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The Nation's First Formally Trained Nurse Anesthesthetist"

A Pennsylvania state historical marker now honors a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph who, as America's first formally trained nurse-anesthetist, paved the way for more than 25,000 CRNAs who administer anesthesia throughout the United States.

Mother Mary Bernard Sheridan was an Irish immigrant who entered the Sisters of St. Joseph in Erie, Pa., in 1877; received nurse's training at St. Vincent Hospital and went on to become the first General Superior of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Wichita, Kan. The majority of early nurse-anesthetists were religious sisters recruited and trained by surgeons anxious to improve the survival rates of their patients.

The marker was unveiled in Erie on Friday, Sept. 26, at a dedication ceremony on the grounds of St. Vincent Health Center that was organized by the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists (Photos can be seen at www.pana.org).

"What a surprise to learn about this accomplishment and to reflect on Mother Bernard's influence on modern healthcare," said Sister Helene Lentz, CSJ, president of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Wichita.

Mother Bernard introduced the Wichita sisters to healthcare in 1903 by establishing Mt. Carmel Hospital, Pittsburg, to serve impoverished immigrants who were working in the coal mines of southeast Kansas. Today the Sisters of St. Joseph of Wichita are co-sponsors, with the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother, of Via Christi Health System in Kansas, Oklahoma and California.

"It is really an honor to know that our Sister has had such an impact on the field of anesthesia and it says a great deal about the leadership of women religious and Catholic hospitals," said Sister Ricarda Vincent, SSJ, president of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania.