Immigrant Nurses
Immigrant Nurses Maria Jayme’s nurse’s cap Nurse’s cap, ca. 1991. Gift of Maria Reyna Legaspi, National Museum of American History. The Philippines became an American colony after the Spanish-American War in 1898. The American government established nursing programs in the Philippines as part of an effort to “civilize” the population and prepare immigrant nurses to work in the United States. Following Philippine independence in 1946, the American government allowed Filipina nurses, who were almost all women, to work in the United States through a visitor program. The Immigration Act of 1965 made it easier to immigrate. That same year, the creation of Medicare and Medicaid provided millions more Americans with healthcare access. Facing a shortage of nurses, hospitals advertised work opportunities in the United States to
