Who is credited with starting the American Nurses Association and organizing the nursing profession?

• A. American Nurses Association
• B. Isabell Hampton Robb
• C. Florence Nightingale
• D. Lavinia Dock

Answer: (B)

Isabel Hampton Robb is recognized for organizing nursing into a national professional voice by helping establish the Nurses’ Associated Alumnae of the United States and Canada, which later became the American Nurses Association. She led efforts to unite nurses from across states, creating a platform to set standards, advocate for standardized nursing education, and push for licensure—steps that transformed nursing into a recognized profession with a coordinated national presence. Florence Nightingale laid the groundwork for modern nursing in Britain, and Lavinia Dock was a key reformer and collaborator, but Robb is the figure credited with starting the national organization that brought the profession together in the United States.