Frontier nursing in Appalachia : history, organization and the changing culture of care

This book provides a historical analysis of the Frontier Nursing Services in the Eastern Appalachians of the United States, as well as a review of the oral history tradition of former frontier and non-frontier nurses. The data was gathered from 2003 to 2007, and the historical part covers the years 1900 to 1970. The objective of the study presented here was to conduct interviews with former frontier and non-frontier nurses in order to better understand their family and personal relationships, and the experiences that motivated their career choices. These interviews also give a voice to the working and middle-class women of the FNS. The emerging themes include moral inhabitability in work/education environments, the generational mix, nurse-physician and male-female relationships at the workplace, the role of technology, humanitarian versus financial rewards, and the public image of nurses. In addition, the book examines how the FNS shifted from a community/grass-roots structure to the corporate/business model of healthcare delivery employed today. In closing, it stresses the importance of explorig past nursing in order to better grasp present nursing. It also represents a testament to the professional work and vital contributions of frontier nurses. -- Provided by publisher Front Matter ....Pages i-xv Background and Introduction (Edie West)....Pages 1-14 Rights and Claims: Culture and Communication in Appalachia (Edie West)....Pages 15-38 Place and Claims: Cultural and Communication in Appalachia (Edie West)....Pages 39-52 Centralized Versus Decentralized Structures in Appalachia (Edie West)....Pages 53-82 Moral Inhabitability and Work Environments (Edie West)....Pages 83-110 Gender and Role Assignments in the Institutional Hierarchy (Edie West)....Pages 111-130 Moral Inhabitability and Educational Environments (Edie West)....Pages 131-163 Recruitment, Retention and Morally Inhabitable Environments (Edie West)....Pages 165-182 Cultural Identity, Public Image and Frontier Nursing (Edie West)....Pages 183-202 Conclusions (Edie West)....Pages 203-209 Back Matter ....Pages 211-234