Professional Documents
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Boschma et al, 2008: 83
earning from history is often discussed but rarely
undertaken meaningfully; we can frequently spend Beidermann (2001) argued that nursing has struggled for
time recreating wheels, ignoring the achievements acceptance and legitimacy as a profession in its own right;
and failures of others who went before us. However, reflecting on the changes in practice and status over time can
if we take the time to listen, capturing and hearing confirm its alignment with the characteristics of a profession
stories of the lived history of individuals we can be amazed, (Blane, 1991). Oral histories, and the project described in
inspired and stimulated by experiences from the past. this article, explore and record the lives of nurses, having the
potential to promote greater understanding, acceptance and
Insight into what nursing is and what nursing
legitimacy of nursing practice. Recording an understanding
can be will come from knowledge of what
of nursing heritage helps to avoid the risk of the profession
nursing has been.
being adrift without memory (Cushing, 1996) or in a state of
Kalisch and Kalisch 1976: 362
rupture and dislocation (Nelson and Gordon, 2004); it allows
This article highlights the value of oral history as a research us to recognise that knowledge of nursings past can contribute
method and provides the findings from Memories of Nursing to present and future practice (Lait, 2000; Furness, 2002). As
(MoN), a joint project by nurse academics from Bournemouth so eloquently expressed by Birchenall (2003: 324), history
University and a volunteer (a retired nurse academic, previous signposts the path of change, showing footprints left by those
trustee at the Retired Nurses National Home) who came who were in the vanguard.
together to record some of the residents stories. Although a number of relevant oral history accounts
The aim of the project was to produce rich and detailed exist (for example Leap and Hunter, 1993; Hemmings, 1996;
accounts of non-elite nurses who have no record of their Hopton 1997), the number of autobiographical oral histories
lives in historical documents (Beidermann, 2001: 61). The (Gluck, 2011) of nursing that exist is more limited. However,
these would include the Nurses Voices project at St Georges
Hospital in London (http://www.healthcare.ac.uk/nurses-
Gail Thomas, Professor and Head of the Centre for Excellence in voices-st-georges-hospital/), the account of nursing during
Learning, Bournemouth University, gthomas@bournemouth.ac.uk the Northern Ireland crisis (Manzoor, et al, 2007) and the
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Elizabeth Rosser, Professor of Nursing, Deputy Dean of work of Mitchell and Rafferty (2005), Gates and Moore (2002)
Education and Professional Practice, Faculty of Health and Social and Furness (2002).The MoN project intended to contribute
Sciences, Bournemouth University to this growing body of work and act as an avenue for the
Accepted for publication: January 2017 integration of the past and the future (Church and Johnson
1995: 30).
They completed their training between 1939 and 1978. Eleven coat hangers as subsequent life events hang from them.Their
trained in London, two in Scotland, two in Yorkshire and early years in training also influenced them once qualified,
one in Birmingham. Although all of the participants lived in contributing to their values and approaches to practice.
Bournemouth at the time of the interviews, few practised in One participant had her imagination captured through
the town but had relocated in order to benefit from the Retired hearing stories and seeing photographs as a child:
MoN 4
an environmental level was also part of their training; this quote
Some also remembered particular patients who had made includes both the environmental and ward-based issues:
an impact on them. Some of these were because the clinical
situation was unusual, for example one participant nursed a In PTS [preliminary training school] we
20-year-old man with an aortic aneurysm: went out on trips so they took us to places
like sewage farms, water purification plants, always are, thought they were the bees knees,
so we had to understand the whole sort of you know.
background of health, the whole concept was MoN 16
of understanding what contributed towards The relatively lowly position of student nurses was highlighted:
healthit was hygiene, it was learning also as
Well we were student nurses, we were down
we went on to the wards as a junior nurse that it
here, so it didnt affect us at all, you hardly
was very important for cleanliness and cleaning
ever spoke to a doctor. You were just too busy
and laying the dust. [Putting damp tea leaves on
doing all your routine stuff. When the consultant
the floor to then sweep up all the dust with the
came in, the ward was closed, and you had to
tealeaves]
tippy toe around. You still had to work, but you
MoN 17
mustnt make any noise at all, you mustnt drop
One participant described the anxiety that infection caused
anything or you were terrified, you know?
in the ward setting before antibiotics:
MoN 14
If by any chance you had an infection on
A nurse who trained in London in 1941 described her
your ward and certainly if somebody had had
memories of hierarchy where there was a tremendous reverence
straightforward surgery and by any chance
about doctors who were always called sir and you always
they got a bit of an infection in their wound,
put your hands behind your back when you saw a doctor
well really just about the heavens fell in, it was
(MoN3). She went on to describe how matron was respected
terrible, it was dreadful.
but also feared, especially if you were found to have broken a
MoN 10
thermometer. She developed a creative way of dealing with
Another returned to nursing practice later in her life and this when called to the matrons office:
found things were not always at the same standard as she recalled
I developed a scheme that when I went in,
from her training days, identifying the need for safe practice
knock, knock, knock, come in nurse, you
in terms of hygiene:
know and I used to mentally, as she was
When I returned to nursing I was so haranguing me about my ineffective ways of
surprised with the lack of attention and the dealing with things, I would mentally, I have to
hygiene and even with less respect for the tell you, strip her nude in my imagination and
patient in times such as washing and dressing. plonk her in a bath with five inches of water
MoN 5 as we all only had. And she used to have me
staring at her, not knowing that I was getting
Finally, a participant recalled her first exposure to penicillin:
over this amazing situation in this manner.
