Running Head: LITERATURE REVIEW

Literature Review: Nursing History in the Border City

Alejandra Trevizo
University of Texas at El Paso

LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract
The world is full nurses, nursing students and those who wish to become a nurse someday.
However, few people are interested in how nursing ever came to be such an extensive career.
The following literature review will tell a brief history of nursing and how it has changed
throughout time. Not only that but it will also include history over the School of Nursing at the
University of Texas at El Paso. It will provided valuable and scholarly research to inform its
audience.

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Many people see nursing as the finest of art, an art that helps accomplish goals for those
who love to help others and in some cases save lives. The history of nursing is traced all the way
back to ancient tribes, where women would focus on becoming caretakers and look after others.
Needless to say, nursing has advanced, progressed and changed many lives along the road.
During the 1900s, many people realized that caregivers were in need and many women
felt a calling for helping others, therefore, Universities began to develop programs. Programs
where students who had a wish to help others could follow their dream of becoming nurses. The
University of Texas at El Paso has its own nursing program at the College of Nursing. It provides
the pathway for many students who are searching and trying to achieve in becoming nurses. For
those who wish to follow the nursing path, are required to follow certain requirements and
regulations that need to be accomplished. The questions below will provide information
regarding the topics being discussed and researched.
1. What are some significant key points in the history of nursing?
2. How has the nursing field changed from the 20th century to now?
3. When, who and how did the nursing program at UTEP first begin? How did it progress
from when it first opened to now? And how are they improving it today?
The succeeding review on literature will help understand and grasp the history of nursing. As
well as go more into detail about how the nursing program provided at University of Texas at El
Paso.

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What are some significant key points in the history of nursing?

It is not certain for sure when nursing first started. However, before modern nursing
ever came into play, women had adopted certain caregiving tasks. Such as looking after the
ailing, helping those with wounds, and using certain techniques to cure the sick. According to
Karen J. Egenes the author of History of Nursing, since women were already seen as
caregivers to their children they were illustrated as to take care of the ill. At this time, when
women had no proper guidance as to how to clean and close a wound or anything or that sort.
The earliest nurses learned their art through oral traditions passed from generation to
generation, explains Egenes (p. 2). They would watch others and then try it themselves, if failed
then they would try again and again until achieving results. Those who seemed to prevail in the
field, would become known to others and asked for their service. This is of the earliest evidence
that has been obtained about the origins of nursing.
Florence Nightingale made a huge impact in the health field and completely changed the
angle of nursing with her achievements. Nightingale was born in May 12, 1820 in Florence,
Italy. She died August 13, 1910. She had served as a nurse during the Crimean War and would
attend the wounded soldiers. During the Crimean War, Nightingale had changed everything by
looking for improvements and progress in the nursing field. According to Warren Jr.
Winkelstein, the author of Florence Nightingale: Founder of Modern Nursing and Hospital
Epidemiology, is accredited as the patron of modern nursing for her many contributions to the
health care field. When asked to care for patients at a Turkey hospital arrived open minded and
willing to help others no matter what the case was. It was said that during her arrival at the
hospital, the mortality rate was about 32%, however, within 6 months of having her help and
with her advancements the rate decreased to about 2%.

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As stated above, Nightingale expanded the role of nurses and opened new pathways for
those who wished to become nurses. In the book History of Nursing, written by Josephine A.
Dolan, it is stated that with hard work and dedication Florence Nightingale accomplished a
monumental achievement. She opened the worlds first school of nursing at St. Thomas Hospital
in London on July 9, 1860. Years later, as others watched her succeed many realized that with
devotion and commitment anything can be accomplished. With certain circumstances focusing
on the great significance of nursing such as the Crimean War, the educational endeavors of
Florence Nightingale, and the Civil War changed peoples perspectives by focusing on the
necessity for nurses and on the importance of an education system in which to prepare them
(pg. 256). However, it is well known that during this time of history, men were in powered. At
the beginning of her succession, Nightingale was not respected by everyone. According to the
Nursing History Review written by Patricia DAntonio, men were not happy with the idea that
Nightingale was a women who was leading the world to a new era. DAntonio stated that many
of those men who disapproved of Nightingales success were full of jealousy.

