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Albert Einstein Medical Center School of Nursing records
Notifications
Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Barbara Bates Center for the Study of The History of Nursing [Contact Us]Claire Fagin Hall, 418 Curie Boulevard, Floor 2U, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-4217
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Pennsylvania: Barbara Bates Center for the Study of The History of Nursing. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
The Albert Einstein Medical Center (AEMC) School of Nursing was founded in 1953 upon the consolidation of the nursing schools of Jewish Hospital and Mt. Sinai Hospital. This action was necessitated by the merger, on February 5, 1952, of what were formerly Jewish, Mt. Sinai and Northern Liberties Hospitals. Each of the facilities continued to operate in their original locations as the Northern, Southern, and Eastern divisions, respectively.
Jewish Hospital, whose materials form the bulk of this collection, was established in 1866 as the first hospital for Philadelphia's Jewish population although its services were available "free to the suffering poor of all religions." In 1872, the hospital relocated to larger premises and in 1889 opened home for the aged. The Jewish Hospital Training School opened in 1892. At the time of the 1952 merger it was decided to use a nonsectarian name.
The AEMC School of Nursing was fully accredited and offered students a three year degree program. Most of school's students were drawn from the Pennsylvania region and the school enjoyed among the highest enrollment of area schools. A 1964 report states that the School of Nursing had the area's highest percentage of students of color. Not unlike other schools and hospitals, a close relationship existed between the AEMC and the School of Nursing whereby and the medical center relied heavily on graduates from the school in filling employment positions. In July 1987, the AEMC School of Nursing graduated its last class of students and ceased operations.
The Albert Einstein Medical Center School of Nursing Records consist of materials from the years 1928-1964. The collection provides information on the AEMC School of Nursing from both an internal and external perspective. Administrative files include material such as procedure manuals and directives from the chief nurse to subordinates. These files facilitate an understanding of the everyday operations of the institution. A 1957 catalogue provides an overview of the history of the school, student life, curriculum, tuition, etc. On another level, evaluation studies and reports, generated not only by the school itself but also by external bodies, give insight into the philosophy of the AEMC School of Nursing and its relationship to other organizations of its kind. Comparisons to both area and national schools of nursing serve to indicate the status of and problems in the field at the time. For instance, the report on Schools of Nursing in the North Philadelphia Health Services Study Group makes frequent mention of the "Careers in Nursing" program of the Southeastern Pennsylvania League for Nursing which was meant to attract Philadelphians to the nursing profession, thereby preventing expensive and competitive individual recruitment, but was not meeting the needs of the majority of the schools of nursing. Hence, the materials allow one to survey the AEMC School of Nursing on both a micro and macro level.
Organization
- Albert Einstein Medical Center School of Nursing.
- Jewish Hospital (Philadelphia, Pa.). Training School for Nurses.
- Jewish Hospital (Philadelphia, Pa.).
- Mt. Sinai Hospital (Philadelphia, Pa.).
- Mt. Sinai Hospital Training School for Nurses (Philadelphia, Pa.).
Subject
Place
- Publisher
- University of Pennsylvania: Barbara Bates Center for the Study of The History of Nursing
- Finding Aid Author
- Finding aid prepared by Center staff, updated by Bethany Myers
- Sponsor
- This collection was processed with funds provided by the University of Pennsylvania Research Foundation.
- Access Restrictions
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This collection is unrestricted.
- Use Restrictions
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Copyright restrictions may apply. Please contact the Center with requests for copying and for authorization to publish, quote or reproduce the material.
Collection Inventory
The majority of the materials in this series are procedural. There is contained a comprehensive set of administrative notices sent by chief nurse Jessica E. Urquhart to head nurses and supervisors at Jewish Hospital. Also, master copies of all the forms which student nurses would need to use in the course of their duties and several procedure manuals are available. As for internal evaluation, a June 1961 Progress Report consists of a summary of the factors indicating areas of study and improvement, as determined by a 1959 survey report, and the major developments since 1959 which improved conditions in such areas as instructional personnel, curriculum, and evaluation. Finally, the AEMC School of Nursing Survey Project Report from 1963, which represents the results of a project which attempted to ascertain, through the use of questionnaires, the impetus for students in choosing to attend the AEMC School of Nursing, is included.
The reports in this series are of an evaluative nature and provide information comparing the Albert Einstein Medical Center School of Nursing with other SONs in the area and the country. Locally, a 1964 report on schools of nursing in the North Philadelphia Health Services Study Group, which was developed in response to the perceived crisis in nursing education, provides information on the AEMC School of Nursing as well as Episcopal Hospital, Germantown Hospital, Temple University Hospital, and the Women's Medical College. The report discusses such issues as cost, curriculum, and faculty and concludes with some recommendations. On a national scale, 1928 and 1932 grading reports of the Committee on the Grading of Nursing Schools are contained. The Committee, based in New York City, conducted studies in which 80% of all regularly accredited schools of nursing in the U.S. participated. The agenda of the committee, which was made up of 21 members representing various professional and academic organizations, was to study the ways and means for insuring an ample supply of nursing service, of whatever type and quality was needed for adequate care of the patient, at a price within reach. The studies were based on monthly report forms sent to each school taking part in the self-survey. Thus, with the information provided in this series, the AEMC School of Nursing can be evaluated in relation to other like institutions.