1890 - 1920 - Trained Nurses
In March 1890, the Galveston Daily News proclaimed nursing “a new field in which
educated women may find a means of support.” As the first school of nursing in Texas,
and one of the first schools of nursing in the country to become part of a university,
The University of Texas at Galveston has been on the cutting edge of the nursing
profession.
The City of Galveston was a leading seaport and commercial center in the south in the
years following the Civil War. As the Texas state legislature deliberated in 1881 about
the site for the establishment of a university with a medical department, Galvestonians
campaigned vigorously to convince the legislature and Texas voters that Galveston was
the ideal location. The voters chose Austin as the site for the main campus of The
University of Texas and Galveston for the medical department.
Mr. John Sealy, a prominent Galvestonian, left a $50,000 bequest intended for a
charitable purpose to be chosen by his brother, Mr. George Sealy, and widow, Mrs.
Rebecca Sealy. The combined efforts of the City of Galveston, which donated land for a
medical college building, the Sealy family, donating John Sealy’s bequest for the purpose
of building a hospital, and the Board of Trustees of the Texas Medical College, led to the
opening of the John Sealy Hospital in January 1890. The hospital and medical college
became the University of Texas Medical Department in October 1891, when the first
class was admitted.
________________________________________________________________________
Several circumstances contributed to the efforts to open a school of nurses at the John
Sealy Hospital in 1890. Young Ella Goldthwaite, the niece of Mr. and Mrs. George
Sealy, seriously injured her hip in a fall. Her parents took her to New York to consult a
specialist, and they returned with Miss Dorothea Fick, a graduate of Mt. Sinai Hospital
Training School for Nurses in New York, as her personal nurse. The young Ella died in
January 1890, after a long illness. This child’s injury and the difficulties in obtaining
skilled nursing care for her in Galveston contributed to the growing interest in a school
for nurses.
It became rapidly evident after the opening in January 1890 that the hospital could not
adequately care for the sick without a corps of trained nurse. A group of prominent local
ladies including Mrs. John Sealy, Mrs. George Sealy, and Mrs. Goldthwaite, formed a
Board of Lady Managers, which assumed the responsibility for raising the needed funds
to establish and support the John Sealy Training School for Nurses. They employed Miss
Dorothea Fick to organize the school and direct the first school for nurses in Texas.
________________________________________________________________________
The first curriculum reflected Florence Nightingale’s views about the importance of
proper nursing in promoting the healing powers of nature. Students were taught care of
the ward, including ventilation, disinfection, and sanitation; care of the patient, including,
bathing, and preparation of invalid food and administration of medications.
Students were required to be female, 19-35 years old, unmarried, and of sound health and
moral character. The only academic requirement was proficiency in reading, penmanship,
and arithmetic. They served a one-month probationary period, and if accepted as pupil
nurses, remained for a two-year course of instruction. They served as ward assistants for
the first year, and performed a variety of duties in the second, including private nursing in
the home.
________________________________________________________________________
Classroom activities included lecture, recitations, and demonstrations. Typical for nursing
education at that time, instruction in the “theoretical” aspect of nursing was performed by
physicians, while the practical instruction was done by the Superintendant of the School
and head nurses of the wards. Most student learning occurred at bedside, since classroom
instruction was limited to several hours per week.
John Sealy Hospital, like all others at this time, was staffed almost entirely by pupil
nurses. They received a $7.00 per month stipend for uniforms and textbooks which was
considered compensation for their service to the hospital by the training they received
under the supervision of the superintendent and head nurse. Students worked 7 a.m. to 7
p.m., with one free afternoon each week. They wore the prescribed uniform, white apron
and bib over a blue ankle-length dress, with linen cuffs and cap. They were required to
live in the nurses’ residence and abide by rules of conduct of personal behavior as well as
behavior on duty.
Women who became nurses in the late nineteenth century did so at a time when it was
not considered appropriate for women to live or work outside the family. The nursing
profession placed women squarely in the public eye, and the prescriptions for dress and
behavior were designed to legitimate nursing as a valuable service to the public and as
respectable work for women. The earliest graduates of John Sealy Training School for
Nurses were pioneers, helping to open new opportunities for women.
________________________________________________________________________
Because of the increasing difficulty encountered in obtaining the needed funding for the
growing training school, the Board of Lady Managers petitioned the Board of Regents of
the University of Texas in 1896 to assume responsibility for the school. They voted to do
so and, in May 1896, the John Sealy Hospital Training School for Nurses became one of
the schools of the University of Texas Medical Department.
The Board of Regents and the Board of Managers of the John Sealy Hospital assumed
shared financial responsibility for instruction of the students, placing the curriculum in
the hands of a Committee on Instruction, composed of the Clinical Instructor of Nursing
and two members elected annually from the Faculty of Medicine. The Lady Board of
Managers became auxiliary board as a visiting committee to assist students as needed.
Miss Hanna Kindbom, Superintendent of the School in 1897, was the first to be
appointed to the position of Clinical Instructor of Nursing. She was undoubtedly among
the first nursing educators in the country to receive such an appointment. It is clear that
she was highly respected by all members of the university community. Several articles
written by Miss Kindbom on nursing subjects were published in University Medical, a
monthly journal published by the student council beginning in 1895, and continuing until
the late 1940s.
The training program did not change dramatically when the school moved under
University administration. Curriculum and admission requirements remained unchanged,
and graduates continued to receive diplomas, not university degrees. Nursing and medical
students worked together on the wards of John Sealy Hospital, and seemed to share a
sense of accomplishment in their work, and the fun the students always manage to
discover, even in such difficult and demanding disciplines as nursing and medicine.
________________________________________________________________________
The pioneer spirit of the John Sealy Nurse faced its greatest test on September 8, 1900,
when the worst hurricane in United States history struck Galveston with deadly force.
The loss of life and destruction of property were staggering. The city was virtually
destroyed. Over 3,600 buildings were demolished by wind and water, and more than
5,000 lives were lost.
