AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OF Juanita M. Joy for the degree of Doctor of Education in Education presented on April 13. Title: The History of the Associate Degree Nursing Program at Portland Community College. Abstract Approved: Larry Roper This study describes the historical development of the Associate Degree Nursing Program at Portland Community College by women faculty leaders in a male-dominated organization.
In-depth interviews of eleven participants were transcribed and analyzed. The participants gave a very rich description of this nursing programthus describing its culture. Six themes were identified: the use of power, governance, informal networks, work ethic, psychological climate, and external influences. A review of the literature affirmed that these topics are conceptually related.
Thus, three constructs were reviewed: the use of power, organizational culture, and associate degree nursing education. What this means in terms of a historical study is for one to look at the whole. The influence of prior events upon contemporary social events is still a dynamic issue. Insight into how or why decisions have been made in the organization's past, can illumine contemporary decision making.
Past decision making can be viewed both within the historical context and through the contemporary lenses of the use of power in the workplace, organizational culture, and associate degree education. Being aware of the cultural context, both from the broader social perspective and from the microcosm of the organization or the immediate work group, allows insights through these more refined lenses. ©Copyright by Juanita M. Joy April 13, 2000 All Rights Reserved The History of the Associate Degree Nursing Program at Portland Community College by Juanita M.
Joy A DISSERTATION submitted to Oregon State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Doctor of Education Presented April 13, 2000 Commencement June, 2000 Doctor of Education Dissertation by Juanita M. Joy presented on April 13. APPROVED: Major Pr&fesscif, representing ducation Director of Schodl of Education Dean of the GrMUal(e School I understand that my dissertation will become part of the permanent collection of Oregon State University libraries. My signature below authorizes release of my dissertation to any reader upon request.
I Jjlanita M Joy, Author Acknowledgment I would like to thank the members of my dissertation committee for the support they have shown me from the beginning of my study through its conclusion. Their guidance and understanding were enormously helpful to me. Special thanks go to Dr. Larry Roper for the mentoring role he has provided throughout my doctoral program.
I am grateful to Portland Community College for its rich history and for the individuals supporting this research. Additionally, I would like to sincerely thank those who agreed to participate in this study for their time and candor in sharing their stories. Without these participants, this research would not have been possible. Finally, I extend my deepest appreciation for the love and support of my family and friends who saw me through this process.
I dedicate this work to those who have come before, those working now, and to the students for whom we all work. It is a privilege to serve all of you. Table of Contents CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION OF THE PROBLEM. I Purpose of the Study.
3 Central Research Focus. 4 Rationale for the Study. 6 Definition of Terms/ List of Acronyms. 7 Organization of the Study.
13 CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE. 15 Literature Review of the Construct. 17 The Use of Power in the Workplace. 26 Associate Degree Nursing Education.
32 Informal History of the Nursing Program at PCC. 57 CHAPTER III: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY. 59 Rationale for Intrepretive Research. 60 Table of Contents (continued) The Researcher.
62 Background and Experience. 80 Validity and Reliability. 87 CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS. 88 The Data Characterized by the Theme.
97 External Influences Conclusions. 97 CHAPTER V: SUMMARY AND IMPLICATIONS. 100 Table of Contents (continued) Observation: Power in the Workplace. 100 Observation: Organizational Culture.
104 Observation: Associate Degree Nursing Education. 107 Limitations of the Study. 110 Suggestions for Further Research. 118 Appendix A: Informed Consent for Participants.
119 Appendix B: List of Research Participants. 121 Appendix C: Nursing Program History: Chronology of Events. 122 Appendix D: Oregon Community College ADN Programs. 131 Appendix E: Interview Guide.
133 Appendix F: Guideline to Identify Themes Appendix G: ThemesParticipant Table. 134 The History of the Associate Degree Nursing Program at Portland Community College Chapter I: Introduction of the Problem Introduction Organizations are richly steeped in their own traditions, values, and history. Profoundly influenced by the developing leadership, the organizationthrough its human memberssoon comes to form its own culture (Schein, 1985, Aycan, 2000). Overtime, and within its history, the way of doing business is subtly imbued with the legacy it has both created and endured in the evolution to contemporary times.
A problem that exists today is that institutional memory is buried within habit and it is not overtly recorded nor considered relevant to contemporary decision making. As founders retire, memories fade while othersincluding new memberscarry on. The consequence is that, all too soon, we have little understanding of our history. Without the benefit of insight to understand the dynamics that shaped current policies and practices, we have scant understanding of what was done to create success.
At the same time, because of "historical amnesia" (Evans, 1998), we know little or nothing of the errors made nor the lessons learned from them. Without a more complete understanding of our history, we have lost the rich depth that understanding our heritage provides. Portland Community College (PCC) has a published accounting of the historical roots of the college (Guernsey, 1989). The history of the nursing program within this college, however, is only referenced briefly.
