Faye Glenn Abdellah

PATIENT CENTERED APPROACHES in NURSINGPresented by:John Henry O. Valencia, RN, RMMaster of Arts in NursingChanging The World... One Step At A TimeFaye Glenn Abdellahwas one of the most influential nursing theorist and public health scientist in our era. It is extremely rare to find someone who has dedicated all her life to the advancement of the nursing profession and accomplish this feat with so much distinction and merit.

UST Graduate School MA in NursingNational Women's Hall of Famein 2000"We cannot wait for the world to change. Those of us with intelligence, purpose, and vision must take the lead and change the world. Let us move forward together! I promise never to rest until my work has been completed!

And she couldnt have said it any better. Let us get to know this extraordinary theorist by understanding her theory, appreciating how her life story influenced her scientific pursuit, and discerning how her theory can be applied in the ever-dynamic field of nursing.

UST Graduate School MA in NursingWhere she came fromDr. Abdellah was born in New York in 1919. Her father was of Algerian heritage and her mother of Scottish.

She grew up in a family that was committed to service to their country. Her only brother died of pancreatic cancer related to his World War II military

UST Graduate School MA in NursingWhy she became a nurseFaye Glenn Abdellah was born onMarch 13, 1919, inNew York City. Years later, on May 6, 1937, the German hydrogen-fueled airshipHindenburgexploded over Lakehurst, New Jersey, where 18-year-old Abdellah and her family then lived, and Abdellah and her brother ran to the scene to help. In an interview with a writer for Advance for Nurses, Abdellah recalled: "I could see people jumping from the zeppelin and I didn't know how to take care of them, so it was then that I vowed that I would learn nursing."

UST Graduate School MA in NursingEDUCATIONAL ATTAINTMENTIn 1942, Abdellah earned a nursing diploma and is magna cum laude fromFitkin Memorial Hospital's School of Nursing New Jersey(now Ann May School of Nursing).She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in 1945, a Master of Arts degree in 1947 and Doctor of Education inTeachers College, Columbia University. In 1947 she also took Master of Arts Degree in Physiology. UST Graduate School MA in Nursing

With her advanced education, Abdellah could have chosen to become a doctor. However, as she explained in her Advance for Nurses interview, "I never wanted to be an M.D. becauseI could do all I wanted to do in nursing, which is a caring profession.

UST Graduate School MA in NursingAs an Educator and ResearcherAbdellah helped transform the focus of the profession from disease centered to patient centered. She expanded the role of nurses to include care of families and the elderly. She was selected as Deputy Surgeon General in 1982. She retired in 1989.

UST Graduate School MA in NursingCareer highlights: positionsDr. Abdellah had an astonishing career, marked by the passion and commitment to public service that had first led her to be a nurse.She joined the U.S. Public Health Service in 1949.She achieved the rank of a two-star rear admiral. She was chosen as the Deputy Surgeon General, the first time that either a woman or a nurse had been appointed to serve in that role.

UST Graduate School MA in NursingCareer highlights: publicationsIn 1960, Abdellah published her foundational theory in Patient-Centered Approaches to Nursing.At the time, Abdellah was already a research consultant with the U.S. Public Health service, so she collaborated with three nurse educators who wrote chapters on applying Abdellahs theory to diploma, associate, and bachelors level degree programs.The main principle of Abdellahs book was that the patient should be at the center of nursing inquiry and work, not the disease or the physician or the hospital.

UST Graduate School MA in NursingCareer highlights: publications (cont.)Abdellah updated this work over the next two decades in works such as New Directions in Patient-Centered Nursing (Abdellah et al., 1973).She also published highly-regarded works in nursing research, such as Better Patient Care through Nursing Research (Abdellah, F.G. & Levine, E., 1979).One of her most recent books on research was Preparing Nursing Research for the 21st Century (Abdellah, F.G. & Levine, E., 1994).UST Graduate School MA in NursingWhat has influenced Faye Abdellah in the development her own model of nursing?1937 She wanted to be a nurse on the day she saw Hindenburg explode. 1949 She spent 40 years in Public Health Service where she first became involved in research, being assigned to perform studies to improve nursing practices.1960 She was influenced by the desire to promote client-centered comprehensive nursing care.

UST Graduate School MA in Nursing