When the Chairman of the University of Texas Board of Regents Medical Committee
received news that the school was badly damaged and might not open on October 1st, he
wired back “The University of Texas stops for no Storm!” The students and staff of the
Medical Department worked day and night under impossible conditions to care for the
sick and injured and to repair the damage to the University. The Ashbel Smith Building,
which housed the Medical College, and the hospitals remained standing, although badly
damaged. The Nurses’ Home was completely destroyed. Dr. Allen J. Smith a professor of
pathology in the medical department described the part played by the nurses in the
aftermath of the storm:
“They were left without a home, and for the most part, without clothes, other than those
on their backs. For days and weeks they were crowded into a few unoccupied private
rooms in the hospital; they knew the press for food and water the first few days; and all
through the dreary time until some order and comfort came back to them as to others,
they showed only the tried badge of courage and hope.”
_______________________________________________________________________
The John Sealy Hospital Training School continued to grow and change, keeping pace
with the progress of the nursing profession. In 1907, the course of study was extended to
three years to encompass the increasing body of knowledge and skill required of graduate
nurses. The first Rebecca Sealy Nurses Home, built in 1915, provided improved
classroom space and equipment, and comfortable living quarters. For many students, life
in the Nurses’ Home offered companionship and fun. In spite of the hard work and many
rules for behavior, students shared good times and had a strong sense of belonging.
________________________________________________________________________
In 1918, graduates of John Sealy Hospital Training School served with the Red Cross and
Army Nurse Corps during World War I with distinction. The public image of the nurse
was enhanced during the war years because of the significant contributions of the nurses
to care for the wounded. The demand for public health nursing was on the rise.
As the war was drawing to a close the world was devastated by a meningitis epidemic.
Great heroism was demonstrated by nurses as they tried to cope; in many cases tent cities
sprung up to house the overflow of patients in the hospital. The epidemic abated in the
spring of 1919.
________________________________________________________________________
1897 – 1898 CURRICULUM
The course of instruction is a graded one, arranged in two terms. The plan of instruction
includes systematic lectures, demonstrations, and actual bedside practice of the principles
taught. Examinations are held in the various branches taught; and from time to time
pupils are required to present papers upon various themes connected with their work.
FIRST YEAR
1.)
Lectures and demonstrations in Anatomy, Prof. Keiller and Dr. Flavin
2.)
Lectures upon Physiology, Prof. Clopton and Dr. Cerna
3.)
Lectures upon Elementary Medicine (nature of disease, classification and causes
of disease), Prof. Smith
4.)
Lectures upon Materia Medica (dosage, poisons and antidotes), Prof. Randall
5.)
Lectures on Surgical Nursing and Ward Work (surgical emergencies, preparation
of patient for operation, assisting at operations, prevention and treatment of shock, aftercare of patient, preparation of dressings, etc.), Prof. Thompson
6.)
Lectures and demonstration in General Principles of Nursing (care of ward or sick
room, care of bed, care of patient including toilet, feeding, attention to excretions,
application of lotions, stupes, poultices, blisters; care of blisters and bed-sores, prevention
of bed-sores, clinical observations and records, baths, cups, leeches, use of catheter,
enemata, artificial feeding, disinfection, quarantine, ethics of nursing in hospitals and
homes), Miss Kindbom.
SECOND YEAR
1.)
Obstetric and Gynecological Nursing (care of mother and child, treatment of
hemorrhage and convulsions, uterine applications and treatment; operative cases), Prof.
Paine and Dr. Lee
2.)
Lectures upon nursing in Fevers and Respiratory Diseases, Prof. West and Dr.
Starley
3.)
Lectures upon nursing in Diseases of Children and Intestinal Diseases, Dr. Cooke
4.)
Dietetics, Dr. Lee
5.)
Urinary Diseases and Nervous Diseases (use and care of electric battery), Prof.
Smith
6.)
Nursing in Diseases of Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat, Dr. Hall
7.)
Emergencies Medical and Surgical, Miss Kindbom
8.)
Preparation of Invalid Diet, Massage and Swedish Movements, Application of
Baths of Various Kinds, Physical Culture, Miss Kindbom
9.)
Lectures in Hygiene, Prof. Clopton
Leadership
1890 – 1892
1892 -1893
1893
1893-1896
1896
1896-1900
1900
1900-1901
1901 -1902
1902 - 1903
1903-1905
1905 – 1919
1919-1920
Dorothea Fick – 1st Superintendent
Graduate Mount Sinai Hospital, New York
Anna L. Locke - Superintendent
F. Edith Howard - Superintendent
Josephine Durkee - Superintendent
Augusta Gilminot - Superintendent
Hanna Kindbom - Superintendent appointed to medical school
as Clinical Instructor of Nursing
Minnie Ferguson - Superintendent
Emma L. Cartmell - Superintendent
Marie Overton - Superintendent
Margaret G. Fay - Superintendent
Marjorie M. Taylor- Superintendent
Ethel D’Arcy Clay- Superintendent
Martha St. John Eakins - Director
1920s-1940s Conflict and Change
During the 1920s and 1930s, the superintendents improved the standards for admission,
upgraded curriculum, and improved classroom instruction for students. Public Health
and Psychiatric Nursing were added to the curriculum. Classroom space and equipment
were improved, and the first full-time nurse instructors were appointed. As the body of
nursing knowledge increased, nurses increasingly assumed the responsibility for
theoretical as well as practical instruction. As enrollment in the school increased, the
school outgrew the Rebecca Sealy Nurses’ Home. The second Rebecca Sealy Nurses’
Residence, a lovely four-story building in the Spanish style, completed in 1932, housed
over one-hundred fifty students. Graduate nurses could live in the residence if rooms
were available, and the Directors of the School lived there until 1943.
By 1923, students were required to be high school graduates. The student work day was
reduced from ten to eight hours, to permit more time for class work and study. At a time
when many hospital schools of nursing used students as a source of cheap labor, and
provided a haphazard and inadequate education, the John Sealy Hospital School of
Nursing stood out as a model for excellence in nursing education.
