IOWA WOMEN’S ARCHIVES
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA LIBRARIES
IOWA CITY, IOWA
IOWA NURSES ASSOCIATION
RECORDS 1904-1989
83 linear feet and
audiovisual material
|
ACQUISITION: |
The records (donor no. 24) were donated by the
Iowa Nurses Association in 1975, and in periodic accessions thereafter. |
|
ACCESS: |
The records
are open for research. |
|
AUDIOVISUAL: |
Forty-three audiocassettes shelved in the
audiocassette collection (AC014-AC054, AC066, AC192. |
|
COPYRIGHT: |
Copyright has been transferred to the University
of Iowa. |
|
PHOTOGRAPHS: |
In boxes 78, 79, 82. |
|
PROCESSED BY: |
Bridget M. Butler, 1993 and Special Collections staff. |
History
The Iowa Nurses Association
was founded in Des Moines in January 1904 as a state unit of the American
Nurses Association. Both national and
state associations formed primarily out of an existing network of nurse alumnae
associations. The association was first
known as the Iowa State Association of Graduate Nurses. The first objective of the national and
state organizations was to effect legislation standardizing nurse education and
establishing a board which would oversee educational standards and register
graduate nurses (hence, the title Registered Nurse). In 1909 the association was renamed the Iowa State Association of
Registered Nurses (ISARN) to reflect its members' new professional status. In the late 1940s or early 1950s, the name
again changed to the Iowa State Nurses Association (ISNA). At the 1956 convention, the association
adopted its current name, Iowa Nurses Association (INA).
The overall purpose of the association has been to
promote and improve the professional skills and status of nurses. Some of the continuing activities of the INA
have included efforts to provide insurance and death or disability income for
its members; collective bargaining to improve pay, benefits, hours, and working
conditions for nurses; continuing education workshops and professional conferences;
promotion of research and scholarly writing among its members; and encouraging
young women to enter the profession through promotion and scholarships.
As a female dominated profession, the Iowa Nurses
Association has also addressed women's issues, even when they were not widely
considered. In 1964, for example, as
part of her keynote address at the INA Convention, Barbara Schutt, an officer
of the ANA, stated:
It seems to me that our greatest deterrent to
effective action within nursing is our lack of self-esteem which is often
necessary for the courage to act. Part
of this is because we are women...; part of this is because we have allowed
ourselves and others to think of nursing as a subsidiary of medicine; part
because we continue to encourage paternalism, authoritarianism, and a
hierarchical structure....
Following
the Second World War, when returning servicemen trained as nurses began to
enter the profession in large numbers, the Iowa Nurses Association made efforts
to include and consider men in their professional association. The INA was also influential in encouraging
Iowa Nursing Schools to admit men to their programs.
The Economic Security Committee,
later known as the Professional Security Committee, then the Economic and
General Welfare Committee, has been involved in efforts to improve the working
conditions, pay, and benefits for Iowa Nurses.
The INA is not a union but does represent nurses in collective
bargaining and grievance proceedings with hospitals, nursing homes, visiting
nurse associations, and other employers.
In 1951 the National Association of Colored Graduate
Nurses (NACGN) merged with the American Nurses Association, as did each
association's state affiliates. In Iowa
this merger seemed to have happened smoothly and African-American nurses
apparently were accepted as equal professionals within the association. None ran for office in the 1950s but several
African-American nurses served on committees and task forces during those years.
The Iowa Nurses Association has been involved with
many organizations related to nursing and the health professions since its very
early years. The INA was responsible
for advocating the formation of the state Board of Nurse Examiners (later the
Board of Nursing), and continued to demand input in decisions regarding the
board, including the selection of members.
The association's members were responsible for establishing the Iowa
branch of the American Red Cross in 1911.
Nurse recruitment for service in the First and Second World Wars, as
well as later recruiting for Armed Services Nurses, has been the responsibility
of the INA. In 1914 the Iowa State
League of Nursing Education was organized in Dubuque as an affiliate of the
National League for Nursing Education, which was founded in 1893. The INA has always participated in the
organization and governance of the League, which was especially active in
recruiting young women to enter nursing schools as Cadet Nurses during the
Second World War to meet both armed service and public health nursing
shortages.