Amazingly, when I was up in Durham, the MoN 3
very first penicillin was allowed to be allocated
Hierarchy wasnt only on the wards but existed in the
to our hospital for children. And we had a
arrangements in the dining room:
wonderful paediatrician. It was rare this stuff,
you know I can remember the smell of it, very, The sisters were up one end and the staff
very smelly stuff this penicillin. It was a sort of nurses were in another bit and the PTS [nurses]
goldencolour. were all down the one little bit all huddled up
MoN 3 together so very much a hierarchy.
MoN 10
Capturing these memories of nursing practice in a very
different time provides opportunities to reflect on the changes The status increased as they progressed in their careers but
that have taken place in treatment over the years and to consider the picture painted through the participants words remained
whether or not they have led to improved outcomes. a hierarchical one, aligned to a military approach of command
and control.
Hierarchy
Status and the hierarchy that existed in the NHS was raised in Discussion
a number of interviews. This related to students/staff nurses/ Although this study is not a comparative project, with no
sisters/matrons within the nursing community and between attempt being made to explicitly link the experiences of
doctors and nurses. For example I mean doctors were doctors the participants to those prevalent in contemporary practice,
and nurses were nurses, you know (MoN 8) was a common there are some aspects from the themes that align with
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comment. It is worthy of note that other groups of health modern nursing. These will be discussed under the headings
professionals were largely absent from the discussions. compassion, safe practice and roles and relationships and will
The doctors self-perception of status was described succinctly: identify some of the concepts currently being highlighted in
the nursing literature that have similarities or contrast with
It was a bit different but ... doctors, like doctors earlier times.
and antibiotic resistance, and the challenge for science to produce prescribing drugs, ordering X-rays, referring
creative ways of addressing this, hygiene and safety has changed patients and diagnosingis now also done
from worrying about tea leaves on the floor and damp dusting by many senior nurses who have had extra
to much more sophisticated ways of maintaining safe practice. training.
Kirstin and Monson (2012) defined hospital-acquired Triggle, 2015
As the law does not prescribe which tasks are suitable for
particular healthcare personnel (Scrivener et al, 2011), there KEY POINTS
is much scope for extended practice and, together with this, This article explores the memories of 16 nurses who trained between
perceived higher status. Much basic nursing care is now devolved 1939 and 1978
to care assistants and the nurse is often responsible for overseeing A thematic analysis of the data was undertaken and three emergent
the quality of care rather than delivering it directly. Specialist themes are discussed: defining moments, hygiene and hierarchy
nursing roles, advanced and consultant practitioners have
Points of discussion that consider similarities and differences between
extended the level of responsibility and authority for a section
historic and contemporary practice include compassion, safe practice and
of the nursing workforce, perhaps similar to the status the ward
roles and relationships
sister had in the past. However, the profession seems to have
learned from its mistakes. Senior nurses were promoted away Some of the challenges facing nurses have changed, with, for example, the
from the bedside making it was more difficult to ensure people development of antibiotics and subsequent antibiotic resistance, but many
were cared for kindly and treated with the respect they deserve. aspects of contemporary nursing practice are similar to those remembered
With the introduction of the consultant nurse role in 1999, by the participants
McSherry et al (2005) recognised the groundbreaking move to
return the highest level of clinical nurse to the world of direct in practice both strategically and on the front line, and learn
patient care, for 50% of their role, challenging previous practice. from our predecessors how to uphold a strong commitment
In ideal practice environments, the most senior clinical nurse to safe, high-quality care. BJN
leads from the front, with leadership, education and research as
key dimensions of the role (McSherry et al, 2005). Declaration of interest: none
care delivery to patient groups. There are two essential factors lived experience of a learning disability nurse in the 20th century. Int Hist
Nurs J 7(3): 50-9
of high-quality care that have emerged as areas of concern Gluck S (2011) Has feminist oral history lost its radical/subversive edge? Oral
in the recent past: compassion and basic hygiene. From the History 39(2): 63-72
Hemmings L (1996) Vietnam memories: Australian army nurses, the Vietnam
experience of the participants in this study, health professionals War, and oral history. Nurs Inq 3(3): 138-45
need to remain focused on the drive to maintain compassion Hopton J (1997) Daily life in a 20th century psychiatric hospital: an oral
and understanding of what these conditions are and what they are not,
interventions, the history of autism,
e and understanding of what these
possible causes, diagnostic issues, nursing
and issues that affect children, adolesce
nts and
A practical guide for nurses
adults with these conditions and their
families. A highly practical and accessibl
autism spectrum conditions are covered e text,
possible causes, diagnostic issues, nursing interventions, the history of from a variety of perspectives, both
and outside of a learning disability setting. within
Christopher Barber
autism, and issues that affect children, adolescents and adults with these
About the author
conditions and their families. Christopher Barber is an agency registered nurse who has worked in a variety
A practical guide for nurses
ISBN 1-85642-411-1
9 781856 424110
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