Why History Matters Historically-informed Nursing Practice and the Untapped Potential of Nursing History American Association for the History of Nursing Sonya Grypma, RN PhD Dean and Professor Trinity Western University © Copyright © 2013 American Association for the History of Nursing

Historically-informed nursing HISTORY as pedagogy Shapes identity Shapes thinking Provides safe space to explore sensitive topics HISTORY as evidence Bears witness Gives voice Dispels myths HISTORY as explanation Provides context Explains the present Provides a way to look forward Photo credit: Mercy Hospital nurse, Mercy Hospital, Philadelphia., c Courtesy of the Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing. AAMDH, MC78, BX22, 34 Copyright © 2013 American Association for the History of Nursing

History as pedagogy Shapes identity Shapes our self definition & relationship to community. Corfield, 2008 Corfield, 2008 Even if one is unaware of the historical details, the gestalt has been shaped by that history. Nelson, 2009 Nelson, 2009 Shapes thinking Teaches us to resist first-draft thinking and the flimsy conclusions that are its fruits. Wineberg, in Toman & Thifault, 2012Toman & Thifault, 2012 Not just thinking about the past, but seeing oneself as an inheritor of the legacies of the past and a maker of the future. Balances current prioritization of science & statistics over the humanities. D'Antonio & Fairman, 2010 D'Antonio & Fairman, 2010 Provides safe space to explore sensitive topics Good history challenges our assumptions about our contemporary selves by seeing ourselves and practice as a more complex and multiple story. Some of the stories are noble and inspiring, others are the skeletons in the cupboard. Nelson, 2009 Nelson, 2009 Photo credit: Visiting Nurse with young boy. Community Nursing Services of Philadelphia, c Courtesy of the Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing. VNSoP, MC5, BX43, 55 Copyright © 2013 American Association for the History of Nursing

History as evidence Bears witness To key events, moments, shifts. It is important to know that atrocities happened; to feel the pain and helplessness of the world community when it has failed [in its responsibility to humanity]. Nelson, 2009 Nelson, 2009 Gives voice Much scholarly energy in nursing history comes from women’s and gender studies. Nursing stories are the way in which women become written into a national narrative. Nelson, 2009 Nelson, 2009 Our success will depend on our ability to give voice to an historical perspective that places nurses and nursing at the center of long-standing debates about health services delivery, knowledge formation, patient safety, technology, and education for practice. D'Antonio & Fairman, 2010 D'Antonio & Fairman, 2010 Dispels myths Critiques notion that history produces better citizens by acquainting them with the ‘right’ past. Tosh, 2008b Tosh, 2008b Photo credit: Nurse with soldier in Vietnam, c MASK collection. Courtesy of the Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing. scan0010 Copyright © 2013 American Association for the History of Nursing

History as explanation Provides context Basis for informed & critical understanding of our society. Tosh, 2008a Tosh, 2008 Historical perspectives facilitate sharper reflection on the current system and clearer understanding of key stakeholders within and beyond it. Davey, 2012 Davey, 2012 Explains the present What happens in the present is not an accident. It has a past. (Lynaugh in D'Antonio & Fairman, 2010)D'Antonio & Fairman, 2010 History serves as an overarching conceptual framework that allows us to more fully understanding the disparate meanings of nursing and the different experiences of nurses. D'Antonio, 2003 D'Antonio, 2003 Archival work brings a profound sense of déjà vu in nursing for the historian. Nelson, 2009 Nelson, 2009 Provides a way to look forward Historical amnesia is dangerous. Memory is necessary – we need to know who were are if we have any hope of knowing where we are going. Nelson, 2009 Nelson, 2009 Photo credit: Nurse with premature infant, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Courtesy of the Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing. HUPSoN, MC94A, BX1, 17 Copyright © 2013 American Association for the History of Nursing

References Corfield, P.J. (2008). All people are living histories: Which is why history matters. Making History. Retrieved from: s.html s.html D’Antonio, P. (2003). Editor’s Note. Nursing History Review,11, 1. D’Antonio, P. & Fairman, J. (2010). Guest editorial: History matters. Nursing Outlook, 58(2), Davey, E. (2012). New players through old lenses: Why history matters in engaging with Southern actors. Humanitarian Policy Group Brief,48, 1-4. Retrieved from assets/publications-opinion-files/7726.pdfhttp:// assets/publications-opinion-files/7726.pdf Nelson, S. (2009). Historical amnesia and its consequences: The need to build histories of practice. Texto Contexto Enferm, Florianópolis, 18(4), Toman, C. & Thifault, M.C. (2012). Historical Thinking and the Shaping of Nursing Identity. Nursing History Review, 20, Tosh, J. (2008a). Why History Matters. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Tosh, J. (2008b). Why history matters. History & Policy. From speech at Birkbeck College, London, 28 May Retrieved from: Copyright © 2013 American Association for the History of Nursing

Presentation Created and Designed by: Sonya Grypma, RN PhD Dean and Professor Trinity Western University All photos provided by the Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing. All rights reserved. © Copyright © 2013 American Association for the History of Nursing