In 1952, the National League for Nursing Education,
the National Organization for Public Health Nursing (founded 1912), the
Association of Collegiate Schools of Nursing (founded 1933), the Joint
Committee on Practical Nursing and Auxiliary Workers in Nursing Service
(founded in 1945), the National Committee for the Improvement of Nursing
Service (founded in 1949), and the National Nursing Accreditation Service
(founded in 1949) merged to form the National League for Nursing (NLN). The Iowa affiliates of these organizations
were similarly merged to form the Iowa League for Nursing (ILN), later known as
the Iowa Citizens League for Nursing (ICLN).
INA members have been active in the above organizations, and the INA and
ILN have maintained a close professional association and a standing Joint
Coordinating Council.
In
1949, after several years of effort by the INA, the Iowa Legislature passed a
bill providing for licenser of practical nurses, thus recognizing the distinctive
training, tasks, and title of Licensed Practical Nurse. In 1950 the Licensed Practical Nurses
Association of Iowa (LPNAI), an affiliate of the National Association for
Practical Nurse Education, was formed with the support and encouragement of the
Iowa Nurses Association and with much the same purposes and goals as its sister
association. The two associations have
worked closely together for the improvement of nursing in Iowa.
Various
offices of the Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) around the state have been
operating for most of the century and the Iowa Nurses Association has worked
with local VNAs in providing service.
The INA has also cooperated closely with the Iowa Medical Association,
the State Departments of Health and Social Services, and the Governor's office
in planning and promoting a high quality of health care in the state.
Scope and
Content Note
The Iowa Nurses Association records date
from 1904 to 1989 and measure 83 linear feet.
The records cover internal administration of the association, business
of various INA committees, the continuing education offerings of the
association, INA conventions, association correspondence, the organization and
administration of districts and sections of the INA, employment conditions of
nurses, material from the Iowa League for Nursing, other Iowa organizations
with which INA worked closely, membership records, perquisites, and recruiting,
publications of the organization, and photographs. The records are arranged in the following series: Administrative
Records, American Nurses Association, Committees, Continuing Education,
Conventions, Districts, Economic Security, The Iowa League for Nursing, Iowa
Organizations, Membership, Publications, Sections, The Student Nurses Association,
Photographs, Artifacts, and Audio Tapes.
The Administrative Records
series (1904-1989) contains material relevant to the internal functioning of
the association such as financial records, board of directors meetings, historical
information, and correspondence as well as position statements on various
issues of interest to nurses.
The American Nurses Association
series (1928-1989) contains material sent from or to the national
association. Much of this material
involves rules, regulations, and guidelines for operation of a state
affiliate. There is also material from
ANA conventions which were attended by Iowa nurses. The ANA has operated a very active research and statistics unit
since the 1950s and generated many reports.
This series contains a number of statistical surveys of Iowa nurses
compiled by the ANA from the late 1950s to the early 1970s and including such
information as salaries, type of position held, and educational background of
Iowa nurses.
The Committees series
(1933-1989) contains the records, primarily minutes and correspondence, of the
By Laws, Education, Ethics, Finance, Legislation, Membership, Public Relations,
Resolutions, and other committees.
The Continuing Education
series (1955-1989) contains material from conferences, institutes, lectures,
and workshops conducted by the Iowa Nurses Association or involving the
participation of INA members. The
series also contains records from the continuing education review panel and
grant application materials.
The Conventions series
(1904-1989) contains materials from the annual INA conventions since 1905. These include planning, fiscal records,
programs, speeches, awards presented to the INA and its members, photographs,
advertising, exhibitors, and minutes of the proceedings. Some years have very extensive records while
others are very spare.
The Districts series
(1920-1984) contains the records of the INA District organizations, which
conducted administrative and continuing education functions.
The Economic Security series (1946-1989) was
the first name given to the committee of the Iowa Nurses Association which
oversaw efforts to improve working conditions, pay, and benefits for
nurses. The group was later called
Professional Security and Economic and General Welfare. The series contains such records as meeting
minutes, contract negotiation notes, collective bargaining agreements,
organization efforts and strikes at various Iowa institutions, and notes on
grievance hearings.
The Iowa League for Nursing
series (1913-1980) contains the records of the League and some of its
predecessor organizations. The Iowa
League for Nursing was founded in 1952 incorporating several organizations
interested in the training and continuing professional education of nurses and
other health care professionals. The
major predecessor of the ILN was the Iowa League for Nursing Education (ILNE),
and this series contains many records from that organization. Later, the ILN was called the Iowa Citizens
League for Nursing.
