History

HomeMembersAssemblies and SectionsAssembliesNursingHistory ▶ 1977-1980
1977-1980

Membership Information:

In 1977, the Sub-Section became a Section on Nursing.  From 1977 to 1980 membership grew from 34 to 110 members.  Membership Guidelines to ATS were revised whereby the status of active membership could be offered to non-doctorally prepared members “of national prominence who have distinguished themselves by making contributions to respiratory disease in research, teaching or clinical practice.”

Members in the ATS Subsection on Nursing in 1977 were:

Marilyn M Abraham
Carol J Archibald
Mary Louise Atkinson
Shirley Bessey
Barbara A Boyce
Joan F Brownie
Lucy K Cioffiro
Marilyn K Chrisman
Lillian N Cole
Annette J Craddock
Sue A Driscoll
Deon L Dunn
Marilyn E Flood
Marsha D Fowler
Seigina M Frik
Mary Ann Gunderson
Marilyn T Hansen

Patsy R Hansen
O Anne Harrison
Doris M Holm
Suzanne Lareau
Gwendolyn McDonald
Sr Regina M Maibusch
Joanne P Meany
Louise M Nett
Margaret A Nield
Margo A Pinney
Elaine I Salkeld
Susan J Smith
Alice M Stein
Laurel A Talabere
Gayle A Traver
Martha L Tyler

Committee Activities

Two Standing Committees existed, the Program and Nominating Committees.  The small, but dynamic group of nurses quickly contributed to pulmonary nursing and ATS by developing standards to address timely issues.  For example, a subcommittee developed a Position Paper on the Skills of the Health Team Involved in Out of Hospital Care for Patients with COPD (published in ATS NEWS, Summer, 1977 and American Review of Respiratory Disease 1986; 133:948-949) and an ad hoc committee was appointed to develop Standards of Nursing Practice.  This Task Force published a draft of the Standards in ATS NEWS, Winter 1978.  In 1979, another Task Force developed and published the Role of the Pulmonary Nurse Specialist (ATS NEWS, Fall 1979).  The ongoing offering of Special Interest Groups began, whereby nurses with common interests formalized themselves into groups.  The first two Special Interest Groups to form were the Pediatric Nurses and Faculty of Graduate Programs.  The pediatric group began work on developing a Statement on the Role of the Pediatric Pulmonary Clinical Nurse Specialist (completed in 1982).  The Faculty of Graduate Programs began the task of developing a core curriculum.  The concept of Special Interest Groups became an important mechanism for networking at the annual meetings.

Program Activities

Abstracts were presented at the Annual Meetings with the Section presenting from 16 to 31.  The major themes of the abstracts were:  suctioning, postural drainage, tracheostomy care, and psychosocial responses to illness.  Two symposia were usually offered on topics such as:  research, ethics, nursing diagnosis, and tuberculosis.  Several Sunrise Seminars were offered on such topics as:  nursing diagnosis, patient compliance, chest therapy, chronic mechanical ventilation, and the consultation process.