This issue of the NM Nurse is devoted in its entirety to today’s snapshot of the history of nursing in New Mexico. It is reflective of an ongoing commitment from NMNA to capture the rich nuances of our profession in the State.
Over a decade ago, NMNA undertook an effort to capture the contributions of older nursing leaders on video with the assistance of Camille Adair, DNP, RN, a gifted nurse videographer. That effort went on hiatus due to lack of funding.
Two years ago, the New Mexico Board of Nursing and its Executive Director, Sheena Ferguson, DNP, RN, recognized the need to find information on our history and gave the NM Nurse Practitioner Council a grant to undertake the documentation of the history of advanced practice nurses in the State. The following year, NMNA was encouraged to capture the history of registered nurses.
Over the past year, NMNA’s team of Dee Billops, DNP, RN, Jan Martin, DNP, RN, and Patricia Montoya, MPA, BSN researched and began compilation of available information on legislative, regulatory, professional, and New Mexico nursing leadership landmarks. NMNA believes access to formal, documented history becomes imperative at a time when the healthcare landscape is rapidly evolving. It provides context for legislative and regulatory initiatives. NMNA fears the loss of photographs, documentation, archived records, and the loss of human histories in the offing. We have a unique history of nursing in New Mexico and need to capture Hispanic, Native American, African American, and international histories which have enriched nursing practice in New Mexico. We also need a complete legislative history which provides documentation toward the evolution of the practice of registered nurses in our State.
Others have also looked at the history of healthcare in New Mexico. In point, the Silver City Museum has a current exhibit in which nursing plays a part. NMNA hopes you will sign up to attend a reception we will be hosting there on Monday, October 20th from 6pm-7:30pm. The museum will be open that evening for nurses to attend the exhibit, hear from the museum staff, and simply enjoy the community of nurses in our State.
This is the first time the NM Nurse has been singularly focused, and it is our hope that this snapshot will inspire and energize the readers. New Mexico’s nursing history is rich and distinctive, and this issue of the NM Nurse is only the beginning of capturing the proud history of those “ON WHOSE SHOULDERS WE STAND”.
To sign up to attend the reception at the Silver City Museum go to nmna@nursingnetwork.com
To join the special interest group researching the history of nursing in New Mexico contact: Deborah Walker, MSN, RN at: (505) 660-3890 or dwalker@nmna.org
