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Western Conservancy of Nursing HistorySpring 2021Volume 1, Issue 1INSIDE THIS ISSUENursing HistoryBrought to Life . 2What Can We Learnfrom the Classof 1953? . 4About WCNH . 5Western Conservancy of Nursing HistoryNewsletterMessage from Western Conservancy of Nursing History President, Phyllis EsslingerTell Your Story ofPandemic Nursing. 5Membership Application . 62020 AccomplishmentsIn spite of pandemic restrictions, the Western Conservancy of Nursing History (WCNH) members accomplishedamazing things during 2020, including keeping in touchby phone, computer, and Zoom!–Since St. Vincent Hospital in Los Angeles closed, the Sisters of Charity (thehospital founders) generously transferred items from their former conservancy,including nursing records and their memorabilia related to St. Vincent Hospital’s unique history as the first hospital and first school of nursing in SouthernCalifornia. They also included glass display cases. What wonderful gifts andcontributions for WCNH! Two board members packed up two large movingvans and found a location for storage of it all until it can be displayed.–WCNH is delighted to announce a 10,000 Azusa Pacific University (APU)Faculty Research Grant, awarded to WCNH Board Member Kathy Ruccione,Associate Professor of APU School of Nursing. Dr. Ruccione and her teamwill conduct grounded theory research on graduates of the Class of 1953 ofHuntington Memorial Hospital School of Nursing. The study addresses theinfluence of relationships of class alumni with each other over time on theirrespective decisions to remain in the nursing profession over their careers. Thestudy seeks to generate themes to inform retention of professional nurses innursing careers today (see article on page 4).–WCNH submitted a proposal for curriculum modification to the APU PhDNursing Program to add an emphasis in historical nursing research. Preparation of the proposal included a national survey for need and proposed newcourses for the historical emphasis. The proposal received approval by theAPU School of Nursing and is in the final review process at the Universitylevel. Once approved, the new courses could be offered as early as Fall of2021. This opens the door for students to gain experience with WCNH!–Lastly, we completed a video of the Florence Nightingale reenactment performed by one of our board members, Dr. Connie Brehm. The video wasshown during the spring 2020 online Sigma Theta Tau induction ceremony.The plan is to make it available for educational purposes through WCNH.In summary, I’m gratified to report that despite our limited communicationand movement due to Covid-19, it’s been a most successful year. We lookforward to 2021 when we hope to expand WCNH membership and continueworking to preserve and promote the history of nursing inWestern States.From your president, Phyllis EsslingerWCNH BOARD OFFICERSPhyllis Esslinger, PresidentDiane Hara, Vice PresidentJoyce Johnson, SecretaryMargaret Souza, TreasurerConnie Brehm, MembershipChairTrish Hanes, Education DirectorTricia Hunter and ConnieBrehm, Newsletter Co-EditorsOffice Location andWCNH ArchivesAzusa Pacific UniversitySchool of NursingMonrovia Site606 E. Huntington Dr.Monrovia, CA 91016Website: ce Phone: (626) 815-6349
Nursing History Brought to Life!Live Reenactment of Florence Nightingale Performed during Nurses’ WeekSponsored by the Western Conservancy of Nursing HistoryIn celebration of 2019 Nurses’ Week on May 9, theWCNH presented a live reenactment of FlorenceNightingale performed by Dr. Connie Brehm whois Professor Emeritus of APU School of Nursing.This one-woman biographical drama replete withcostume and props, carried the nursing audienceback to the 19th century life and times of FlorenceNightingale. Renowned as the founder of modernnursing her life story was recounted by Dr. Brehmwho became Miss Nightingale for the evening.This storytelling adventure described Nightingale’s service in British Army Hospitals during theCrimean War in 1854-56, where she applied newlydiscovered principles of sanitation, public healthand statistics in a military hospital setting, resulting in dramatic improvement in patients’ recoveryfrom injury and illness. Later Nightingale’s unwavering commitment to high standards of nursingpractice at St. Thomas Hospital in London provided a sound basis for founding the NightingaleSchool of Nursing. Her military accomplishments,her contributions to nursing education and topublic health, all contributed to Nightingale’s reputation as the Mother of Modern Nursing.Talking History2021: A Series ofWebinarsfromAmerican Association for theHistory of Nursing (AAHN)Midwifery and RaceFebruary 20, 2021Available on the AAHN website (https://www.aahn.org/)Nursing EducationMarch 19, 202111a-12:30p ET (8a-9:30a PT)War and NursingApril 16, 202111a-12:30p ET (8a-9:30a PT)Identity and NursingMay 21, 202111a-12:30p ET (8a-9:30a PT)Register at American Association for the History of Nursing: https://www.aahn.org/Webinars are Free for AANHmembers; Or 25 per sessionfor non-members.CEUs offered2Photo (at right) of Dr. Connie Brehm in costume forlive reenactment of Captain Edwina Todd, WWIINavy Nurse. A live performance will be scheduledwhen it is safe to do so.About Connie Brehm PhD RN: Dr. Brehm is Professor Emeritus of the Azusa Pacific University Schoolof Nursing. Dr. Brehm is a board member of Western Conservancy of Nursing History and continuesto contribute to the nursing community by performing live reenactments of notable nurses in history.
