Dr. Barbara Mortimer is an expert on the history of nursing. Over the years, she has held various clinical nursing posts and has worked as a nurse teacher and a lecturer in nursing. Dr. Mortimer has planned and taught courses in the History of Nursing at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, Strathclyde and Glasgow Caledonian Universities. In 2000 she was one of the founders of the UK Centre for the History of Nursing. Since retiring in 2004, she has worked as a Research Assistant at the Royal College of Nursing Archives. She lives in Edinburgh.Founded in 1916, the Royal College of Nursing is the largest professional nursing organisation in the world. With more than 410,000 members in the UK, it works to represent and support nurses and nursing staff, to promote excellence in standards of nursing care and to shape and influence health policy.