Saga - Diversity as a Hallmark of the NLN’s History - Part 1

This episode of the NLN Nursing EDge Unscripted Saga track is part 1 of 2 exploring the diversity as a hallmark of the NLN's history.

Dedicated to excellence in nursing, the National League for Nursing is the leading organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education. Find past episodes of the NLN Nursing EDge podcast online. Get instant updates by following the NLN on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. For more information, visit NLN.org.

Transcript

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[Music] Welcome to this episode of Nursing EDge Unscripted Saga where we journey through the history of  nursing education using stories that connect the past to the present and then our future as we  reimagine our teaching, learning, and scholarship. It is often said that the past teaches us about  the present - to study history is to study change. This year Saga gives voice to nursing through the  words of our early nurse leaders who organized a discipline and carved out systems to formalize the  education of nurses throughout the United States. In Their Own Words illuminates the visionary  work of NLN pathfinders who question traditional curriculum paradigms and in the process, co-created  standards for nursing education to build the discipline of nursing. Throughout this year we described accomplishments to reform nursing education and discussed the evolution of nursing  education research during the 19th century, through the words of nursing education's early leaders,  documented from the proceedings of NLN annual conventions from 1893 to 1952. These publications  are part of the NLN Archives Collection currently housed at the Bates Center for the History of  Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania. This month we will build on these foci and highlight  how the Superintendent's Society and then the National League for Nursing Education or NLNE  led a movement to bring excellence, inclusivity, and diversity of thought ideas and perspectives  to nursing education leaders and faculty. Yet diversity of membership occurred slowly. In  fact, it wasn't until 1940 almost 50 years after the origin of the Society when eligibility of  membership was open to all; a diversified student body in integrated schools of nursing would take  many more years. As early as 1909, at the 15th annual meeting of the Society in St. Paul,  Minnesota. Isabelle Hampton Robb spoke about the importance of annual gatherings to bring diverse  voices together to confer about the serious business of educational reform. She asked the  delegates to rethink the focus of training to include ward cleanliness and discipline, but  not at the expense of putting the comfort of the patient first. Her tenacity to challenge long-held  beliefs and celebrate the coming together as colleagues to listen, discuss, and embrace diversity  of thought would set the tone for the next century. In her words: "I have ventured to say things to  you as they have been said for your thoughtful consideration, for I feel confident that if such  is the case in any degree as a body of earnest women devoted to your work, you will do all in  your power to make things different."  In subsequent years, members of the society and the  NLNE embraced Mrs. Robb's call to welcome reform and challenge traditional assumptions. By the turn  of the 20th century, leaders of the Society and the NLNE daringly spoke about the need to embrace  a broader understanding of the nurses' role. For example, in 1920 at the 26th annual meeting of  the NLNE, S. Lillian Clayton discussed the emerging role of of the community health nurse as clinician, scientist, and educator, calling on delegates to envision the nurse "not merely as a  practitioner, but as a teacher...with a vision of right relationships and a talent for effective  presentations." at the same time, members of the NLNE engaged in debate about whether mental  work, as the term was used, should be relegated solely to the state hospitals or if mental work  belonged as part of the hospital-based nursing curriculum. What is more, the NLNE opened dialogue  about the need for movement to higher education as the basis for instruction, touting the advantages  to include new knowledge, science, and ethics as well as technique. These ideas were radical  departures from traditional customs and standards that hygiene, ward cleanliness, and technical skills  defined the nursing role. Diversity of settings and practice and of methods to teach nursing permeated  the era and broadened nursing education's scope and practice. Even the decision of the NLNE in 1930 to  no longer publish a standardized curriculum, but rather to provide recommendations to offer schools  the opportunity to innovate and experiment with content delivery and teaching strategies, reveals  the unrelenting commitment of NLNE leadership to challenge long-held beliefs and foster an openness  to diverse thinking. Yet, racial diversity of membership and of students in nursing programs  was not discussed or fostered as a priority. In fact, at the mid-century, most nursing education  programs maintained strict racial segregation. In 1950, only 6% of all graduate and student nurses  in the United States were Black, and the nursing educational system remained highly segregated  with separate schools of nursing for individuals who identified as Black. At the time, a mere 200 out  of approximately 1,200 schools of nursing had at least one black student and graduates faced a  divided employment field and did not participate equally. Join us for part two as we explore the  NLN's journey to embrace a core value of diversity and inclusivity, both through organizational and  philosophical changes, recognizing the need to celebrate the richness that differences bring forth. And so the Saga continues and may our Saga continue as we bring to a  close this episode of Nursing EDge Unscripted Saga. Thank you for joining us and remember:  good teaching doesn't just happen...find your fit, push the boundaries, and celebrate the ahas.[Music]