The knowledge and skill required of nurses continued to increase as medical and
technological advances provided new methods for treating patients. Disposable and prepackaged supplies were far in the future, so students boiled instruments, rolled bandages,
and set up procedure trays. Patient care and comfort were most important nursing
concerns.
1920s-1930s CURRICULUM
The course of instruction was a graded one, extending over three sessions. The plan of
instruction included systematic lectures, demonstrations, and actual bedside practice of
the principles taught; and from time to time, the students were required to present papers
upon various themes connected with the work.
JUNIOR YEAR
The first four months was a probationary period. During this time, didactic and practical
instruction was given to enable the student to obtain knowledge of the fundamental
principles underlying the work of nursing, and to become acquainted with elementary
nursing procedures before entering upon the actual care of the sick. The candidate was
expected to demonstrate by her daily work and conduct a general fitness for the vocation.
COURSES
1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)
5.)
6.)
7.)
8.)
9.)
Anatomy (lecture and laboratory) – 32 hours
Physiology – 32 hours
Materia Medica, including the dosage and uses of drugs, antidotes for poisons, 48
lectures and recitations, 24 hours practical exercises in making solutions.
Theory and Practice of Nursing – 128 hours
Bacteriology (lecture and laboratory) – 24 hours
Personal Hygiene – 12 hours
Ethics of Nursing – 8 hours
Nutrition and Cooking – 64 hours
Chemistry – 64 hours
INTERMEDIATE YEAR
1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)
5.)
6.)
7.)
Minor Surgery and Surgical Nursing – 24 hours
Medical Nursing and Bedside Instruction – 30 hours
Gynecology – 6 hours
Obstetrics – 15 hours
Clinical Pathology (lectures and laboratory) – 15 hours
Diet in Disease – 12 lectures
Psychology of Nursing – 15 hours
SENIOR YEAR
1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)
5.)
6.)
7.)
Pediatrics – 15 hours
Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat – 12 hours
Nursing of Nervous and Mental Diseases – 12 hours
Theory and Practice of Nursing – 30 hours
History of Nursing – 15 hours
Massage – 14 hours
Public Hygiene and Sanitation – 12 hours
During the senior year, the members of the class were placed in charge of the different
wards and of the private rooms; they were also required to give demonstrations on
assigned subjects to the other classes.
Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the struggles of the leadership of the School of Nursing
reflected those of the profession at large, in their efforts to improve the quality of nursing
education. Hospitals were still largely staffed by student nurses, whose educational needs
were often subordinated to hospital staffing needs. It was becoming increasingly clear
that nurses were indispensable to hospitals, and that they were determined to assume
responsibility for the direction of nursing education and practice.
1923-1924 REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION
Those wishing to take the course of instruction were required to apply to the Director of
the College of Nursing, John Sealy Hospital, Galveston, upon whose approval they were
received into the school on probation. The age of candidates could range from 18 to 40
years. Applicants who had reached the age of 18 and who had completed successfully a
four years’ high-school course were eligible. The candidate was to send, with answers to
the questions sent to her, two letters testifying to her good moral character and one from
her physician stating that she was in sound health. She had to be of at least the average
height and physique.
Leadership
1920-1923
1923 – 1926
1926-1928
1928-1931
1931 - 1935
1935 -1940
Ella E. Read – Director
Grace Gertrude Grey – Director
1st academic degree
1924- Appointed 1st teacher Zora K MacAnelly, School of
Nursing graduate
Saidee Nolan Hausmann – Director
Xilema Faulkner – Director
Became a member of executive committee of Medical Branch
Dorothy Rogers – Director
1st to be appointed with Masters Degree
Dora Mathis – Director
1940s -1960s - New Directions
The 1940s and 1950s saw tremendous advances in medical science and technology with
equally great advancement of nursing knowledge. The John Sealy Hospital now
employed graduate nurses to staff the hospital and, by 1946, the Director of the School
was freed from the responsibility for direction of nursing service. Under the leadership
of Dean Marjorie Bartholf, the school moved toward the goal of university education for
nurses as an essential condition for professional status.
The years of Dean Bartholf’s administration, from 1942 to 1963, were years of great
change for the school. Under her guidance, the school fully developed the Bachelors
Degree program, and the first Masters Degree program in the state. The last class in the
Diploma Program was admitted in 1957.
World and local events helped shape the student experience. The School of Nursing
participated in the Cadet Nurse Corps program during World War II, and a number of
graduates served in the Armed Forces. Dolly Vinsant, a graduate of the class of 1940,
entered the Army Nurse Corps and was killed in action in April 1945. A flight nurse on a
medical evacuation plane that crashed, she was the only Texas woman killed in
operations as a direct result of enemy action. Vinsant Hall, a student residence, was
named in her honor. The war led to many advances in medical science and technology.
The demand for health care increased dramatically. There was a tremendous increase in
federal spending for health care research and education. The Medical Branch
experienced enormous growth during this time. Nursing students worked and learned in
an environment that was active in research and increasingly oriented toward acute, highly
specialized care.
Nursing students in 1947 worked with the medical and nursing teams who cared for the
victims of one of the worst disasters in U.S. history, the explosion of the ships the
Grandcamp and the High Flyer at the Texas City docks. Over six hundred people were
killed, and nearly eight hundred wounded. Most were hospitalized at the medical branch.
This experience helped to expand the scope of nursing, as nurses were called upon in
state of emergency to perform new procedures and assessments to care for the injured ,
and demonstrated that they were well able to do so.
____________________________________________________________________
AN ACCOUNT OF THE TEXAS CITY DISASTER, APRIL 16, 1947
The day of the Texas City disaster, I was coming down the steps of the main building of
John Sealy Hospital. Sally Burns, supervisor of the Operating Room, and three other
people were passing in a car headed for Texas City and yelled to me to get in the car,
declaring there was an emergency in Texas City and I was needed. I was in student
nurse’s uniform and told them I didn’t have permission from the Nursing Office. Sally
Burns said “It doesn’t matter, I give you permission,” I later learned I was one of the first
five persons from the medical branch on the scene.
