 2014
- ^ "British Journal of Nursing April 1947 p41". Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
- ^ Margaret Currie, Fever Hospitals and Fever Nurses, Routledge 2013, page 176
- ^ Susan McGann, ‘Fenwick , Ethel Gordon (1857–1947)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2010
- Kings College archives: Royal British Nurses Association, British College of Nurses