NURSING THEORIES

BY:

LIZA B. WAYAS
NURSING THEORY ACCORDING TO

Ernestine Wiedenbach
1900-1996
"My thesis is that nursing
art is not comprised of
rational nor reactionary
actions but rather of
deliberative action."
Wiedenbach, 1964
Introduction/Overview
- Ernestine Wiedenbach was an early nursing leader who is
probably best known for her work in theory development and
maternal infant nursing.  She wrote with Dickoff and James, a
classic article on theory in a practice discipline that is still
used today when studying the evolution of nursing theory. 
Ms. Wiedenbach was born into an affluent family in 1900 and
was brought up in a refined and gentile manor.  Her family
immigrated from Germany when she was a young child and
her interest in nursing began while watching the care of her
sickly grandmother. Later she enjoyed hearing her sister's
friend who was a medical student, accounts of his experiences
in the hospital setting. Wiedenbach was so impressed with the
role of nurses that after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in
liberal arts from Wellesley College in 1922, she enrolled in
nursing school much to the dismay of her parents.
According to Nickel, Gesse and MacLaren, 1992,
Wiedenbach first entered Post-Graduate Hospital
School of Nursing but after an "encounter with the
school's administration" where she was the
spokesperson for a student groups grievances, she was
expelled.   Adelaide Nutting, a Johns Hopkins alumna,
intervened on her behalf and contacted Elsie Lawler,
Director of the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing who
allowed Wiedenbach to continue her nursing studies. 
Ms. Wiedenbach credits Nutting for the ability to
become a nurse.  Ms. Wiedenbach, however, had to
agree that she would not under any circumstances, try
to organize or encourage dissent among the Hopkins
nursing students.  She complied with all the rules of the
nursing program at that time when even "bobbing"
one's hair was grounds for dismissal.
Wiedenbach left clinical nursing and
worked as a professional writer with the
Nursing Information Bureau (NIB) for the
American Journal of Nursing.  She
developed her writing ability and made
many important professional contacts. 
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Ms.
Wiedenbach worked through the NIB to
prepare nurses to enter World War II.  A
minor heart ailment prevented
Wiedenbach from serving oversees during
the war.
After the war, Wiedenbach stated that she wished to
return to patient care and the director of the
Maternity Center Association of New York, Hazel
Corbin, persuaded her to enroll in the School for
Midwives at the age of 45. After graduating,
Wiedenbach practiced as a nurse-midwife at the
Maternity Center Association and taught evening
courses at Teachers College in advanced maternity
nursing.  Ms. Wiedenbach stated that her favorite
part of the practice of midwifery was attendance in
home deliveries. 
In 1952, Wiedenbach was appointed to the faculty of
Yale University School of Nursing where she became
the director of graduate programs in maternal-
newborn health nursing, which began in 1956.  She
recalled that she did not accept her position with the
intent of establishing a nurse midwifery program,
however, she did lobby for the inclusion of midwifery
when Yale started it's graduate programs.  In 1958
she wrote a nursing classic, Family-Centered
Maternity Nursing, a comprehensive text on
obstetrical nursing.
Wiedenbach taught with Ida Orlando at Yale and
collaborated with Patricia James and William
Dickoff about nursing and philosophy.  Ernestine
Wiedenbach’s model of clinical nursing was
developed on the basis of her years of knowledge in
the clinical and teaching setting as well as her
professional contacts. According to Wiedenbach
there are four elements to clinical nursing: (1)
philosophy, (2) purpose, (3) practice, and (4) art.
Ernestine Wiedenbach has many books and articles in
publication . Some of her works are Wiedenbach, E.
(1958). Family-centered maternity nursing, New York: G.
P. Putnam’s Sons. Wiedenbach, E. (1964). Clinical
nursing: A helping art. New York: Springer.  The article
written by Nickel, Gesse and MacLaren in 1992 in the
Journal of Nurse-Midwifery is excellent and served as a
reference for many of the personal facts presented on the
web site.  The reading of their article is a must for anyone
studying the influence of Ernestine Wiedenbach.  A series
of audio tapes and interviews with Ms. Wiedenbach serve
as the basis for the article entitled "Ernestine
Wiedenbach: Her Professional Legacy". 
Miss Wiedenbach retired in 1966.  She never married and
died at the age of 97 on March 8, 1998. 
THANK YOU