When we arrived in Texas City and drove through the downtown area, there was
destruction everywhere. Windows in all the buildings were blown out. We went to the
school gym and found it full of bodies. We started giving first aid and giving morphine
to relieve the pain. Some of the bodies were charred, some of them dead and if the
patient was still conscious, the patient was in excruciating pain, so I had an open order to
administer hypodermics of pain relievers as I saw need. In a situation like this you are
oblivious to everything except doing the job at hand. Somehow everything you have ever
learned in this area comes to the surface and you do the best you can.
I worked there for hours and in the end I brought a patient back in a station wagon,
holding his infusion and guiding the way. In an emergency, things go quickly. When I
arrived back on campus it was covered with tents. The Red Cross moved in to help and
was passing out coffee and food to exhausted workers. All medical personnel were on
twenty-four hour call. It was amazing how everything began to fall into place and
regardless of rank or race, we were a team, doing the best we could. For years I saw
many of the patients from this terrible disaster on the hospital floors. I later realized there
was no way that you could take a holistic view of a patient in a situation like this; it’s
only the immediate needs that are met.
LUCI PIEPER GWIN
CLASS OF 1948
Nursing knowledge and skill expanded along with medical advances. The student work
week decreased, with more time devoted to class work and less to hospital service. It was
increasingly accepted that what hospitals needed were highly skilled nurses, whose
educational needs could not be met through the old system of arduous clinical
apprenticeship with little or no supervision. The baccalaureate program emphasized the
need for a good general academic background, preparation in physical and behavioral
sciences, and education in all areas of clinical nursing. Nursing practice expanded
rapidly with new equipment and nursing procedures constantly developing. The timehonored activities of nurses for assisting in patients to feel cared for and comfortable
continued to play an important part in student learning.
1945-1946 REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION
Applicants were required to be eligible to matriculate in the University, be in good health
and be between the ages of 17 and 35.
Emphasis was placed upon scholarship; selection was made from students in the upper
third of their high-school classes and from students who have maintained an average of C
or better in college work. For admission to the course leading to the Diploma in Nursing,
15 high-school units, with high-school graduation were required.
For admission to candidacy for Bachelor of Science in Nursing, the applicant must have
completed 62 hours in the College of Arts and Sciences or their equivalent in any
educational institution acceptable to the University of Texas.
Freshman Year
Semester Hours
English I
Chemistry 801
Biology I or Zoology I
Electives
6
8
6
12
32
Sophomore Year
Sophomore English
Government 10
History 15
Sociology 310
Psychology 310
Electives
6
6
6
3
3
30
A NURSING STUDENT’S PERSPECTIVE – 1943
In retrospect the upperclassmen played a key role in facilitating my student experiences.
We did not have clinical faculty and the registered nurses were supervisors, head nurses
(sometimes over more than one ward) and private duty nurses.
Early in my training, Mary, an upper classmen, informed me and my roommate that she
had obtained permission for us to observe a blood transfusion to be performed one
evening at 7 p.m. in a particular treatment room. There were no blood banks as we know
them now. The blood transfusion was a direct transfusion of blood from one person to
another carried out in the most aseptic technique known at that time. It was an exciting
experience to have the doctors explain the process to us.
CHLOE FLOYD
CLASS OF 1943
1945-1946 CURRICULUM
Title of Course
Lec.
Hours
Lab.
Hours
Anatomy…………………………………
Physiology……………………………….
Microbiology…………………………….
Chemistry………………………………..
History of Nursing……………………….
Introduction to Nursing Arts……………..
Psychology……………………………….
Nutrition………………………………….
Introduction to Medical Science………….
Pharmacology…………………………….
Social Factors in Health and Disease……..
Nursing Arts, cont’d………………………
Diet Therapy………………………………
Medical and Surgical Nursing…………….
Practice in Medical Nursing…………….
Practice in Surgical Nursing, including
Gynecology, and Eye, Ear, Nose and
Throat Nursing…………………………
Practice in Diet Laboratory………………
Operating Room Technique………………
Practice in Operating Room Technique…..
First Aid……………………………………
Obstetric and Gynecological Nursing……..
Practice in Obstetric Nursing………………
Pediatric Nursing…………………………..
Practice in Pediatric Nursing………………
Advanced Medical Nursing………………..
Practice in Psychiatric Nursing…………….
Practice in Communicable Diseases……….
34
30
30
36
32
48
30
30
32
32
45
22
32
107
11
30
15
24
48
Ward
Practice
54 hours
24
32
182 hours
20 weeks
23 weeks
6 weeks
20
8 weeks
10
48
10
12 weeks
64
12 weeks
12 weeks
6 weeks
4 weeks
By 1958, the school was headquartered in Brackenridge Hall, and all students lived in
new dormitories. The regulation of students’ personal lives lessened over the years, as
acceptance of women in the work force increased. By the late 1950s, married students
were allowed to attend the school. Married students and those over twenty-one were
permitted to live off-campus and the first male and minority students had entered the
program.
Leadership
1940 -1941
1941
1942
1942 – 1963
Anyce Wallace (acting Director)
Elsa Maurer Kibbe – Director
Anyce Wallace (acting Director)
Marjorie Bartholf – Dean
1960-1980 Nurses Transformed
In response to the recommendations of a legislative commission on the shortage of nurses
in Texas, in 1967, The University of Texas Board of Regents implemented changes that
would greatly affect the School of Nursing at Galveston and the future of professional
nursing in the State. The University created The University of Texas System School of
Nursing, with headquarters in Austin, and the Galveston campus as a constituent school.
Under the leadership of Dr. Marilyn Willman, President of the System School of Nursing,
four new Schools were opened within the UT System between 1967 and 1971: El Paso,
San Antonio, Arlington, and Houston. The six schools were administered as one entity,
and implemented the same curriculum. The faculties were all members of the Systemwide faculty, and at least one joint faculty meeting was held in Austin each year.
In 1976, The Board of Regents announced that the System School of Nursing would be
dissolved, and that administrative responsibility for each program would be returned to
the President of the constituent campus. The reasons for this decision are not clear.
