15/06/2026
This weeks Newsletter article in the Nurses Who Came Before us: Ellen Dougherty: The World's First Registered Nurse
There are moments in healthcare history that quietly change everything. This is one of them.
This week's Healthcare Hero is Ellen Dougherty.
In 1901, Ellen Dougherty became the first registered nurse in New Zealand and is widely recognised as the first registered nurse in the world.
Her registration number was simple. Number One.
Today, registration is something many healthcare professionals understandably take for granted. But at the turn of the twentieth century, registration represented something powerful.
Professional standards. Accountability. Recognition. Trust.
The foundations of modern nursing.
Ellen dedicated her life to improving healthcare and advancing the nursing profession. She worked during a period when nursing was still fighting to be recognised as a skilled and respected profession.
The systems, standards and professional recognition nurses have today exist because pioneers like Ellen helped build them.
Every nurse who receives their registration number is part of a legacy that stretches back to people like her.
As someone who spends every day speaking with healthcare professionals, I often think about the commitment behind every registration number.
Years of study. Long shifts. Personal sacrifice. Compassion. Service.
Ellen Dougherty helped create the professional pathway that so many nurses continue to walk today.
Thank you, Ellen Dougherty, for your service and for helping shape modern nursing. Your contribution continues to influence healthcare more than a century later.
I'd love to hear from you. Do you remember receiving your own registration number? And is there a healthcare hero you would like to see featured in a future article? Please share their name in the comments.
Carejobz | Perioperative Recruitment Specialists | Australia & New Zealand | www.carejobz.com.au
