NR 393 Week 5: Progress in Nursing in the Early to Mid-20th Century
NR 393 Week 5: Progress in Nursing in the Early to Mid-20th Century
There was much progress in nursing during the early to middle part of the 20th century (1900 through the late 1930s). After reading the textbook and the lesson for this week, describe one area of change in nursing during that time period that intrigues you. Discuss how that area could be applied today.
Nursing during the earliest decades of the 20th century changed dramatically from the vocation that it had been during the latter part of the 19th century. Many aspects of nursing today are influenced by these events and the promotion of new opportunities for all women. The observations and recommendations of nurses who worked relentlessly to promote nursing as an honest and worthy endeavor changed medical care dramatically. There were many medical advances, a world war, two epidemics, changes in nursing education, creation of nursing organizations, expansion of public health or community nursing, promotion of women’s rights nationally, acknowledgment of women’s health concerns, greater recognition of childhood issues, and promotion of hospitals as a better way to provide medical care. Many of the principal nurses of these decades influenced nursing while acting as political and social reformers as well. As the public’s perception of nursing and the importance of nurses’ roles in the lives of the American people became evident, nurses gained a more positive image and nursing was perceived as a profession rather than a job”(Judd and Sitzman el, at. 2020. P143)
As per the weekly reading “The middle of the 20th century was a time of great growth in healthcare knowledge and technology. By the 1960s, with the development of coronary care and intensive care units, nurses began to play a prominent role in the care of critically ill adults and children. The first coronary care units were established in a few American cities in the early 1960s. Continuous monitoring of cardiac rhythms coupled with specialized care from nurses skilled in cardiac nursing resulted in evidence of improved patient outcomes. Soon, coronary care units were developed at most large hospitals”
The field of nursing continues to grow to meet the ever changes that are facing society. As we face COVID -19 and the effects of this disease we will see more specialties emerging to meet the complexities of this disease. Nursing as a profession will continue to evolve to meet the ever-changing demography of our society.
Judd, D., Sitzman, K., (2014) A History of American Nursing Trends and Eras (2nd ed.) North Carolina, Jones & Bartlett Learning 9781284044324.
Personally, I believe that there are absolutely huge benefits in the separation of patients based on their acuity. Being able to give much more time, attention, even procedure time and skill, can make or break a patient. With my ER training, we have a certain patient to nurse ratios. At times, I would be 6:1 with an LVN and myself, and I would get a patient that was MUCH sicker than the rest. Most of my time ends up going to caring for those who need my attention more critically, versus those who are in the lower acuity zone and still expecting the same level of care. When I am caught up with one patient, then it offsets a chain reaction of complications. First, patients don’t get the care they expect. Medications, labs, IV hydration, then gets prolonged as I can’t care for them as I need. The patients end up waiting longer, and we all know that tension is high already in the ER. Prolonged lab results, medications, fluids, the patients get frustrated. Now that so much focused on ensuring good “customer service”, surveys or return calls about their stay end up being more negative, simply because I had one patient that was too sick for the area I was in.
I feel that this can apply to any area – whether it is a field triage from a mass disaster, the ER, the floors of the ER, even in post-hospital care such as skilled nursing facilities or rehab centers. In my current work, as a nursing supervisor, I can get called to a room and notice that a patient is going down pretty quickly. Of course, the primary nurse has their other patients that still need to be tended to, so I do my best to help with the patient that is worsening in their acute health. In the time that it takes me to do an assessment (full or partial depending on the situation), call the doctor, get orders, implement orders, I can spend hours on this. In this time, my other patients haven’t seen me – and I haven’t seen them. This can be quite dangerous as I don’t know what their current status is. By being able to separate patient by acuity, it allows us to give more appropriate care, and not have the worry that we have 5 other patients that need the same level of care. By ensuring that the patients can get that care, we can spot slight changes in a vital sign or notice they just look “off”. This recognition can, and has, saved lives.
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