NEW YORK NURSE: October/November 2007
by Joely Johnson
Human society has traditionally valued personal recollections of what has gone before. These stories – known as oral history – may not be written down, but are often found in tribal or community memory. The loss of elders who pass along their experiences, however, places cultural memories at risk of vanishing.
The culture of nursing is no different. Oral histories from longtime RNs are keys to the past that inform future practice, activism, and research – but they must be preserved. The Oral History Program of the Foundation of the New York State Nurses captures the life stories of retired nurses whose careers contribute to the rich history of nursing in New York.
“Nurses have incredible stories to tell,” said Cathryne Welch, staff member at the Foundation. “We are making their tales permanently available as a scholarly resource for nurses and other researchers.”
The archive of interviews already recorded includes military nurses, those who responded to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and retired nurses. “There is the imperative to interview as many people as possible who hold primary source data, but who may not be available for the long term,” said Welch. “Retired nurses fit the bill, as they have a rich knowledge and are no longer practicing.” So far, two retirees have been interviewed.
The Oral History Program is planning ways to recruit and train volunteers to conduct interviews. Ultimately, transcripts and audio files of the interviews will be available for downloading from the Foundation’s website (www.foundationnysnurses. org/oral_history.htm).
For more information or to suggest names of RNs to interview, contact Gertrude Hutchinson, Foundation archivist, at ghutchinson@foundationnysnurses.org.