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March 8, 2023 | XXVII, Issue Number 5
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Today, colleagues, is International Women’s Day, and March is Women’s History Month. This is the perfect time to tell you about a new milestone for the NLN and celebrate 2023 as our 130th anniversary year. Although men cared for others as nurses over the centuries, it is also true that the development of nursing as a profession with high educational standards represents a movement to empower women.
Before she wrote Notes on Nursing, Florence Nightingale published Cassandra: An Essay, in which she protested the waste of women’s intellect, energies, and talents. And it was women who came together at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893 to form the very first professional nursing organization in the United States, the American Society of Superintendents of Training Schools for Nurses, the precursor organization of our very own National League for Nursing.
The NLN evolved over the years as nursing education, nursing accreditation, and nursing science and knowledge evolved amid changing societal norms and expectations. If you are like me, you are curious about our story and fascinated by the many nurse leaders who brought us to where we are today. And that is why I am excited about our latest milestone: We are about to announce the expansion of the NLN Collection at the Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing, housed at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing in Philadelphia. You will see more details later this month.
For many years NLN archival materials were scattered, with some of our older records at the National Library of Medicine in Washington, DC. With an understanding of the importance of our archival materials to scholars interested in nursing and nursing education – and yes, to the history of women in the United States – we came to realize the value of bringing our collections together and identifying, preserving, and digitizing materials for easy access by teachers and scholars. A generous matching grant from the Independence Foundation of Philadelphia helped launch our campaign, and your contributions to the NLN Foundation for Nursing Education ensured our success.
Our best decision was to select the Barbara Bates Center as the repository for our archives. Under the leadership of Patricia D’Antonio, PhD, RN, FAAN, director of the center, and archivist Jessica Clark, who led the digitization process, the NLN collection is expertly organized and curated and easily accessible in person or from NLN.org. The collection includes reports and proceedings of annual conventions from 1894-1952; meeting minutes; correspondence detailing milestones and trends; biographical data of early leadership; numerous videos, books, and other publications; and a detailed timeline through the League’s history.
If, by any chance, you have materials that you would like to donate to the collection, we ask you to email nhistory@nursing.upenn.edu. Records of committee work, conventions, minutes, and reports are of particular value. And, of course, your donations to the NLN Foundation will help us continue to tell our story. |
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Headlines from the NLN
Patricia D’Antonio and Jessica Clark authored the Headlines from the NLN in the November-December issue of the NLN research journal Nursing Education Perspectives (vol 43, no. 6): “The History of Education: The Time Is Now.” In their brief article, they tell us that “archives are only as influential as their utilization,” and they propose important questions that the NLN archives may help us better understand. These focus on structural racism in nursing; the power and authority of nurses over the years; and the course of intellectual thinking about education, research, and practice. Patricia and Jessica conclude their article with an invitation: “We ask you to come, explore, and, in the end, ask and answer the kinds of questions you think are essential to understand the history of nursing education. Your answers can shape a course as we engage with 21st century challenges and possibilities.”
Let me echo their invitation and add another: Enjoy our archives, colleagues, and help us celebrate our 130 years of leadership in nursing and nursing education this September 28-30 at our 2023 NLN Education Summit near Washington, DC: Extraordinary Nurse Educators Leading in Extraordinary Times. Let’s always remember that we stand on the shoulders of extraordinary leaders in nursing education, but what we do today is also extraordinary, and it will be history tomorrow! |
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Check Out the NLN Podcast
Let me remind you also of another important resource for nursing history and women’s history; that is, our Nursing EDge Unscripted podcast series Saga, now in its third season. Season 1 tells the stories of leaders whose names are very familiar including Florence Nightingale and Clara Barton, and reformers Lillian Wald, Dorthea Dix, and Carolyn Conant Van Blarcom; the Black nurses I mentioned in my February 8 Member Update, Mary Seacole, Susie King Taylor, Mary Eliza Mahoney, Hazel Johnson Brown, Hattie Bessent, and Mary Elizabeth Carnegie; and those illustrious educators who did so much to establish the intellectual basis for nursing education, Linda Richards, Isabel Hampton Robb, Hildegard Peplau, and Debra Spunt. Season 2 brings us closer to the present time with a focus on the NLN Curriculum Revolution, and Season 3 is just getting started with parts 1 and 2 on the Evolution of Curriculum.
By the way, we also offer two other Nursing EDge Unscripted podcast series, and I don’t talk about them enough. First, there is Unscripted Conversation Surface, hosted by two adventurous nurse educators, Dr. Rachel Onello, of the College of Nursing at the University of South Carolina, and NLN senior manager Dr. Michelle Moulton. They reach beyond the surface to uncover stories from the trenches of education. Second, there is Unscripted Conversation Scholarship, hosted by Dr. Steven Palazzo of the Florida State University College of Nursing, which celebrates the published work of select nurse educators from Nursing Education Perspectives. There is a lot of interesting and thoughtful content in both series – be sure to check them out.
Renewing Your Certification
Now let me switch gears with an important reminder from the NLN Certification Division. If you are certified as a CNE® or CNE®cl, don’t miss your renewal for certification. The rules state that you cannot renew what you don’t have, so, if your certification expires, it is gone, and you will no longer be able to submit a renewal document – you will need to retest.
That happened to me, years ago, early in my career. In 1974, I was the first nurse certified in psychiatric nursing in Cincinnati, Ohio, and I was excited and proud. But, in the next few years, I started to work on my doctorate, became a nurse executive at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, and had two lovely children to care for. To say I was busy is an understatement. I lost track of my renewal date and did not pay attention to ANCC reminders. |
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| One day I woke up to a notification that I was no longer certified. My heart crashed. I had been a certification item writer and I believed strongly in the acknowledgment of excellence and competence as my mentor, Dr. Hildegard Peplau, had taught me. I pleaded for an extension to no avail. I have few regrets in my life, but this is one of them. So, to all my certified colleagues, particularly those NLN certified nurse educators, plan ahead, schedule your renewal submission, and do not allow something so precious to slip away. |
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Another message for our certified nurse educator colleagues: March 19, the birthday of Dr. Margretta Madden Styles, is Certified Nurses Day, a worldwide day of recognition that celebrates nursing specialty, subspecialty, and advanced practice certification. It is the perfect opportunity to recognize you for your accomplishments and nursing education as a specialty area of practice. By becoming credentialed as a certified nurse educator, you serve as a leader and role model for our profession. You make us proud.
And if you want to recognize a colleague on Certified Nurses Day, let me remind you that a contribution to the NLN Foundation in your colleague’s name is a particularly meaningful gift. Your contribution can be the perfect gift at any time, and it will have a direct impact on the future of our profession. Thank you for your generous support of the NLN and the nursing profession.
Finally, I can’t believe that it is already March. Who put the year on speed dial? Together let’s make 2023 an outstanding year for developing the nursing education workforce, and for helping and healing those affected by phenomenal climate, technological, professional, and personal challenges. Let’s care for ourselves as well as for others. Colleagues, keep the joy in your life. |
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