<i>Who Cares? A History of Emotions in Nursing</i>

This review details a fascinating virtual and physical exhibition on the history of emotions in nursing. In 2021, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Library and Heritage Centre displayed the results of research carried out by the Queen Mary Centre for the History of Emotions at the University of London, with the support of the RCN History of Nursing Forum and the RCN Library and Archive Service. Support was also provided by the Welcome Trust. The exhibition describes the emotions of nurses over time and in various contexts of care. The user is asked to consider how emotions feature in care and who is ultimately responsible for them.The virtual exhibit includes six topics that include mothercraft nursing, hospital romances, war nursing, the role of faith in nursing, end-of-life care, and radical nurses. The section on “motherly hearts” describes how nurses met a “drive of motherhood” when they could not marry themselves. The section on faith in nursing discusses the way religious faith has provided both a drive and support for nurses in their practice. Another interesting section of note is the information on radical nurses who sought to improve nursing through nursing unions. These selected contexts of care provide a short description of the emotions that come with working in those environments, such as sadness at the end of life, love for the profession, and shock that many nurses experienced as they provided care during wartime.The exhibition evaluates the emotions nurses’ have experienced over time, but also provides links to contemporary practice. The section on faith in nursing asks: “Where does faith belong today in the nursing profession, if it belongs at all?” In the United Kingdom, 90 percent of nurses identify as women. Unlike the past, nurses today are allowed to get married while they are in training and employed. Yet, the exhibition questions why the percentage of women who enter nursing remains so high today. The historical war photos show a different story to the propaganda that surrounded British nurses during the First World War. Nurses faced staff shortages and limited resources during the war, and witnessed the tragic physical impact of war on soldiers. The website discusses resilience, which remains a central point of contemporary discussion in the profession. It asks: How can nurses recognize the effect on their mental wellbeing with these limitations and where does the responsibility lie in providing a space for self-care? The section that discusses the sexualized image of the nurse and nurses’ romantic relationships with doctors considers the impact that this stereotype may have had on the image of the nurse. Lastly, the RCN along with nursing unions worldwide attempt to spearhead campaigns to ensure safe working practices for nurses. This website asks the user to consider who should have the responsibility for this work: The government, the patient, the nurse or the health care institutions? Advocating for nurses’ rights is fundamental to safe and quality nursing care.The virtual exhibit is easy to access as it is located on one single page, though the topics appear like textboxes that are divided by color. The webpage uses a combination of historical photos, which can be viewed using easily accessible arrows; a podcast that draws on oral history to understand the culture and faith of a Sri Lankan nurse in London in the 1960s; and other paragraphs with headings to easily distinguish between topics. Historical photos can be saved using the right-click and Save As function on individual computers. A reading list of the sources utilized to examine the emotions of nurses has also been provided for readers to view. Thus, the website is extremely accessible and a great way to present such novel and fascinating content.Nurses are the intended audience of this exhibit. In particular, both contemporary and retired nurses may have an interest in the history of their profession and find this a useful resource to connect the past to ongoing practice issues. However, this exhibition would also be a valuable source to the public who may not be aware of the emotions nurses experience as they deliver care to patients.While the online version of this exhibition was intriguing and raised questions of my own, it would have also been a delight to view the exhibition in a physical sense, noting the kinds of emotions that may have arisen being face-to-face with such historic products. This is a relatively short, easy-to-read webpage that could also be used with students to discuss topics of ongoing nursing stereotypes, nursing burnout, and initiatives to enhance nursing working conditions.