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United States National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health

Finding Aid to the Indian Schools of Practical Nursing Collection, 1936-1998 (bulk 1954-1971)

TABLE OF CONTENTS


Descriptive Summary

Historical Note

Collection Summary

Index Terms

Administrative Information

Restrictions

Series Descriptions

Series I: Kiowa School (Lawton, Oklahoma), 1936-1974

Series II: Albuquerque School, 1956-1998

Series III: Mt. Edgecumbe School (Alaska), 1951-1961

Series IV: Photographs, 1943-1971


Archives and Modern Manuscripts Program, History of Medicine Division

Processed by Lloyd S. Williams (History Associates, Inc.); Processing Completed August 2006; Encoded by Lloyd S. Williams



Descriptive Summary

Collection Number:MS C 568
Creator:Indian School of Practical Nursing
Title:Indian Schools of Practical Nursing Collection
Dates:1936-1998 (bulk 1954-1971)
Quantity:1.25 linear feet (1 box)
Abstract:Collection highlights the history of the program. Beginning in Oklahoma in 1935, the program prepared women of Native American decent to become licensed practical nurses.

Historical Note

The Kiowa Nurse Aide School, located in Lawton, Oklahoma, opened in 1935. Miss Martha E. Keaton served as the schools first director and remained in that position until the late 1940s. The first studentss in the program, eleven in total, graduated in 1936. In 1951, the school changed its name to the Kiowa School of Practical Nursing and was approved by the National Association of Practical Nurse Education. The program moved from Oklahoma to Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1955 and changed its name to the Indian School of Practical Nursing.

The mission of the program was to train and educate young women to become licensed practical nurses. In order to enter the program, women had to meet a few requirements, including: having at least a quarter degree of Native American blood, graduated from high school or having passed the equivalency, and be between the ages of 18-50. A 1968 report further stated that women also had to: provide a birth certificate, make arrangements for any children under their care, and sign a two-year contract to work in a federally run hospital upon graduating.

Students admitted into the program were required to live in resident quarters on the campus. Curfews were placed on students as well. The only days which students could either have guests over or go out were Friday-Sunday. Tuition, books, room and board, uniforms, and laundry were provide free of charge for the students. Students also received a stipend each month, part of which was placed into a savings fund and given to them upon graduating. During the program, vacation timed was earned. Once the student graduated, she was given three weeks of vacation, with pay, prior to starting her first assignment. The year long program was divided into three sections: an orientation period (1 week), pre-clinical training (16 weeks), and clinical (32 weeks).

In addition to the school in Albuquerque, another school was established in Alaska. The Mt. Edgecumbe Indian School of Practical Nursing was established in 1952. Unfortunately, the school was not as successful as the original and closed in June of 1961 due to low enrollment numbers. The Albuquerque school remained in operation until 1974.

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Collection Summary

Administrative material, reports, surveys, photographs, and brochures (1936-1998; bulk 1954-1971) document the history of the Indian School of Practical Nursing. Series I: Subject Files contains administrative material, reports, surveys, correspondence, brochures, clippings, graduation programs, newsletters, and papers. Material in the series highlights the history of the program. Series II: Photographs contains both negatives and prints. These images document the history of the program through the images of the students, staff and personnel, events, and the class work and clinical training.

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Restrictions

Restrictions

Collection is not restricted. Contact the Reference Staff for information regarding access. For online customer service, please visit custserv@nlm.nih.gov.

Copyright

Copyright was transferred to the public domain. Contact the Reference Staff for details regarding rights. For online customer service, please visit custserv@nlm.nih.gov.

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Index Terms

These terms are indexed in the National Library of Medicine's online catalog LocatorPlus. Researchers wishing to find related materials should search the catalog using these terms.
MeSH Subjects
Indians, North American
Nursing, Practical
Personal Names
Keaton, Martha E.
Geographic Names
Alaska
New Mexico
Oklahoma

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Indian School of Practical Nursing. Indian Schools of Practical Nursing Collection. 1936-1998 (bulk 1954-1971). Located in: Modern Manuscripts Collection, History of Medicine Division, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD; MS C 568.

Provenance

Gift, through PHS Historian's Office, Acc. #2000-013.

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Series Descriptions

 

Series I: Kiowa School (Lawton, Oklahoma), 1936-1974

BoxFolder
11 History, 1954; 1960; 1968-1970; 1974
12 Students, 1936-1956
13 Operations, 1936; 1948; 1954-1958

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Series II: Albuquerque School, 1956-1998

BoxFolder
14 Record of Graduation Programs, classes 24-34, 1957; 1966; 1970
15-6 Classes 40-50 (photographs), 1961-1970
17 Students, 1957
18 25th Graduation Ceremony (film),
19 Brochures, 1965-1971
110 Report, 1972
111 Operations, 1973-1976
112 Correspondence, 1998
113 Clippings, 1956-1968

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Series III: Mt. Edgecumbe School (Alaska), 1951-1961

BoxFolder
114 Practical Nursing School, Accreditation, 1953-1961
115 Practical Nursing School, Affiliation, 1955-1956
116 Practical Nursing School, Move to Anchorage, 1957-1959
117 Practical Nursing School, Review of, 1961
118 Practical Nursing School, Staff & Personnel, 1955
119 Practical Nursing School, Enrollment, 1955-1959
120 Practical Nursing School, Students, 1956-1961
121 Budget & Operations, 1951-1961
122 Correspondence, 1957
123 Proceedings of the Institute on Practical Nurse Education, 1958
124 Report, Survey of School, 1953
125 Report, Resurvey of School, 1955; 1958
126 Monthly Reports, 1954-1961
127 Director's Reports, 1956-1957
128 Activity Report, 1959
129 Annual Report, 1960
130 General Reports, 1953-1959
131 Brochure & Articles, 1958

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Series IV: Photographs, 1943-1971

BoxFolder
131 Kiowa (10 images), 1943-1957
133-38 Albuquerque (113 images), 1958-1971
139 Albuquerque (negative), 1950
140 Mt. Edgecumbe, classes 8-12 (album pages; 28 images), [ca.1950s]
141 Mt. Edgecumbe, classes 4; 7-8; 15-16 (38 images), [ca.1950s]; 1959
142 Mt. Edgecumbe, classes 1-4; 7-8; 12-13 (negatives & prints; 49 images), [ca.1950s]
143-44 Mt. Edgecumbe, classes 1-13 (negatives; 95 images), [ca.1950s]
145 Large Table Display (7 images), [undated]
146 Oversized Table Display (5 images), [undated]

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Last reviewed: 01 November 2006
Last updated: 01 November 2006
First published: 11 August 2006
Metadata| Permanence level: Permanent: Dynamic Content