The innovation of health caregivers began with a great step towards a more productive
field of nursing. In 1903, North Carolina was the first state that passed a law requiring nurses to

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get licensed in order to practice nursing, this was a great step toward advancement. Above is a
news article from the Raleigh News and Observer from 1903, and it is explaining the riot and
major change that occurred as soon as the law was passed. This was only the beginning, by
1931, all of the states in the union had some measure of legal protection for nurses, states Sister
Charles Marie Frank. She also explains how by 1906 most several states had chosen nurse
inspectors for nursing training schools. New York had been the first state to approach an
inspector by the name of Miss Anna Alline. Sister Frank describes that the most significant step
that was taken in the education system was the Standard Curriculum by the N.L.N.E. in 1917.

How has the nursing field changed from the 20th century to now?
The evolution of nursing has been through many advancements, adjustments, and
alterations. Not only has the field of nursing changed in the way nursing is practiced, in the way
nurses are required to dress, or in the way that nursing schools have regulated rules in order to be
accepted into nursing programs. Yet, the mindset of nursing students has not changed much.
Sister Charles Marie Frank states in her book, The Historical Development of Nursing, that
during 19th century students would focus on one thing and one thing only, and that was to help
the ones in need. Students in the 21st century still have that same mentality, the students majoring
in nursing now did not just wake up one morning knowing they wanted to become a nurse. They
were born with a certain care for others and love for life.
Stephanie Ruvalcaba, a current nursing student at UTEP, was asked a question to which
she provided a brief but informative response (personal communication, December 4, 2014). She
was asked the following question How do you believe the nursing field has changed over time,

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from the 20th century to now? She began by explaining her thoughts on how the idea of nursing
has evolved, of what nursing was in the past and the idea of nursing today. She stated in the 20th
century the idea of nursing was that women were forced to become caregivers, because they have
that motherly instinct. Women were not really given an option to choose between becoming a
nurse or something else. Ruvalcaba, then explained how now, in the 21st century, both females
and males are engaging in nursing because they have the option to. Not only that, but Stephanie
Ruvalcaba also discussed two fairly important and obvious factors, education and technology,
that are examined below.
Education is a major factor in the difference between nurses back in the 1900s to now. By
the beginning of 1900 nurses were asked to have certain qualities to become a nurse both
personal and professional qualities as stated in Evolution of Nursing Professional
Organizations, written by Sue Thomas Hegyvary and her colleagues. They would base their
acceptance on how well they handled hands-on practice, and how well they had been in doing
in past educational circumstances. Now a days, nursing programs are requiring a lot more from
students. Nursing students need to have a certain grade point average, pass a certification exam,
and acquire high grades for certain classes. Once accepted into the program students need to
focus on several classes that are not very easy and try to keep good grades along the way. The
UTEP nursing website may provide a perspective on how different the education system of
nursing programs was from back in the 20th century to now, the 21st century.
Technology is a fairly new addition to the medical field. Before technology devices ever
came into the world, nurses would have to take vitals, check pulses and check temperature by
hand. Now, nurses have the option of using devices that can do their work for them. Nahm
(1965) discusses the factor of technology in the nursing field. It includes different angles of how

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technology has affected the world of nursing. Many people may not think about how easy they
have it now, being that there is technology to make their life easier. When nurses back then
would have to do a lot, without the help of a device. Yet, J. Blanche (2010) in his article
Nursing 50 Years back and today: How the nursing field has changed over the last 50 years,
explains how with the introduction of technology many nurses would rather avoid using
technology. They believed that technological devices were not trust worthy and not safe to use.
With technology advancing more and more, they had no choice but to accommodate to it and
years later nurses started to realize that it would reduce their work.

When, who and how did the nursing program at UTEP first begin? How did it progress
from when it first opened to now? And how are they improving it today?
The University of Texas at El Paso first opened its doors in 1914. However, UTEPs
nursing program goes all they way back to the 1890s. According to Dayle Sharps video clip A
Brief History of the University of Texas at El Pasos College of Nursing, the nursing program
was started by the Sisters of Charity, a group of nuns, who arrived at El Paso in September 3,
1892. This group of nuns established a nursing program right next to the building, Hotel Dieu.

