Linda Richards is best remembered as America's First Trained Nurse. However, even without the honor of being first Ms. Richards would still be included in the list of early nursing knowledge. Ms. Richards went to England to study their methods of nursing practice and education. She met and became acquainted with Florence Nightingale.
Later Ms. Richards spent time reorganizing hospitals and nurses training schools in the U.S. She instituted the practice of students wearing uniforms.
In Japan she led their first school of nursing for five years.
When she return to America, she started the practice of training nurses to care for the mentally ill. She began the organization of mental hospitals and spent her remaining years traveling about the U.S. helping others to do the same.
She wrote a book about her nursing experiences titled "Reminiscences."