Some students and faculty objected to the changes, and campaigned to save the System
School. In spite of their efforts, by the start of the 1976-1977 academic year, the new
administrative arrangements were in effect.
The transition years, 1967, when the System School began, and 1976, when the System
was dissolved, were difficult times for the faculty and students. Certainly, there were
problems with the System School: difficulty implementing one curriculum at six sites,
unwieldy faculty and committee meetings, and communication problems associated with
geographic separation from administrative headquarters.
In spite of these difficulties, the System School years benefited nursing education in a
number of ways. It enabled four new schools to become operational very rapidly and
encouraged the development of a statewide nursing network. The relationships formed in
those years have continued, as the six Schools of Nursing within the University of Texas
System work together today for the advancement of professional nursing and nursing
education in Texas.
In 1976, in response to request from the local nursing community, under the direction of
Dean Dorothy Damewood, the School developed a self-paced program for RN to BSN
nurses known as the Flexible – Option Program. The School was the first to have a
separate baccalaureate track for RN nurses.
Students moved through the curriculum with different progression and course evaluation
was based on attainment of course objectives rather than on hours spent in the classroom.
It was based on the assumption that RN students come with varied work experiences that
facilitate attainment of course objectives. Another major assumption was that these
students usually work full time with major family responsibilities and manage multiple
roles. This program offered opportunities to students who never before could continue
their education.
By the late 1970s the student body had grown to over four hundred students in graduate
and undergraduate programs. There was a growing number of non-traditional students,
including those who came to nursing later in life, often as a second career. Some students
continued to live and work together in dormitories, while others pursued independent
living arrangements. The standard uniform gave way to the individual’s choice of white
uniform and shoes. Matters of dress and decorum were less rigid and more individual.
Knowledge, skill and accountability for practice entitled nurses to be respected as
professionals.
1980s
REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION
The baccalaureate degree program is designed so that it can be completed in four years.
Since UTMB is primarily an upper-division and graduate-level campus, applicants to the
School of Nursing must complete the prescribed lower-division academic work at another
approved college or university. The basic liberal arts courses undertaken at the lowerdivision level provide the foundation for an understanding of individuals as they exist in
health and illness.
The following prerequisites will be required of all students admitted to the nursing
programs:
Natural Sciences
Anatomy and Physiology
Microbiology
Chemistry
Semester Hours
6-8
3-4
6-8
Behavioral Sciences
Introductory Psychology
Introductory Sociology
Growth and Development
Behavioral Science Elective
3
3
3
3
Other Requirements
English
U.S. History
U.S. Government
6
6
6
Statistics
Nutrition
Free Electives
3
3
4-9
1980s CURRICULUM
Course Requirements – Upper Division
Required upper-division courses can be completed by generic students in four long
semesters. Registered Nurse students in the Flexible Option Track proceed at their own
pace and complete the program in varying lengths of time, but it must be completed
within 6 years. Elective courses are usually offered in both long semesters and in
summer sessions.
Junior Year
Level I
NURS
NURS
NURS
NURS
Credits
3112
3123
3135
3144
Role Development: Introduction
Pathophysiology
Nursing Process: Introduction
Health Assessment of Individuals
Level I Total
Level II
NURS
NURS
NURS
NURS
Or
NURS
2
3
5
4
14
Credits
3152
3162
3185
3195
Role Development: Teaching/Learning-Family
Pharmacology
Nursing Therapeutics
Nursing Process: The Older Adult
2
2
2
5
3205
Nursing Process: Families with Children
Level II Total
Junior Year Total
5
16
30
Senior Year
Level III
NURS 3195
Or
NURS 3205
NURS 4215
Credits
Nursing Process: The Childbearing Family
Nursing Process: Families with Children
Nursing Process: The Adult
5
5
NURS 4222
NURS 4233
Nursing with Groups
Role Development: Scientific Method
Level III Total
Level IV
NURS
NURS
NURS
NURS
4244
4255
4263
4274
2
3
15
Credits
Nursing Process: Community Health
Nursing Process: Mental Health
Wellness in the Community
Role Development: Leadership/Management
Level IV Total
4
5
3
4
16
Senior Year
31
Total Credits for Degree
127
A NURSING STUDENT’S PERSPECTIVE – 1967
The day finally arrived for rotations through Ob/Gyn, Pediatrics, Med-Surg, Psychiatry.
I’ll never forget some of my patients -- what a variety of needs that begged for attention.
Our case studies and nursing assessment skills were never ending. The best in us came
out -- we truly cared about these people, our patients. We tried to understand and make
them comfortable and well. A mastectomy patient of mine came back after her discharge
to give me a box of chocolate covered cherries. She had such a hard time and suffered
great emotional shock initially. But we talked so often about her rehabilitation and good
prognosis that her human spirit rallied. She was so poor, and her gift to me when she left
made me realize the importance of caring and understanding.
SUSANNE HOOSER SULLIVAN
CLASS OF 1967
Leadership
1942 - 1963
1963 – 1967
1967
1967
1967 – 1968
1968 – 1985
1976
Marjorie Bartholf - Dean
Betty Rudnick- First Dean of Nursing with a Doctorate
Alpha delta charter in Texas
UT School of Nursing System-wide established as part of this
system renamed to the University of Texas(clinical) Nursing
School at Galveston
Chloe Floyd (acting Dean)
Virginia Walker (acting Associate Dean)
Dorothy Damewood - Dean
UT School of Nursing System dissolved
1980 - 2001 Addressing new Roles and Challenges
During the years of Dean Mary Fenton’s administration, 1986-2001, the School of
Nursing embarked on a number of progressive ventures. In 1986, the School moved to its
new building which it shared with the School of Allied Health, and was able to
accommodate more nursing students. This location provided office space for faculty,
additional classrooms, a Learning Resource Center, offices for Student Affairs, research
space, as well as study and computer labs.
