|
 |
  |
History of the School |
Dr. Mildred Montag
|
Dr. Mildred Montag
As founder and director of the Adelphi College School of Nursing from 1942 to 1948, Dr. Mildred Montag is credited with developing the nursing program and making it an integral part of Adelphi. She is also recognized for her impact on nursing education in the United States and throughout the world.
In 1942, Dr. Montag was asked by Adelphi College, under a grant from the U.S. Public Health Service, to determine if local hospitals would cooperate in establishing a school of nursing at Adelphi College. The United States' entry into World War II resulted in an urgent need for nurses. In January 1943, Dr. Montag was named director of the School of Nursing, the first program for nursing on Long Island. The first 25 students were admitted under the Nurse Training Act of 1943, also known as the Bolton Act. After completing the program, most of the students joined the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps.
1944 Dedication
|
Under Dr. Montag's leadership, enrollment increased steadily. To accommodate the large number of students who enrolled in the program, Adelphi built Alumnae and Harvey Halls, two federally-funded residence halls for women. Their opening in 1944 was marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries including First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt who delivered an address entitled, "The Challenge of Nursing for Young Women Today."
In 1948 Dr. Montag left Adelphi College to complete her doctoral studies at Columbia University Teachers College. Her doctoral dissertation, "The Education of Nursing Technicians," was to influence profoundly the course of nursing education. Dr. Montag advocated the creation of an asssociate degree in nursing that would have a great impact on community college education for nursing.
Dr. Montag remained actively involved with Adelphi University (formerly Adelphi College) and received many honors. At the June 2000 Homecoming for the Class of 1930, the invitation read, "Please join the members of the first graduating class from Adelphi's Garden City Campus as we remember the days of yore with Dean Emerita Ruth S. Harley '24 and Dr. Mildred Montag, Director Emerita, School of Nursing."
60th Anniversary of the School of Nursing
|
In 2003 Dr. Montag was honored at the 60th anniversary of the Adelphi University School of Nursing and became the first member of the School of Nursing Hall of Fame. Her image is on the medal awarded to each honoree.
Dr. Montag's Educational Background
- 1930 A.B., Hamline University, St. Paul, Minnesota, History Major
- 1933 B.S., University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Nursing Major
- 1938 M.A., Columbia University, Teachers College, New York, Nursing Education-Teaching
- 1950 Ed.D., Columbia University, Teachers College, New York, Nursing Education-Curriculum
- Dr. Montag was the author of many publications and the recipient of many awards.
Initiating ADN Education
Associate degree education for nursing began as part of an experimental project at Teachers College, Columbia University, New York in the 1950s. In her doctoral dissertation, Dr. Montag proposed educating a technical nurse for two years to assist the professional nurse, whom she envisioned as having a baccalaureate degree.
Background Facts
Dr. Montag sought to alleviate a critical shortage of nurses by decreasing the length of the education process to two years and to provide a sound educational base for nursing instruction by placing the program in community/junior colleges. In 1958, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation funded the implementation of the project at seven pilot sites in four states (Haase, 1990).
Program Successes
The success of this radically new approach to educating registered nurses was phenomenal. The number of ADN programs increased from seven in 1958 to 868 in 1994 (National League for Nursing, 1996). The reasonable cost and proximity of ADN programs to the community provided greater access for diverse populations including adult learners, males, married students, and minority populations.
ADN programs prepared the largest number of new graduates for RN licensure. In 1995, 58,749 (61%) nursing graduates out of a total of 97,052 were from ADN programs (National League for Nursing, 1996). Furthermore, graduates of ADN programs had a high rate of success on the first attempt to pass the NCLEX-RN.
National pass rates for the three types of nursing programs for 1996 to 97 are indicated below (National Council of State Boards of Nursing, 1996–1997):
- ADN 88%
- Diploma 90%
- Baccalaureate 85%
Of the 2.5 million RNs in 1996, over 66% were ADN graduates (NLN, 1996). According to a National League for Nursing (NLN) Report, 1994 ADN graduates functioned in a variety of settings with 22% working outside the hospital (NLN, 1996). ADN graduates possess many of the competencies needed by registered professional nurses.
Cadet Nurse Corps
1944 |
ADN Advances
NLN's Vision for Nursing Education promoted inclusion of community learning experiences at all levels of nursing education. Associate degree educators rapidly identified the needs in their communities and offered learning experiences with individuals and families in community settings (Mueller, 1995). Although Dr. Montag never envisioned nurse with the associate degree advancing to obtain a baccalaureate or doctoral degree, in 1965 the ANA voted to propose the entry level of a baccalaureate degree for entrance to professional nursing practice. At various times, other nursing leaders have suggested the nursing doctorate as the entry level. The ANA resolution has been made law in only two states at this time. The Community College-Nursing Home Partnership Project funded by W.K. Kellogg was initiated to enhance the preparation of ADN graduates for work with an increasingly elderly population, as well as to manage and delegate to unlicensed personnel (Sherman, 1993).
Additional Readings
- American Association of Community Colleges. (1996). National Profile Community College: Trends and Statistics 1996. Annapolis Junction, MD: Community College Press.
- Haase, Patricia T. (1990). The Origins and Rise of Associate Degree Nursing Education. Durham and London: Duke University Press.
- Louden, D., Crawford, L., and Trotman, S. (1996). Profiles of the Newly Licensed Nurse, Publication No. 19-2700. New York, NY: NLN Press.
- Mueller, A., Johnston, M., and Bopp., A. (1995). Changing Associate Degree Nursing Curricula to Meet Evolving Healthcare Delivery System Needs, Nurse Educator, 20(6), 23.
- National Council of State Boards of Nursing. (1996–97). Quarterly Reports, July 1996–June 1997. New Jersey: The Chauncy Group.
- National League for Nursing. (1996). Nursing Data Review, 1996. Publication No. 19-685. New York: NLN, Center for Research in Nursing Education and Community Health.
- National League for Nursing. (1996). Nursing Data Source 1996. Volume I: Trends in Contemporary Nursing Education. Publication No. 19-6932. New York, NY: NLN Press.
- National League for Nursing. (1990). Vision for Nursing Education. New York, NY: NLN Press.
- Sherman, Susan E. (1993). The community college-nursing home partnership in C. Heine (Ed.), Determining the Future of Gerontological Nursing Education, pp. 37–40. New York: National League for Nursing Press. Adopted 1/31/98 http://www.noadn.org/.
|
Mildred Montag's biography was written by Associate Professor Dr. Marilyn Klainberg.
Contact
For additional information, please contact:
School of Nursing
Alumnae Hall, Room 220
Adelphi University
1 South Avenue
P.O. Box 701
Garden City, NY 11530-0701
p - 516.877.4510
f - 516.877.4558
|
