New nurses, new spaces: a preview of the AACN History Study.

This article previews selected findings of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses History Project that is being conducted under the auspices of the Center for the Study of the History of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania. Using methods of social history research, we reviewed pertinent literature, studied documents of institutions and organizations, and interviewed a broad array of participants. Analysis of this evidence resulted in a history of the evolution of nursing and hospital care for patients with life-threatening illnesses during the 40-year period since 1950. We explored the effects of changing public and professional ideas about the nature of critical illness, the effects of technology, and the historical dimensions of critical care nursing. Special attention was given to the events and circumstances that led to the development of AACN and the reciprocal relationships between AACN and the care of critically ill people.

Patterns of practice: Master's prepared nurse practitioners.

Graduates of the Primary Care-Family Nurse Clinician Program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing were surveyed as part of an overall, ongoing evaluation of graduate level primary care education in the school. The main focus of the survey was to discover the scope of practice characteristic of the program graduates. The survey revealed that the majority of graduates were providing direct patient care, while some were teaching primary care or embarking on related forms of practice. The graduates were found to be involved in assessment, education and counseling, and were working with physicians and others to provide comprehensive patient care.

The teaching nursing home program. Outcomes of care.

Increased patient acuity, relative absence of professional providers, and isolation of nursing homes from the mainstream of health care precipitated the initiation of Teaching Nursing Home Programs (TNHP). The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation TNHP provided funding for 11 schools of nursing in collaboration with 12 nursing homes for the purpose of upgrading clinical care in nursing homes, creating an environment supportive of education, and promoting clinical research. A complete evaluation of a TNHP requires consideration of outcome, process, and structure. Quality of care and professional decision making are discussed as two of four areas by which TNHPs were evaluated.

Caring for the chronically ill: historical perspectives.. Interview by Julie E. Fairman.

In this interview with ANNA Journal Editorial Board member Julie Fairman, noted nurse historian Dr. Joan E. Lynaugh, director of the Center for the Study of the History of Nursing at The University of Pennsylvania, discusses the meaning of history along with significant perspectives on dialysis, ethics, technology, and the nephrology nurse.

Inventing international nursing: the first decade (1899-1910).

Below, a window is opened on some of the thoughts of ICN founders as they planned and worked at the turn of the 20th century and how they viewed themselves and nursing, based on a detailed written record of their first substantial discussions about broad nursing issues.

The ICN story--1899-1999.

Despite wars, political and economic chaos and racial and religious strife the International Council of Nurses (ICN) has been held together for 100 years by a "special glue" concocted by dedicated nurses. Its ingredients: friendship, collegial support and enthusiasm. Today ICN is still thriving, leading and representing nurses from all over the world. Below, a part of its fascinating history based on Nurses of all Nations: A History of the International Council of Nurses, 1899-1999 to be published this Spring by Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.

Assessment preparation for nurse practitioners.

Faced with primary care graduate students who were not adequately prepared to meet the demands of their clinical courses, faculty at the University of Pennsylvania conducted a three-year study to determine the effectiveness of physical assessment prerequisites. They concluded that graduate level assessment preparation was well worth the time and effort such courses require.