A new organizational structure was instituted based on the creation of four departments
within the School: Maternal/Child Health, Community Health/Gerontology, Adult
Health, and Mental Health/ Management with Associate Deans for Academic Affairs,
Research and Practice and educational program directors. Department chairs guided the
faculty in development of research, practice options and teaching excellence. The School
also established the office for Student Affairs, office of Development and Alumni Affairs
and two centers, the Research Center and the Center for law and ethics. Based on the
growing need for Advanced Practice Programs in Texas and nationwide, Nurse
Practitioner Programs were established including Adult, Pediatric, Ob/Gyn and Women’s
Health, and Gerontology.
The relationship between the medical branch hospitals and the School was a vital link to
the development of quality educational programs and nursing practice. A Council of
Nursing Executive Directors, Department Directors and the Dean was formed to identify
common goals for nursing at UTMB. This Council led to the creation of UTMB Nursing
Joint Ventures, a collaborative program conceived in the late 1980s which enhanced
continuing education, research and nursing practice. It also provided a forum for dealing
with professional issues that concerned both education and service. At the same time, the
School established a formal faculty practice plan with faculty practicing at UTMB
hospitals and clinics as well as other private and public clinics and hospitals in Galveston,
the Clear Lake area and Houston. This effort culminated in the School establishing the
first Student Health Center for the University and an effort at the UT System level
spearheaded by the Dean to enable all health science students enrolled in UT System
Health Science Centers to have health insurance.
--------------------------------Simultaneously, the School also turned its attention to international healthcare. In 1988, it
became one of the three founding members, along with the University of Illinois and the
University of Pennsylvania Schools of Nursing, and the World Health Organization
Collaborating Centers for Nursing/Midwifery Development in Primary Health Care.
Through its membership, the School collaborated with Schools of Nursing all over the
world in the development of nursing education. The program initiated collaborative
agreements with other schools to create opportunities for faculty and student exchange
programs, fellowships and leadership development training, where faculty members
could share models of health care education and conduct joint research projects with
colleagues from around the world. Academic relationships were established with nursing
schools in England, Thailand, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Bahrain, Egypt and the
Caribbean Region. With the assistance of the Kellogg Foundation and the Pan American
Health Organization (PAHO), the School was able to place special emphasis on nursing
and health care in Mexico and Latin America including Schools of Nursing in Columbia,
Ecuador, Chile, Brazil, and Guyana.
________________________________________________________________________
In 1988, the School of Nursing assumed a major leadership role on campus in distance
education. Advances in technology powered paradigmatic shifts in education. The
School promoted the RN-BSN curriculum (Flexible-Option) establishing a collaborative
program with Lee College in Baytown. The faculty traveled to Baytown to instruct the
students face-to-face. This onsite degree program allowed those in underserved areas of
the state to complete their education in their own communities where they often stayed to
practice.
___________________________________________________________________
In 1990, the School of Nursing celebrated its Centennial Anniversary with a year of
events. Over 575 alumni came from as far away as Hawaii and Australia to attend the
Homecoming Weekend in March. The School received its first endowed chair, The
Rebecca Sealy Centennial Chair from The Sealy Smith Foundation in honor of the
School of Nursing Centennial. In April, the faculty staged a Global Nursing Conference
with attendees from all over the world, coinciding with hosting the third annual meeting
of the World Health Organization Network of Collaborating Centers for Nursing
Development. In September, the American Association of the History of Nursing held its
annual meeting at the Tremont House, hosted by the School.
The Centennial was a time to reflect with pride on a long tradition of excellence and
innovation. The Alumni Association established the Hall of Fame Award to honor alumni
who made major contributions to nursing through a commitment of excellence in patient
care, research, publications, education, community service, and/or nursing leadership and
the Rebecca Sealy Alumni Award which was given at graduation each year. It was also a
time to reestablish old traditions such as the Pinning Ceremony and initiate the inclusion
of the baccalaureate hooding in the graduates’ commencement regalia.
Securing regard and respect from many, the celebration of the Centennial Year spurred
the School to move steadily forward to address the new roles and challenges it would
face in the 21st century.
-----------------------------------------------------------Strongly committed to the pursuit of excellence in education, research and clinical
practice, the School expanded its programs. Nurse Midwifery, Acute Care,
Psychiatric/Mental Health Practitioner, and Family Nurse Practitioner programs were
begun and became ranked among the top programs of their kind in the nation, allowing
students to remain in the areas where they lived and worked.
Seeking the most innovative approach to education, in 1992, the Family Nurse
Practitioner program (FNP) joined the RN to BSN program by delivering its onsite
program to Lamar University in Beaumont. The FNP program used video tapes to
augment campus visits and to provide content when a faculty member was unable to
travel on site. In 1994, UTMB acquired two-way broadcast capabilities and the School
soon began broadcasting to remote sites via a T-1 line rented from the telephone
company. The Neonatal Nurse Practitioner program was started in conjunction with
Harris Hospital in Fort Worth. By the late 1990s, the School was broadcasting programs
to several locations across southeast Texas including U. T. Houston, Willford Hall
Medical Center in San Antonio, Lee College in Baytown, Scott and White Hospital in
Temple, and Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches.
---------------------------------------------------------------Under the leadership of Dean Fenton, the School addressed the problem of the
nationwide shortage of nurses, including those to teach advanced-level courses. The
national nursing shortage created a demand of highly skilled nurses with advanced
education. Nurses were being employed in a greater variety of health care settings than
ever before, and the need for a steady supply of nurses who could function in advanced
roles of administrators, educators, clinical nurse specialist, nurse practitioners and nurse
midwives became increasingly evident. In 1996, the School of Nursing answered the
challenge by creating a doctoral program, with unique emphasis on the construct of
healing which enabled the school to achieve top U.S. ranking and be competitive for
national research funding.
In 1998 the School developed a web presence with their first online website. With the
capabilities of web-based instruction growing and the technology becoming viable,
faculty of the School developed the first web-assisted course for the School and the
University and entire programs became web-based over the next few years.
_____________________________________________________
A NURSING STUDENT’S PERSPECTIVE -- 1990
I am a senior level honors baccalaureate nursing student while I work full time as a
licensed vocational nurse. I am 35 years, divorced with no children, and a homeowner.