Pandemic NursingStorytellingNurses are invited to telltheir stories of pandemicnursing: A WCNH oralhistory project to capturenurses’ storiesIn January of 2019, the WorldHealth Organization (WHO) madetheir official proposal declaring2020 the Year of the Nurse andthe Midwife. Who would haveknown then the tremendous significance of that designation,given that the world was yet completely unaware of the approaching Covid-19 pandemic? Word isout that WHO is extending theYear of the Nurse and the Midwife to 2021.Next Reenactment is Captain C. Edwina Todd,WWII Navy NursePerformance for 2020 is postponed due to pandemic To be rescheduled!Sponsored by Western Conservancy of Nursing HistoryDr. Connie Brehm has prepared and performed the story of CaptainC. Edwina Todd of the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps. After three performances(as part of a storytellers group), performances were suspended due topandemic precautions. Live reenactments will resume, including for theAPU nursing community, once it is safe to do so. The story of Capt. Toddis a heroic one! As a young hospital nurse, Capt. Todd was stationed at aU.S. Naval Base outside of Manila when the Japanese army invaded thePhilippines at the start of World War II. After being captured by the Japanese army, she and 77 other U.S. military nurses, spent 3 years in Japanese internment camps where they continued to provide nursing care totheir fellow prisoners of war (POWs) suffering from illness and malnutrition. In 1945 the U.S. military liberated the Philippine populationalong with the surviving POWs among whom were the army and navynurses. After the war Capt. Todd chose to continue serving in the NavyNurse Corps, and once again volunteered for overseas duty a decade later for the Korean War. During the Korean War she was commissionedChief Nurse of the Navy hospital ship, The Consolation (later known asThe Hope). Capt. Todd served 30 years in the Navy Nurse Corps andreached the rank of Captain, the highest rank a nurse could hold at thetime. She retired from the Navy in 1966 having been highly decoratedfor her heroism and dedicated service. Also notable is that Capt. Todd isthe aunt of Professor Pamela Cone of the APU School of Nursing.As the pandemic quickly spreadfrom country to country, continentto continent during winter/springof 2020, the work of nurses wassuddenly thrust into the spotlightin an unprecedented way, makingall of us aware that our professionwould be central to the history ofthis event! How do we capturethis time for nursing history? Howcan we answer phenomenologicalquestions such as “What is theexperience of practicing nursingduring a pandemic?” Future generations of nurses and historianswill want to know.The Board of our WCNH wants tocapture the stories of nurses inour geographical region, theWestern States. The format willbe through a recorded “oral history” with guiding questions, anticipating each interview to takeabout one hour of time. The intentof WCNH is to capture this historic time of nursing’s history byrecording the stories while stillfresh.If you, or nurse acquaintances,are interested in participatingplease contact:Connie Brehm RN, PhDBoard Member of Western Conservancy of Nursing HistoryProfessor EmeritusSchool of NursingAzusa Pacific University(909) 732-2997 [email protected]
What Can We Learn from The Class of 1953 ofHuntington Memorial Hospital School ofNursing? By Kathy Ruccione, Associate Professor, APU School ofNursing and WCNH Board MemberWhat keeps a class of nursing students who graduated in 1953 in close touch with each otherand committed to nursing as a profession for 70 years? That’s what we want to learn from a study, ledby a team from APU and the WCNH. The study, entitled, “Factors Influencing Career Developmentover Time in a Cohort of Nursing School Graduates,” is funded by APU. The study team includesAPU SON faculty, members of the WCNH board of directors, and consultants who are experts ingrounded theory (GT) research methodology and nursing informatics.Officially, the purpose of the study is to learn about nursing professional socialization and career development from a cohort whose relationships began in the Huntington Memorial Hospital (HMH)School of Nursing and continue to the present.Specific aims are to: (1) systematically collect andanalyze data from members of the cohort; (2) applyan analytic process that discovers categories andthemes in the data; (3) identify attributes, antecedents and consequences of professional socializationand long-term friendship; and (4) develop a theorythat describes critical influences that guide the