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ABOUT THIS BOOK…
We chose ‘charting’ for the title because that is how nurse’s document what they do…charting! Not much remains from the records of early Idaho nursing. By reading minutes, looking through old newspapers, visiting historical societies and listening to the stories of retired nurses, we were able to put together a story that chronicles how it all happened for nurses in Idaho.
We learned lessons about nurses. In 1909, only a few committed nurses established a professional organization in Idaho, and in 2009 only a committed few are sustaining it.
Nurses started hospitals, schools of nursing, public health departments, school nursing, and responded to natural disasters, epidemics, wars and shortages. At the end of the day, they were wives and mothers and sometimes husbands and fathers, who left legacies that sustained nursing for decades.
A limited number of books is being printed. ORDER YOURS TODAY!
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This new book, due to be published in November 2009, is the only book telling Idaho’s nursing history from the beginning. Starting in the early 1800s, when Native American Indians shared traditional remedies with fur traders, through the population shift from mining communities in northern Idaho to farming communities in southern Idaho, nurses provided care; often alone and with limited supplies. When enough people lived in Idaho to require hospitals, nurses arrived, nursing schools started and the professional organization formed. Trace nursing’s remarkable contributions to healthcare in Idaho from the 1800s to 2009.
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Cover art by Vicky Goettsche, MBA, RN, depicts the nurse’s hands holding the traditional nurse’s lamp in front of the Idaho map silhouette.
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Charting Idaho Nursing History traces the roots of Idaho Nursing from the 1800s to 2009. Verlene Kaiser and Randall Hudspeth, both nurse practitioners, researched and collected this history over many years.
While the book is non-fiction, care was taken to make the history come alive. To accomplish this, many nurses shared their nursing experiences.
Collectively, the nurses’ stories, both RN and LPN, bring to life the changes that happened as nurses made contributions over the course of the twentieth century. Some of these changes are a result of national influences, while other changes happened in Idaho first.
Together, we created a book that informs as well as entertains. Our ultimate goal is to preserve Idaho’s rich nursing history.
Enjoy!