I work ICU or the ER on weekends: Fridays 3 p.m.–1 p.m.; Saturdays 7 a.m.-1 p.m.;
Sundays 7 a.m.–11 p.m. Often I work longer hours than scheduled and I sleep about 4 or
5 hours between shifts. Monday through Friday I attend classroom and clinical scheduled
events for a total of 33 hours of active participation. That leaves only 85 hours a week to
sleep, study, commute, complete the necessary household duties, eat, and participate in a
minimal social life. Obviously I maintain a rigid schedule of study, and budget my time
carefully to accomplish these tasks. My schedule is not unlike my classmates who work
other full time schedules and/or the classmates who have families.
Being a student in the 1990s is a challenging and rewarding experience. In the future, I
expect that a greater number of students will come to the BSN program with prior
medical experience than in years past. We shall see more LVNs, paramedics, emergency
medical technicians, and nursing assistants entering higher education programs. The
priority of future nursing, especially the next decade, should be focused on programs to
encourage and integrate these students.
GARNETT C. STEWART
CLASS OF 1990
Leadership
1968 – 1985
1985 -1986
1986 – 2001
Dorothy Damewood, Dean
Mary Fenton, (acting)
Mary Fenton, Dean
Elizabeth Anderson(acting
dean)
2001 to Present—21st Century Nursing Education
In 2001, under the leadership of Dr. Pamela Watson, the School continued to grow and to
offer innovative approaches to nursing education in all programs, including clinical
simulation with interactive mannequins, online education programs, development of new
degree programs, and fast-track degree plan options.
Through nursing research, the faculty became more involved in the acquisition of
knowledge that translates to improvements at the bedside for better patient care. To help
with this goal, a new position was created, Associate Dean for Research. The School
reorganized and expanded the Center for Nursing Research to include evaluation and
multipurpose interdisciplinary behavioral research. It is rapidly becoming internationally
recognized for bioterrorism research and is well recognized for a broad base of basic
science and clinical work.
During this period five new academic programs were added in response to state and
national mandates to educate and graduate nurses with advanced degrees within
accelerated time frames. These include: Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) to PhD;
Registered Nurse (RN) to Master’s of Science in Nursing (MSN); Bachelor of Science in
Nursing Accelerated (BACC2); Master’s of Science Nurse Educator; and Master’s of
Science Nursing Leadership in Complex Healthcare Organizations developed in
collaboration with UT MD Anderson Department of Nursing.
The Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree emphasizes healthcare leadership,
interdisciplinary collaboration, scholarly practice, practice improvement, testing of care
delivery models, and evaluation of health outcomes and health policy. The PhD Nursing
program was expanded in focus to include health promotion, human response and healing
and became available as an online program September1, 2009. A computer lab for PhD
students was established to aid students in their research.
As a historic leader in distance education, the School improved courses and programs to
meet the needs of the distance student. These online programs include: RN-BSN Track
Baccalaureate; Gerontological Nurse Practitioner also as a Post-Master’s; Nurse Educator
with Clinical Concentration; Pediatric Nurse Practitioner also as a Post-Master’s;
Neonatal Nurse Practitioner also as a Post-Master’s; Nursing Leadership in Complex
Health Care Organizations.
Facility enhancements have recently been made to provide the most technically advanced
systems for community outreach as well as in-house instruction. A valuable resource is
the School’s collaboration with the UTMB Community Outreach Program and the
Electronic Health Network in Telehealth education. Other assets are the Onsite Testing
Center established for student use within the School and the Multimedia Lab which
supports the faculty in creating online education materials and students with technical
assistance.
The newly renovated Nursing Simulation Center is equipped with state-of-the-art
mannequins that simulate human biological functions. This equipment enables students
to practice their skills in an environment that allows the use of trial and error learning
without the risk to a real person. The lab is equipped with computerized Sim Man
mannequins with programmable heart, lung and bowel sounds along with palpable pulses
and other training features. The lab also features multiple Vital Sim mannequins with
programmable breath, heart and bowel sounds. Each station is equipped with a bedside
computer that students use to access media related to the skills they are learning as well
as a simulated electronic medical record for each mannequin. The other teaching labs
include the Primary Care Lab and the Birthing Simulation Suite.
________________________________________________________________________
On September 13, 2008, Galveston and UTMB suffered greatly from the ravages of
Hurricane Ike. The entire campus experienced severe flooding and the first floors of all
buildings were deemed uninhabitable for a month or more. Due to the foresight of Dean
Watson and her administration, the School was able to resume classes within two weeks
of the devastating storm because of their many programs and classes available online.
________________________________________________________________
2010 Curriculum
Baccalaureate Programs
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) focuses on skills and theory, taught online, in
classroom and clinical practice. Courses cover the provision of care across the life span
and address individuals and their needs in the context of the family and the community.
They also emphasize theories and fundamentals of leadership, management and research.
The Accelerated Program (BACC 2) is designed for students who already hold another
degree and wish to pursue a BSN degree. The intensive work is completed in three
semesters and graduates are eligible to take the state board exam to become an RN.
The RN to BSN (online) is specifically designed for the working RN seeking a
baccalaureate degree and is self-paced. While the entire program is online, students do
occasionally visit the campus and work closely with online faculty to design clinical
activities in their own communities that will enhance learning and achieve objectives.
Masters Programs
The Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program prepares RNs to provide advanced care to
adults and their families in various acute care settings where experiences with nurse
practitioners and/or physician preceptors are individualized and take the students’
interests into consideration. They develop skills such as obtaining comprehensive health
histories and physical exams. Graduates are eligible to take the ACNP certification exam
offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
The Nursing Education Program (Online) offers graduate students an opportunity to be
involved in the learning community in multiple educational environments using emerging
technology. It builds on adult learning principles, nursing and learning theories,
curriculum design, and program evaluation to develop a learning environment. Legalethical aspects of care and clinical experience are also included. The teaching practicum
is the capstone course.
