History:

The Mississippi Nurses' Association was first organized as the Mississippi State Association of Graduate Nurses in 1911 to promote the development and improvement of nursing care in Mississippi. Prior to the founding of the organization, the state had no certification or registration requirements for nurses. After successfully lobbying the Mississippi legislature, the nursing certification and registration requirements were enacted into law in 1914. The name of the organization was changed to the Mississippi State Nurses' Association in 1931 and to the Mississippi Nurses' Association in 1961. The association continues to improve the nursing profession in Mississippi.
 

Scope and Content Note:

The Mississippi Nurses' Association records include the charter, constitution, bylaws, association, and board of directors’ minutes, and committee records. There are also proceedings of annual meetings, legislative lobbying materials, financial records, and publications. A complete run of the newsletter, MS. RN, which was first published by the association in 1939, is available in the library of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
 

Series Identification:

Series 1: Charter, Constitution, and Bylaws. 1911-1915; 1931; 1951.
Box 1: 1911-1914. 
Box 2: 1913; 1915; 1931; 1951.

Series 12: Minutes and Governing Documents of the Mississippi State Association of Graduate Nurses and the Mississippi State Nurses' Association. 1911-1949.
Box 1: 1911-1930. 
Box 2: 1911-1930; 1930-1949.

Series 3: Minutes of the Board of Directors. 1950-1969.
Box 3: 1950-1964. 
Box 4: 1965-1969.

Series 4: Proceedings of the Annual Conventions. 1930-1945; 1947-1949; 1951-1965; 1967; 1969-1970; 1977.
Box 5: 1930-1936. 
Box 6: 1937-1951.
Box 7: 1952-1954.
Box 8: 1955-1959.
Box 9: 1960-1961.
Box 10: 1962-1965.
Box 11: 1967; 1969-1970; 1977.

Series 5: Minutes of the Coordinating Council. 1952-1968.
This council was a coordinating committee composed of representatives of the Mississippi Nurses' Association and the Mississippi League of Nursing. 
Box 12

Series 6: Committee Records. 1947-1948; 1959-1961; 1964; 1976.
Working papers and reports of Mississippi Nurses’ Association committees: 
Box 13: Development of an Integrated Statewide Nursing Education Program for Mississippi (1947-1948). 
Historical Resources / Nursing Image (1959).
Boxes 14-15: Job Classifications (1976).
Box 15: Nursing Progress (1964).
Box 16: Reappraisal of Nursing Needs and Resources in Mississippi (1959-1961).
Task Force on Entry Levels into Nursing Practice (n.d.).

Series 7: Speeches and Papers. 1953; 1960; n.d.
Box 17.

Series 8: Legislative Materials. 1954-1962.
Box 17.

Series 9: History File. n.d.
Box 17.

Series 10: Hurricane Camille. 1969-1970.
Papers relating to disaster-relief activities provided by Mississippi nurses in the aftermath of Hurricane Camille. 
Box 17.

Series 11: Publications. 1916-1975.
Mississippi Nurses’ Association and related publications (arranged alphabetically): 
Box 18: Annual convention programs (1936-1937; 1946-1948; 1961-1962). 
Annual Report, Nurses' Board of Examination and Registration in Mississippi (1968-1969). 
Directory of Registered Nurses in Mississippi (1916; 1919; 1941-1947). 
Final Report: Inactive Professional Health Personnel, State of Mississippi (1970). 
Mississippi Nurses: Their Duty and Their Destiny--A Reappraisal of Nursing Resources (1960). 
Mississippi State Board of Examiners of Nurses (n.d.). 
Mississippi's Reactivation of Health Occupation Report (1969). 
Box 19: Nursing Curricula Study Final Report (1975). 
Proceedings of the Mississippi State Association of Graduate Nurses (1915-1916). 
Registered Professional Nurse Roster (1959). 
Report: Nursing Committee to Develop an Integrated Statewide Nurse Education Program for Mississippi (1948). 
Report of Committee for Reappraisal of Mississippi Nursing Needs and Resources (1960). 
Roster of Nurses (1957). 
Summary Report of the Nursing Committee for the Mississippi Commission on Care, Relating to Nursing Resources and Needs in Mississippi (n.d.). 
Tornado! A Disaster and How People Responded to It (1969). 
Yearbook and Roster (1929-1930).

Series 12: Convention Programs. 1949-1974.
Box 19.

Series 13: Photographs. n.d.
Box 20.

Series 14: Scrapbook. 1953-1969.
Box 23.

Series 15: Auditor's Reports. 1940-1974.
Box 21: 1940-1962. 
Box 22: 1963-1974.

Series 16: Headquarters Purchase Records. 1947-1952.
Box 22.

Series 17: Annual Convention Tape Recording. 1958. 1 reel.
Box 22.