Flora Jean Cameron (24 December 1902 – 13 January 1966) was a New Zealand nurse, nursing instructor and administrator.

Biography

Cameron was born in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

, New Zealand, on 24 December 1902. She did her nursing training at

Christchurch Hospital Christchurch Hospital is the largest tertiary hospital in the South Island of New Zealand. The public hospital is in the centre of Christchurch city, on the edge of Hagley Park, and serves the wider Canterbury region. The Canterbury District Heal ...

, achieving her nursing registration in 1929. After some private nursing work in

Lower Hutt Lower Hutt ( mi, Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai) is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. It is New Zealand's sixth most p ...

and

Wanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whangan ...

she began maternity training in Blenheim at Holmdale Hospital. She did her midwifery training at the Auckland St Helens Hospital in 1932 and was then appointed a sister at St Helens Hospital in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

. She completed the Post-graduate Course in Nursing in Wellington in 1934 before taking on a position as public health nurse in Wanganui for four years. Within the Department of Health her organising abilities were recognised by the Director of Nursing, Mary Lambie, and she was promoted rapidly. In receipt of a Rockefeller Foundation study fellowship Cameron spent a year in 1938-1939 in Canada, the US, England and Scotland where she looked at health services, public health and hospital administration. She attained a Diploma in Hospital Social Work from

Toronto University The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

. Returning to New Zealand she was Nurse Instructor at the Post-graduate school for Nurses in Wellington. She taught public health and medical social work. She and other tutors from the nursing school promoted a new curriculum for nursing training in 1955-1956; the new curriculum which was implemented in 1957 added maternity nursing to the general nurse training. In 1949 Cameron became Deputy Director of Nursing in the Department of Health. She became Director of Nursing in 1950 and an advocate of public health nursing, nursing education and nursing services. Cameron also held international positions. She was elected to the Nursing Education Committee of the

International Council of Nurses The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is a federation of more than 130 national nurses associations. It was founded in 1899 and was the first international organization for health care professionals. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerl ...

in 1957, becoming its Chairman in 1961; she served on the committee for eight years. In 1965 she was elected onto the Board of Directors of the International Council of Nurses. Cameron died in Lower Hutt in 1966.

Honours and awards

Cameron was awarded the

Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du couronnement de la Reine Élizabeth II) is a commemorative medal instituted to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953. Award This medal was awarded a ...

in 1953, appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in the 1954 Queen's Birthday Honours, and received the

Florence Nightingale Medal The Florence Nightingale Medal is an international award presented to those distinguished in nursing and named after British nurse Florence Nightingale. The medal was established in 1912 by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), f ...

from the

International Committee of the Red Cross The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC; french: Comité international de la Croix-Rouge) is a humanitarian organization which is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and it is also a three-time Nobel Prize Laureate. State parties (signato ...

in 1959. The following year she was made an

Officer of the Order of St John The Order of St John, short for Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (french: l'ordre très vénérable de l'Hôpital de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem) and also known as St John International, is a British royal order of ...

. The New Zealand Nurses Organisation's Nursing Education and Research Foundation was set up in 1968 with donations made in Cameron's memory. It provides scholarships and grants to students, midwives and nurses.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cameron, Flora 1902 births 1966 deaths New Zealand nurses New Zealand educators New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire New Zealand women nurses Florence Nightingale Medal recipients Officers of the Order of St John People from Richmond, New Zealand