The Iowa Organizations series
(1926-1989) contains material from a variety of groups, primarily interested in
health care, in which INA members were either participants or to whom the INA
provided continuing advisory services.
The majority of this material is meeting minutes and correspondence.
The Membership series
(1904-1988) includes membership lists, dues records, promotional material,
reports of activities, records of elections, applications dating to 1904, and
material from the employment registry and placement services dating from the
late 1920s through the 1970s.
The Publications series
(1917-1985) contains material relating to the production of the INA Bulletin and newsletters, including
research and background material for articles, advertising records,
correspondence, and editorial memoranda.
The INA produced a booklet in 1932, Historical
Outline of the Iowa State Association of Registered Nurses and Related
Organizations, and a copy is here.
The Sections series (1940-1984)
contains the records of the various sections into which the INA was
divided. Each section represented a
different aspect of professional nursing practice such as Office Nurses,
Operating Room Nurses, and Administration.
The sections met together to discuss problems and practices unique to
their type of nursing activity and to help establish guidelines and standards
for their practice. The series contains
records such as meeting minutes, newsletters, workshop materials, membership
lists, meeting guidelines, and bylaws.
The Student Nurses Association
series (1949-1984) represents the activities of a separate organization under
the INA composed of students who, upon graduation, became regular members. The series contains newsletters, financial
records, membership information, correspondence, and meeting minutes of the
group.
The Photographs series (1918-1987) contains
many snapshots and posed portraits.
Subjects of the photographs include group portraits taken at
conventions, awards ceremonies, the INA office staff, INA officers, workshop
sessions, guest speakers at meetings, and committee members at work. In the 1960s, the INA displayed photographs
of United States Armed Forces Nurses from 1918-1967, not necessarily from Iowa;
these photographs are also included in the series.
The Artifacts series
(1981-1988) contains tee-shirts from the 1980s, one from the Student Nurses
Association, one commemorating Nurses Week 1981, and several from different
years' fun runs called the "Stetholope" held during Nurses Week.
The Audio Tapes series
(1974-1987) consists of cassette tapes made primarily during the 1980s
recording convention proceedings, speeches, committee conference calls, and at
least one grievance hearing.
Researchers may also wish to consult
the records of two related organizations held by the Iowa Women's
Archives: The Iowa Citizens' League for
Nursing, and the Iowa Nurses Association, Fifth District.
Summary Contents List
Administrative Records,
1904-1989 (boxes 1-18)
American Nurses Association,
1928-1989 (boxes 18-24)
Committees, 1933-1989 (boxes
24-34)
Continuing Education,
1955-1989 (boxes 34-36)
Conventions, 1904-1989
(boxes 37-44)
Districts, 1920-1984 (boxes
44-48)
Economic Security,1946-1989
(boxes 48-57)
Iowa League for Nursing,
1913-1980 (boxes 57-61)
Iowa Organizations,
1926-1989 (boxes 61-68)
Membership, 1904-1988 (boxes
68-70)
Publications, 1917-1985 (box
71)
Sections, 1940-1984 (boxes
71-77)
Student Nurses Association,
1949-1984 (boxes 77-78)
Photographs, 1918-1987 (boxes
78-79)
Artifacts, 1981-1988 (box
80)
Audio Tapes, 1974-1987 (box
81)
Oversize, 1916-1987 (box 82
and container 83)
Box no. Description
Box 1
Administrative Records
Ad Hoc Committee to Secure
an Assistant Executive Director, 1964
Administrative Policy
Manual, 1952-1960 (2 folders)
Advisory Council Minutes,
1952-1964
Annual Business Meeting
Minutes, 1955-1957
Annual Reports
1953-1959
1969
Assistant Executive Director
Correspondence, 1971-1972
Awards
Rachel Buck Award, 1988
Delta Sigma Theta Human
Relations Award, 1954
Nominations
Iowa Council on Children and
Families, Distinguished Service Award, 1983
