Edith Madeira'a nursing license, which was given to her by Anna E. Rutherford, the President of the Board, and Mary Levy Raekard, the Secretary of the Board, on behalf of The Maryland State Board of Examiners of Nurses.

In 1900, Madeira obtained a nursing degree from John Hopkins Hospital Training School in Baltimore, Maryland. She served as a nurse superintendent for Howard Hospital in Philadelphia and Mountainside Hospital in Montclair, New Jersey. Madeira also served as a public health nurse and was superintendent of the Visiting Nurse Association in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Waterbury, Connecticut.

Madeira had especially distinguished herself during World War I. When the events broke out, she volunteered for the American Red Cross Commission to Palestine. As the British repelled the Turkish occupation of the Middle East, the American Red Cross provided medical assistance. As contributions for aiding Palestine continued after the war, she became the chief nurse of the commission and served from June 1918 to January 1919.