|
Roberts
Nursing Program Celebrates
50-Year Mark
Courtesy
of Roberts Wesleyan College; by Dorothy Whittingham, Faculty Emerita
and first Chair of the Division of Nursing
|
Father
and daughter nurses Dale Nitzsche and Kathryn Coisman
Mother
and daughter nurses Beverly Faro and Amy Faro
|
Fifty years ago Roberts Wesleyan College took a bold
step when it decided to develop a nursing major. Most schools of
nursing were in hospitals; very few colleges or universities offered
nursing courses. But in the early 1950s the idea of higher education
for all, the impact of the various wars, and the desire of more
women for a college education influenced the growth of college nursing
programs. At Roberts, the development of the program took place
around the same time the College became a four-year school. In 1949,
the New York State Board of Regents approved Roberts Wesleyan College
to grant baccalaureate degrees. In 1951, the College had its first
four-year graduates. Dr. Merlin G. Smith was Roberts' president
in the early '50s; Howard Updyke was academic dean; and Margaret
Rambo was chair of the Division of Nursing.
The College conceived the program, hired the faculty,
designed the curriculum,and recruited the first nursing students.
In 1954, the New York State Education department approved Roberts
to offer the nursing major leading to the Bachelor of Science degree.
Roberts believed the program to be consistent with liberal education
and the love of God as expressed through service to others. In 1957,
the College graduated its first nurses.
Dorothy
Whittington with early group of nursing students |
During the early years of the Roberts program, the
classes remained small, graduating an average of 10 students per
class. Clinical courses were taught almost entirely off campus by
the faculty of the agencies. As Roberts faculty members were added,
they also spent most of the year off campus.
In those early years, the program, four calendar years
long, did not match the rest of the College, creating major inconveniences
for students, faculty, and the College. The length of time required
for the various clinical courses was rigid. The College carefully
considered what changes could be made to put nursing on par with
other majors and still include the key components that would produce
thinking, knowledgeable nurses who could give quality care. College
students were expected to provide service to the hospital to pay
for their education and to meet the service needs of the hospital.
In many hospitals, students who had completed their first clinical
course were expected to be in charge in the evenings and nights,
providing, perhaps, less-than adequate care. By the mid-1960s all
the courses were under faculty direction. The graduating classes
grew to over 50 students per year.
As the profession became more clear about what constituted
baccalaureate education and as college faculty took control of teaching
on campus and in the agencies, progress was made in many areas.
In 1963, Roberts was accredited by the Middle States Association
of Colleges and Secondary Schools. In 1970, the nursing program
received accreditation by the National League for Nursing and reaccreditation
in subsequent years.
The program has changed over the years to keep up
with the latest trends and needs, but it remains sound and effective,
graduating nurses who are sought after by many agencies. Many graduates
have gone on to advanced degrees. The Christian perspective has
proven that the care given by these nurses is personal, knowledgeable
and caring. Roberts graduates can be found all over the world in
health care, missions, and teaching institutions, or wherever nurses
are needed, functioning in a variety of ways, providing care, education,
and influencing health care policy wherever they are.
|