Iowa Women's Hall of Fame,
1983
Board of Directors
Correspondence
1959-1965
1973-1976
District Presidents'
Reports, 1960-1966
Goals Meeting, 1984
Mailings
1952-1961 (9 folders)
Box 2
1962-1966 (14 folders)
1969
1979-September 1981 (6
folders)
Box 3
October 1981-July 1987 (18
folders)
Box 4
August 1987-1989 (6 folders)
Members Manual, 1954
Minutes
1921-1971 (10 folders)
Box 5
1971-1984
Book, 1966-1969
Bound
1934-1953 (3 folders)
Box 6
1954-1964 (3 folders)
Personnel Committee, Report
on Public Health Nursing, 1966
Reports
1965-73 (8 folders)
Resolutions, 1966-1970
Statement on Nursing
Education, 1967
United Nations Flag Gift
Program, 1958-1959
Bookkeeper Correspondence,
1965
Building Fund
Accounting Records,
1961-1965
Committees, 1960-1964
District Correspondence,
1965-1966
Memorial Fund, 1960-1962
Memorial Gifts
1963-1965 (3 folders)
Obituaries
1960-1965 (4 folders)
By-Laws
1908-1937
1940-1958
1960-1982
Box 7
Proposed Revisions
1976
undated
Commissions
Economic Security and
General Welfare
1983-1989 (5 folders)
Joint Commissions
Conference, 1989
Nursing Education
1984-1989
Nursing Practice
General
1982-1989 (8 folders)
Ad Hoc Committee on a No
Code Statement
1984
Research Material, 1984
Position Statements,1987
Box 8
Nursing Service
Administrators
General
1983-1989 (5 folders)
Nursing Research, 1988-1989
Committee Assignments
1967-1968
1975-1978 (3 folders)
Correspondence
1936-1939
1940
1941-1943, and undated
1953-1969 (15 folders)
Box 9
1970-1971 (28 folders)
Box 10
January 1971-January 1973
(23 folders)
Box 11
February 1973-August 1976
(16 folders)
April 1979-March 1980 (3
folders)
July-Dec. 1980
1981-1983 (15 folders)
Box 12
January 1984-August 1985 (16
folders)
1986
1988
1989
undated
From Executive Office, INA,
1958-1959
From Other State Nurses
Associations to INA
1958-1972 (2 folders)
Council on Computer
Applications, 1989
Executive Committee
Community Health Conference
Group, 1982-1983
Division of Gerontological
Nursing Practice, 1978
Minutes
1954-1969 (2 folders)
1973-1984 (4 folders)
1988-1989 (2 folders)
Survey, 1956
General, 1969, undated
Executive Director
General, 1969, undated
Activities, 1958-1964
Applicants for the Position,
1972
Box 13
Correspondence
1946-1952
1954-1972 (7 folders)
1974-1976
Questionnaire on the Status
of Negro Nurses in Professional Organizations, 1955
With Other State Nurses
Associations, 1955-1956
Expense Vouchers, 1948-1956
Statements
Concerning Proposed Rules by
Iowa Board of Medical Examiners, 1980-1981
Dispensing Drugs, 1980-1981
Elder Abuse in Iowa, 1986
Nurses Role in Initiating
CPR, 1985
RNs as First Assistants in
the Operating Room, 1984
Search Committee
General
1987
1989
Executive Secretary
Applications for the
Position, 1968
Correspondence, 1966-1970
Financial Records
Auditor's Report
1943-1959 (2 folders)
1962-1966
1968-1975 (2 folders)
Auditor Correspondence,
1954-1958
Bank Accounts, 1959-1967
Cash Accounts
1921-1939
1939-1943 (oversize)
1961-1969
1975-1977
1980-1984 (4 folders)
Cash Disbursements
General
1943-1949 (4 folders)
Box 14
1949-1960 (11 folders)
Convention Fund, 1943-1945
Cash Receipts
General
1943-1960 (8 folders)
1967
Expenses, 1965
Headquarters Expenses, 1965
Journal
1959-1967
1982-1985 (3 folders)
Ledger
1980-1982 (2 folders)
Box 15
1982-1985 (3 folders)
Nursing History Sales
Records, 1932-1933, undated
Postal Expense, 1932-1958
Statements, 1976
Stocks and Bonds
1945-1966 (2 folders)
Travel Expense Vouchers,
1968
Voluntary Contributions from
Members, 1962
Goals, 1960-1971
Headquarters Staff
Economic Security, 1954-1966
Headquarters Staffing
Committee, 1966
Job and Personnel
Specifications, 1958
Notes on Conferences,
Meetings, Headquarters Business, 1960
Office Reference Files,
1965-1966 (2 folders)
Payroll Accounts, 1953-1954
Personnel Policies,
1963-1968
Policy Manual, 1976
Retirement Plan, 1965-1971
Staff Meeting Minutes,
1958-1960
Time Study of Work, 1955
Work Schedules, 1958-1964
History
Article, 1933
Brief Outline, 1956
Correspondence, 1934-1936
Development of Nursing in Iowa, manuscript, 1930
Handbook for the Night Supervisor in Small Hospitals, 1964
Notes on Nursing, Florence Nightingale, 1865 ed.