The Nursing Leadership Program is based on research delineating key competencies of
successful health care leaders. The degree focuses on the development of self as an
ethical leader, leading in complex healthcare organizations, and engaging nurses and
other professionals and communities in inventive, interdisciplinary health care planning
and delivery. It emphasizes the strategic use of human and financial resources and also
includes evidence-based management approaches; and the organization, development and
management of knowledge across the healthcare continuum and the use of technology.
The program is mostly web-based and can be completed in one or two years of study.
The Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Program prepares RNs to provide advanced care to
critically ill and recovering neonates and their families. All courses are offered online
and clinical experience may be completed in the student’s geographic area. Graduates are
eligible to sit for national certification offered by the National Certification Corporation.
All primary care practitioner course work including clinical experience may be
completed in the students’ geographic location. Upon graduation they are eligible to sit
for national certification in their specialties and credentialing from the American Nurses
Credentialing Center. The Primary Care Masters Programs include Family Nurse
Practitioner, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, and Gerontological Nurse Practitioner.
Doctoral Programs
The PhD degree is designed to prepare scholars and researchers capable of advancing
nursing practice and education. Focused on health promotion, human response, and
healing, students have the opportunity to study biobehavioral research, vulnerable
populations, and contemporary pedagogies. These areas of inquiry provide the structure
for students to develop a plan to gain in-depth knowledge in a specific area of research.
The program builds on advanced clinical preparation and knowledge at the Master’s
level and on the baccalaureate degree for the BSN to PhD students. All required courses
for the MSN to PhD Program, exclusive of the dissertation, can be completed in two
years of full-time study. Required courses for the BSN to PhD Program, excluding the
dissertation, can be completed in three years of full-time study. Courses are offered in
online synchronous and asynchronous formats.
A Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program is in the planning/approval stages and
should begin fall 2010.
2010 Admission requirements
Today, application to the School of Nursing is an on-line process. Applicants to
undergraduate programs must be Texas Success Initiative compliant prior to enrollment
at UTMB and must satisfy UTMB CORE Curriculum requirements before a
baccalaureate degree is conferred. The core curriculum consists of 42 semester credit
hours in communication, mathematics, natural sciences, humanities/visual and
performing arts and social/behavioral sciences. Students must also pass ATI (Assessment
Technologies Institute) TEAS (Test of Essential Academic Skills) test and the test of
Critical Thinking. CPR certification and immunizations are required.
All RN-BSN, masters, post-masters, and doctoral students must provide current valid
licenses upon admission. Those within the program must provide documentation of
renewal biannually. Following admissions all students are required to pass security
screening such as criminal background checks and drug testing.
The students are expected to conduct themselves professionally in demeanor, in use of
language, and in appearance in the presence of faculty, staff, other students and patients
in all settings. By 2006, the BSN students were required to wear scrubs in order to
participate in lab practice sessions. Appropriate clinical attire consists of burnt orange
scrubs, name tags, the UTMB badge and a white uniform closed toe shoe. A complete
uniform included the appropriate accessories such as a pen with black ink, bandage
scissors, penlight, stethoscope, and a PDA with specific clinical software installed.
Standards for personal hygiene also were addressed. Hair could be no longer than
shoulder and was required to be pulled back (men or women), with no extremes in hair
color. All tattoos and body marking were to be concealed, with clean fingernails neatly
trimmed. No scented personal products, chewing gum or tobacco products could be used
in any laboratory setting.
____________________________________________________________________
Leadership
2001- to present
Pamela G. Watson, Dean
Epilogue
The role of nurse has always been challenging and demanding. The challenges have
changed greatly from the 1890s when the School first opened to the present; but in some
important ways they never change. Nurses must engage in activities that bring them
physically and emotionally close to people. They assume the grave responsibility in
performing procedures and making judgments critical to life and health. They encounter
pain, suffering, and death with an intimacy that few outside the profession experience.
Once a profession of women, nurses have had to struggle for acceptance and recognition
in educational and health care institutions. They have encountered obstacles in the
workplace, and the conflicts that working women experience between their domestic
roles and professional responsibilities. Men have also entered this profession and
experienced some of these same challenges. The work is often difficult, sometimes
painful, but always rewarding.
This exhibit is a chronicle of the School of Nursing’s first 120 years. It documents the
changes that nurses have experienced: rules for proper dress; the equipment used; the
practice of nursing; the setting for nursing practice; and the activities they perform in
caring for patients. It also notes a central, enduring theme: that nurses’ work is caring
for the health of others. No matter how the content or setting changes, this value
remains. There is a kinship between today’s nurses and those we see in this exhibit just
as there will be with the nurses in the remainder of the 21st century. It is difficult to know
what they will experience. One thing is certain; nursing work will always be caring work.
Acknowledgements
The University of Texas School of Nursing 120th Anniversary Honoring
Traditions and Change, was adapted from the School of Nursing
Centennial exhibit Women’s Work, Nurse’s Work: One Hundred Years of
Caring created by Poldi Tschirch, PhD, RN, BC. The current exhibit has
been made possible through the generous contributions of several
organizations. Special thanks to:
The University of Texas School of Nursing at Galveston
The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston
The Truman G. Blocker Jr., MD, History of Medicine Collections
Moody Medical Library
The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston
The Mary V. Fenton Collection
Moody Medical Library
The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston
UTMB Academic Resources
The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston
UTMB School of Nursing Simulation Center
SON Office of Educational Technology
The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston
Thanks also to the many individuals who shared their time and talents:
Pamela G. Watson, RN, ScD,
Dean of the School of Nursing, and Vice President of Education
Faculty and Staff of the School of Nursing
Mary V. Fenton, RN, DrPH
Garland D. Anderson, MD,
Executive Vice President and Provost;
Dean, School of Medicine
Brett Kirkpatrick,
Associate Vice President for Academic Resources
and Director of Libraries
Staff of Academic Resources:
Lucy Bullacher
Bruce Gilmer
John Glowczwski
Edward Hunter
Pam Jamison
Mark Kinonen
Robert Marlin
Michael Navarro
Sarita Oertling
Mary Donna Piazza
Sara Puentes
Aaron Quilla
Richard Watts