"Massachusetts General Hospital was founded in 1811 to provide state-of-the-art medical services to a broad community. Throughout history and today, the hospital's nursing staff is often directly responsible for the well being of their patients. Jeannette Ives Erickson, senior vice president of Patient Care Services, will discuss how patient care has evolved, and what challenges the nursing staff has faced in the past and the present. This program is presented as part of the December Middays at the Meeting House series *Milestone in Public Care: The 200th Anniversary of Massachusetts General Hospital* and is cosponsored by Massachusetts General Hospital."