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Hotel Diue completed in 1894

The Hotel Dieu was used by the nursing students to get hands on training and apply their
skills on real people. In the Sister Aloysius Williams papers, it provides details about the Hotel
Dieu during its establishment. A pamphlet that was used to inform students about the nursing
program, found in the Sister Aloysius papers, stated that the hotel was modern in every
respect, and the halls are large and commodious, and the rooms high-pitched and well
ventilated. It is built of brick with brown stone trimmings, and its thick walls tend to make the
indoor temperature more uniform, both in summer and winter. By 1894, the Sister believed that
the hotel was in need of some progress because both the patients and the students were in need of
more space. Consequently, Hotel Dieu had been remodeled, as seen above, to accommodate
more eager nursing students and patients. It now included an ICU and a Pediatrics Department.
At this time, the Sisters of Charity had maintained to provide training for nursing students as
well as assisting patients. In her video, Dayle Sharp described how the hotel continued to run
steady for years up until 1971. In 1971 the nursing program committee had decided to combine
with the University of Texas System. Only five years later, and the nursing program became the
University of Texas at El Pasos College of Nursing.

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The University of Texas at El Paso has more than 200 students who apply to the nursing
program each semester, however, only less than half of those students get accepted. According to
the Dean of UTEP Nursing School, Elias Provencio-Vasquez, 90 out of 200 or 250 students get
accepted by the nursing program (2011). While the rest, the 110 or 160 that were not given an
opportunity to prove themselves, have to figure out what else they could do. In an interview,
Provencio-Vasquez stated that it is the School of Nursings goal to increase their enrollment
rate by 10 to 20 students a year for the next couple of years.
Conclusion
Nurses have evolved since the beginning of time, and they will keep to change as time
passes and as the world advances. Although, it is not certain when nursing first began it is certain
that nurses have changed the medical field and saved many lives. Not only that, but nurses have
given people a chance to follow their dreams and help those in need. With the development of
nursing programs such as the one provided at the University of Texas at El Paso, students will
keep following the path of nursing and keep modifying the beautiful field it is.

References

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[Nursing clinical practice] (1970). . St. Philip's College, San Antonio, Texas.: University of North Texas
Libraries.

Blanche, J. (2010). Nursing 50 years back and today: How the nursing field has changed over the last
50 years.

Bolton, M. (1923). Dawn of new era in nursing education. The American Journal of Nursing, 23(9),
735-738. Retrieved from http://0-www.jstor.org.lib.utep.edu/stable/3407533

Corona, D. F. (1979). The American Journal of Nursing, 79(7), p. 1321. Retrieved from http://0www.jstor.org.lib.utep.edu/stable/3424591

Dayle Sharp (Producer), & Sharp, D. (Director). (2013).[Video/DVD] El Paso, Tx:

The University of Texas at El Paso. (2014). UTEP school of nursing. Retrieved

from http://nursing.utep.edu/

Dolan, J. A. (1963). The ninetheenth century (continued). History of nursing (11th ed., pp. 246) W.B.
Saunders Company.

Egenes, K. J.History of nursing Jones and Bartlett Publishers, LLC.

Frank, C. M. (1952). The historical development of nursing: Emphasizing the culture background of
the race and the influence of philosophy and religion on the healing arts

Gray, R. (2011). Elias provencio-vasquez

dean, UTEP nursing school. El Paso Inc.

Hegyvary, Sue T and Duxbury Mitzi L. (1987). Evolution of nursing professional

organizations American Academy of Nursing.

Kolin, P. C. (1973). The language of nursing. American Speech, 48(3/4), 192-210. Retrieved
from http://0-www.jstor.org.lib.utep.edu/stable/3087828

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McMurry College. (1957). (5th ed.) McMurry University Library.

Nahm, H. (1965). Nursing dimensions and realities. The American Journal of Nursing, 65(6), 96-98.
Retrieved from http://0-www.jstor.org.lib.utep.edu/stable/3453176

News about nursing. (1953). The American Journal of Nursing, 53(4), 472-476+478+480-487.
Retrieved from http://0-www.jstor.org.lib.utep.edu/stable/3459685

North carolina the first state to require trained nurses to be licensed. (1903, ). Raleigh News and
Observer

Winkelstein, W. J. (2009). Florence nightingale: Founder of modern nursing and hospital

epidemiology.20(2)

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