Lillian Wald was a pioneer in the nursing profession as well as an advocate for many unrecognized populations in the United States. Wald was passionate about people, especially the poor and disenfranchised (A+E, para.2). By working with the most disadvantaged, she concluded that she could do more. During her nursing career, she implemented many programs and reformed society in many ways. Wald is most recognized for pioneering the field of public health nursing, but she impacted nursing as a whole in ways that changed the profession forever. Ms. Wald's Early CareerIn 1891, at the age of 22, Lillian Wald decided to attend nursing school. She moved to New York and was educated at the New York Hospital Training School for Nurses (National Women's Hall of Fame, 2011, paragraph 1). Wald then became a nurse after completing her studies and began her career. She began on the streets of New York at the New York Juvenile Asylum, where she witnessed firsthand the poverty and living conditions (National Women's Hall of Fame, 2011, para. 1). Four years after working there, she knew she had to do something more. Wald “established the Visiting Nurse Service in 1893” to better serve the communities of New York's Lower East Side (A+E, para. 1). She and some friends and fellow nurses quickly realized the need for a more established organization and founded the Henry Street Settlement two years later (Henry Street Settlement, para. 2). Henry Street Settlement provided home nursing services and offered “effective social, recreational, and educational services” (Henry Street Settlement, para. 3). The Settlement later evolved into the Visiting Nurse Service of New York City and opened a new path for...... middle of paper ...... social reform of the nursing profession (A+E, para.2). I hope to one day follow in his footsteps, changing people's lives for the better.Works CitedA+E. Lilian D. Biography of Wald. A+E Television Networks, LLC. Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/lillian-d-wald-9521707 Creasia, Joan L., Elizabeth Friberg. Conceptual Foundations: The Bridge to Professional Nursing Practice, 5th Edition. Mosby, 2011. VitalBook file. Henry Street Settlement. (nd). Lilian Wald. Retrieved from http://www.henrystreet.org/about/history/lillian-wald.html National Women's Hall of Fame. (2011). Lilian Wald. Retrieved from http://www.greatwomen.org/component/fabrik/details/2/161 Wages, J. (nd). Lilian D. Wald (1867-1940). In J. Wages (Ed.), National Museum of Women's History. Retrieved from http://www.nwhm.org/educationresources/biography/biographies/lillian-wald/