---

A photographic and artifact display representative of the museum's vast collection will be included in this presentation. It will highlight nursing uniforms, patient care equipment, nursing icons and curiosities. The purpose of the American Museum of Nursing (AMON) is to collect, protect, conserve, interpret and display artifacts, documents, costumes and equipment important and representative of nursing practice, education, service and research. The AMON is an important addition to the nursing community nationally and internationally, so that a forum for educating the public and profession about the past, present, and future contributions of nurses and nursing to health, healthcare and society is available and accessible. The opening of the AMON took place in October, 2002. Within six-weeks it has hosted over 500 visitors, has been highlighted in five community/state-wide publications and has been noted in two national publications. There are over 3000 artifacts in the collection and the collection grows weekly with donations of military uniforms (WWI, WWII, Viet Nam and Desert Storm), nursing pins, hats, capes, text books, equipment, cultural icons, photographs and documents. The future is very bright and promising for the AMON. Our intent is to become the premiere museum for nursing and we are committed to providing access to the many rare documents (first editions, histories, journals, etc.) for nursing students, educators and nurse researchers.