Exactly how the associate degree nursing program was created within five years of the inception of the college has remained a mystery. How did a very small group of women accomplish this in the middle of a rapidly growing institution otherwise led and administered by powerful men? It is this discovery that this research seeks to answer. Purpose of the Study Understanding differing realities of the history of an organization is a critical component of an institution aspiring to become a learning organization. Insights gathered in deciphering the past enriches and broadens the perspective of today and for the future.
The nursing program at Portland Community College has no written history and only incomplete, haphazard oral reports of its past. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to document the history of the PCC Nursing Program as seen through the lenses of retired teaching faculty. The intent is not to look at a particular model of a nursing program, rather it is to understand and describe the experiences of the individuals who lived its history. This study has relevance to contemporary decision making through greater understanding of the historical evolution of program practices, policies, and outcomes.
3 Background/Context The nursing program in this study refers to the registered nurse (RN) associate degree in nursing (ADN) program at Portland Community College in Portland, Oregon. Underlying assumptions and values include a positive value placed on community college learning, nursing education, recollections of retired faculty, and a greater understanding of historical context. Limited information is available regarding the history of the nursing program at Portland Community College. While historical studies exist documenting the lifespan of individual diploma nursing programs, an identified gap exists in research studies of associate degree nursing program development and evolution.
There is no historical research study of similar associate degree nursing program development and evolution in Oregon. Starting with a Department Chair and two faculty in 1966, and ending with a faculty population of twelve in July, 1999, eighty-two full-time faculty have taught in the nursing program during the past thirty-three years. The study population consists of twenty-six retired PCC Nursing Program faculty and one faculty "retired" from the program after sixteen years to another position within the school (but not yet retired). The first president of the college (retired) is also included in the study.
These nursing faculty retirees are part of seventy full-time faculty who left their teaching positions within the PCC Nursing Program since its inception in 1966. The researcher has had a 4 professional relationship with approximately one-third of the retirees, which eases entry of the subjects into the study and poses a risk for researcher bias. Access to the target population and its history is both informal and official. Informal access occurred through the retired nursing faculty cohort unofficial monthly luncheons.
Official access occurred through public documents both internal and external to the institution. The primary research tool was the researcher's use of selfassuming a learner role and practicing personal and professional skills in observation, listening, and communication. The intent was to understand a social reality from each participant's point of view. Central Research Focus The purpose of this study is to describe the development of the nursing program by women faculty leaders at Portland Community College (in a male- dominated organization).
Rationale for the Study This study is important to determine the impact of its history on contemporary decision making within the nursing program at Portland Community College. The history is innately steeped in program tradition reflecting the sum of organizational, program, and professional valueswhich create its unique culture. In turn, this has shaped policies, 5 procedures, and the general way of doing business. As time goes on, original values and the rationale for decision making gets lost in the frenetic pace of the day-to-day routine.
This study is important due to the development of what came to be a flagship program within the college (Guernsey, 1989) by a small group of women nurse leaders in a male-dominated organization. The founding members of the program have retired; the history is a cacophony of stories passed down to those that have followed, along with dusty accreditation reports, random artifacts saved by department packrats, and other once important papers now buried and forgotten in bulging file cabinets. Historical recordsdoomed to good housekeepinghave been reduced to "must save" documents, which themselves risk being purged with the next accreditation cycle. A perfunctory and sketchy history of the department has been lost in welcoming comments and a flurry of papers.
New members are welcomed to the department with pounds of papersinformation about the college, the faculty handbook, department policy, procedure, and rules, curriculum committee agenda, course syllabi, the student handbook, schedules, clinical information, and related classroom notes. New members, thus oriented to the department, are also introduced to its culture through the ritual of handling a mountain of papers. Nowhere is the history of the nursing program highlighted as a significant piece of information to factor into current departmental decision making. Understanding the dynamics that have shaped current policies and practices gives insights that can be evaluated against contemporary standards for decision making.
Understanding what was done to create success, as well as understanding past errors, provides lessons for current program faculty and staff. A depth of knowing of our heritageinstead of a superficial awarenessprovides a richness that lends itself to improved decision making. While the history of the nursing program is briefly referenced in an informal history of the college, exactly how it was created within five years of the birth of the college has remained a mystery. Insights gathered in deciphering the past enriches and broadens the perspective of today and for the future.
It is this insightseen through the lenses of those individuals who lived itthat has relevance. The population in this study was confined to persons (primarily nursing faculty) who had direct experience with the nursing program at Portland Community College. The sample population was small and non-representative of all community college nursing faculty. Conclusions from the study are only applicable to the nursing program at Portland Community College and cannot be generalized to other populations.