Outline History of Nursing
in Iowa, 1904-1917
Speech on the Organization's
History, 1932
Insurance Coverage
General
1955-1971 (2 folders)
Box 16
Correspondence
1949-1965 (3 folders)
1968-1970
1972
Leadership Retreat
1987-1988 (2 folders)
Legal Counsel
General
1945-1964 (2 folders)
Opinion Regarding Nurse
Practice in Iowa
1946-1968 (3 folders)
Powers and Responsibilities
of INA Directors, 1982
Newspaper clippings
General
1934-1936 (3 folders)
1938-1942 (4 folders)
1944
1947-1956 (10 folders)
1967-1971
1983-1985
Nurses in the Military,
1947-1949
Practical Nursing, 1947-1949
Shortage of Nurses, 1947-1949
Student Nurses, 1948-1949
Scrapbook, 1942-1945
(oversize)
undated, ca. 1935-1945
Nursing Standards
Established By INA, 1973-1975
Office Building Lease,
1954-1960
Office Equipment, 1932-1964
Orientation Program for New
Officers
General
1956
1960
Planning, 1958-1966
Pamphlet Orders
Correspondence, 1961-1964
Box 17
Platform, 1962-1966
President
Correspondence
1950-1977 (5 folders)
Speech to Iowa State
Hospital Association, 1952
Professional Biography Form,
1975
Program for 1960
Public Relations
General
1947-1948
1950-1957
Newspaper Clippings,
1955-1956
Press Releases, 1953-1954
Report to the Board,
1954-1956
Scripts, 1947-1955
Scholarship, Claire Hammond
Dierks Nurse Scholarship
1987-1989 (2 folders)
Secretary
Correspondence
1952-1954
1968
Strategic Plan, 1989
Subscriptions to Journals,
1952-1953
Task Forces
Continuing Education Ethics,
1987-1988
Entry Into Practice
General
1979
1982-1989 (6 folders)
Forums, 1986-1987
Study Materials
1984-1987 (3 folders)
Box 18
Long Term Care, 1987-1988
Responsible Health Care for
Children, 1988
RN Appropriate Work
Assignment, 1986-1987
Structural Change, 1982-1983
Study, 1970-1972
Travel Advance Form, 1956
Treasurer
Correspondence, 1965-1966
Reports
1943-1965 (5 folders)
American Nurses Association
Advisory Council
1958-1959
1968-1970
Allied Nursing Personnel
Committee
1953-1965 (4 folders)
American Nurses Foundation,
1960
American Red Cross,
1959-1970
ANA-NLN State Board
Controversy, 1960-1965
Annual Report of INA to ANA
1957-1965 (2 folders)
Awards
General
1978-1979
Box 19
AJN Writing Award
1983-1984 (2 folders)
Award Plaques
1956 (oversize)
1958 (oversize)
Policy and Procedure Manual,
1979
Christiane Reimann Prize,
1983
Mary Roberts Writing Award,
1970
By-Laws, 1936-1976
Canadian Nurses Association Convention,
1929
Central Billing
1966-1971 (2 folders)
Code for Professional
Nurses, 1956
Committees
Committee Assignments
1962
1968-1970
Committee on Ethical
Standards, Suggested Guidelines for Handling Alleged Violations of the Code for
Professional Nurses, 1964
Committee Nominations,
1979-1985
Committee on the Florence
Nightingale International Foundation, 1935-1941
Confidential Professional
Biographies of Candidates for Office, 1970-1971
Constituent Forums,
1985-1987
Conventions
1940
1944
1946
1948-1949
1962
Committee on Nominations
Iowa Delegates
1964
General
Committee on Nominations
Iowa Delegates
1966
1968
General
Convention Journal
Iowa Delegates
Newspaper Clippings