Susan Bell McGahey (1862 - November 16, 1919) was the matron of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital from 1891 to 1904. McGahey was also co-founder of the

Australasian Trained Nurses' Association The Australasian Trained Nurses' Association was an association formed in 1899 to register nurses who had been trained in Australia. History Susan McGahey was a co-founder of the Australasian Trained Nurses' Association (ATNA) in December 1899 ...

in 1899 and president of the International Council of Nurses from 1904 to 1909.

Early life and education

Susan Bell McGahey was born in 1862 in Stewartstown,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. She was partially homeschooled before attending a college in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

where she received multiple awards and scholarships. After moving to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in the 1870s, McGahey completed her nursing training at

The London Hospital The Royal London Hospital is a large teaching hospital in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is part of Barts Health NHS Trust. It provides district general hospital services for the City of London and Tower Hamlets and spe ...

in 1887. with an additional certificate at the

Obstetrical Society of London The Obstetrical Society of London existed from 1858 to 1907. History The Society was set up in 1858, the successor to an Obstetric Society dating from 1825, and in the aftermath of the Medical Act 1858. The founding group included James Hobson Ave ...

Career

After receiving additional nursing training, McGahey began her nursing career at The London Hospital in 1884. She worked at the hospital as a student nurse for five years before moving to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Upon arriving in Australia in 1890, McGahey became a matron at Carrington Convalescent Hospital in Camden, New South Wales. The following year, she replaced Catherine C. Downs as matron of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in 1891. As matron, she introduced recommendations about the training and hiring of nurses in New South Wales. In 1904, she resigned from the RPAH and opened a training hospital for nurses. Outside of her career as a matron, McGahey was a co-founder of the

in 1899. During her time at the ATNA, McGahey was elected president of the International Council of Nurses in 1904. She remained at the ATNA as a secretary until 1912.

Death

McGahey died from cancer on 16 November 1919 in

Carlingford, New South Wales Carlingford () is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Carlingford is 22 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of City of Parramatta. Carlingford is in the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McGahey, Susan 1862 births 1919 deaths Irish nurses Deaths from cancer in New South Wales 19th-century Australian women 20th-century Australian women British emigrants to colonial Australia 19th-century Irish women Health professionals from County Tyrone