process of professional socialization leading to longterm commitment and dedication to nursing.We are interviewing surviving members of the classof ’53, and using a grounded theory approach tocharacterize the cohort, their experiences and perceptions. We are fortunate to have a rich trove ofother data sources, too, including class newsletters, reunion data, school yearbooks, and recorded oralhistory and focus group interviews. All documents are being scanned and stored securely on a clouddrive. Print materials, audio files, and interview transcripts are being converted to digital file transcripts, which will be printed/bound to facilitate initial coding by members of the study team usingopen, thematic, and selective coding. Constant comparative analysis will be used to develop an emergent theory to advance understanding of nursing professional socialization on career developmentover time.From the 1950’s to today, major changes have occurred in nursing practice, education, andresearch. Capturing the individual stories of a long-term cohort of nurses offers an opportunity to reflect on changes over time that can inform the discipline’s preparation for nursing and health care inthe future. And we expect that the results of this study will contribute to the heretofore relatively unrecorded history of nursing in Southern California. We look forward to sharing what we learn as wecomplete the study in the next year. From the 1950’s to today, major changes have occurred in nursingpractice, education, and research. Capturing the individual stories of a long-term cohort of nurses offers an opportunity to reflect on changes over time that can inform the discipline’s preparation fornursing and health care in the future. And we expect that the results of this study will contribute tothe heretofore relatively unrecorded history of nursing in Southern California. We look forward tosharing what we learn as we complete the study in the next year.Study Team4Kathy Ruccione, PhD, RN, MPH, CPON, FAAN, Principal Investigator, Phyllis Esslinger, RN, PHN,MSN, Joyce Johnson, PhD, RN-BC, Barbara Artinian, PhD, RN, Katharine West, DNP, MPH, MSN
Western Conservancy of Nursing HistoryABOUT USWCNH Board of DirectorsPresident – Phyllis [email protected] President – Diane [email protected] – Joyce [email protected] – Margaret [email protected] Chair – Connie [email protected] Director – Trish [email protected] Co-Editors – Tricia Hunter [email protected] [email protected] Members at LargeJoyce [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Meetings are 2nd Saturday of each month, starting at 9 am, in-person or virtual. All members are invited.Contact InformationWebsite: il: [email protected] Phone: 626-815-6349Phone (alternate): 323-663-2008Office Location and WCNH ArchivesWestern Conservancy of Nursing HistoryAzusa Pacific University School of NursingMonrovia Site606 E. Huntington Dr.Monrovia, CA 91016-3637Mission StatementThe purpose of the Western Conservancy of Nursing History is to preserve the history of the nursing profession in the Western United States. We believe in the importance of understanding thehistorical and scholarly significance of nursing’s past in order to effectively promote its future.Therefore, we pledge to preserve the culture and heritage of nursing through the acquisition, organization, interpretation, preservation, and exhibition of nursing documentation, artifacts, and othermedia. These collections will be available as a resource for research and other scholarly pursuits, aswell function as a medium to communicate to the greater community the pride and honor of a nobleand caring profession.The longer, the fuller the history, the better the understanding of today and the more accurate theprediction of the future.”–Winston Churchill“5
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Capping Ceremony of students in Huntington Memorial Hospital School of Nursing (class of1953). Note: Capping occurs at the end of probation upon successful completion of students'first semester in their nursing program.Western Conservancy ofNursing HistoryPLEASEPLACESTAMPHEREAzusa Pacific UniversitySchool of NursingMonrovia Site606 E. Huntington Dr.Monrovia, CA 91016-3637Mailing Address Line 1Mailing Address Line 2Mailing Address Line 3Mailing Address Line 4Mailing Address Line 5
sor Emeritus of the Azusa Pacific University School of Nursing. Dr. Brehm is a board member of West-ern Conservancy of Nursing History and continues to contribute to the nursing community by per-forming live reenactments of notable nurses in his-tory. In celebration of 2019 Nurses’ Week on
