The nursing profession is currently grappling with an ongoing nursing shortage illuminated during the COVID-19 pandemic. While this burgeoning health and environmental crisis exacerbated this workforce issue, it did not create it. This study seeks to expand the idea of "who is a nurse" by arguing for the use of Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) as safe, credentialed persons in the nursing workforce. Archival research using primary and secondary sources highlights the history of the LPN movement. Historical case studies of LPN schools show how LPNs enhanced not only the quantity but also the quality of nursing practice. Case studies also reveal successful collaborations between nurses, communities, and hospitals to enhance the nursing workforce and community well-being. Aspects of this study were either approved by or deemed not human subjects research by institutional review boards. The increased emphasis on the registered nurse in the mid-20th century led to the marginalization of LPNs. Yet, history has revealed that collaborations that enhance diversity in the workforce and improve health-care access for patients, without compromising quality of care, can be formed by engaging LPNs. LPNs must be respected as consistent contributors to the country's health-care workforce. As the AACN commits to diversifying nursing, it is significant that LPNs have added to a more diverse, inclusive nursing labor force. For LPNs who wish to advance their nursing education, pathway programs must be supported-thus increasing diversity in the professional and advanced practice workforce.

BACKGROUND:Research has documented how ideas about race, class, ethnicity, ableism, and structural hierarchies determine health outcomes and disparities today. The historical role of nursing practice and education needs further exploration. PURPOSE:This study aims to better understand how some nurses thought about and interacted with eugenics in the early 20th century. METHODS:Historical analysis of primary and secondary sources. DISCUSSION:In the early 20th century, reformers of the day, including some nurses, demonstrated much ambiguity of thinking as they pushed for eugenic improvement of the "human race" while also enhancing environmental changes, such as good nutrition and clean, safe housing. CONCLUSION:Nursing's past relationship with eugenics sheds light on the history and construction of the system leading to health disparities among marginalized groups. Nurses must acknowledge the historical roots and context of their education and practice as we engage in critical conversations about social inequities.

A qualitative descriptive approach examined African American nurse scientists' (AANSs') experiences with African American research participants despite obstacles of structural racism. Fourteen nurse scientists participated in semistructured interviews that provided data for the thematic analysis. Major themes included barriers to overcome as doctoral students, cultural experiences with structural racism, designers of culturally sensitive research, and humanitarian respect and relationship depth. This is the first research study to illuminate the contributions of AANSs who lead research in health disparities. Therefore, nursing leadership needs to illuminate AANSs' contributions, increase nurse diversification, and dismantle structural racism that creates obstacles that ultimately impact population health.

A qualitative descriptive approach examined perspectives of African Americans (AA) on their participation in health research despite historical research mistreatment. Nineteen AAs participated in semistructured interviews that provided data that were analyzed using thematic analysis. Salient themes included race concordance, being respected and valued by the researcher, research participation motivators, and cultural experiences of racism in health care. This study challenges dominant ideology that AAs are unwilling to participate in research and offers solutions to promote research inclusive of their perceptions. Therefore, researchers need to design research with inclusiveness and transparency that openly displays how research will impact future generations.

Over the last two decades, the topic of Western biomedicine and religion has gained firm ground among historians. While taking distance from both confessional approaches and interpretations of the past that were implicitly informed by a narrative of conflict between medicine and religion, historians have recently integrated phenomena of separate coexistence and examples of mutual influence and collaboration in their work. In this article, we discuss the state of the art and the future agenda of the historiography of Catholicism and biomedicine in Europe and the United States, with a special interest in questions of reproduction. We thereby take into account the different levels on which this encounter has been studied: from the Vatican's prescriptions to the collective reproductive behavior of Catholic populations, from the negotiations of medical professionals such as Catholic doctors and nurses to individual bodily experiences of the faithful.

Aim: This paper examines the 1871 massacre against the Chinese people in Los Angeles, leading us to reconsider that massacre and relate it to the numerous hate crimes committed against Asian Americans today.

Aim: This paper examines the complexity of epidemics by addressing the multifaceted interaction of social meanings, biological forces, and collective public responses to the opioid epidemic and Opioid Use Disorder in the United States. Charles Rosenberg ’ s 1989 essay, “ What is an epidemic? ” is reconsidered using nursing as a lens. Methods: The methods used were historical research and analysis of the social, cultural, and political context of the opioid epidemic. Results: Medical and nursing personnel are in key positions to identify and treat those su ff ering from the opioid epidemic and Opioid Use Disorder as well as screen those at high risk. They can do so without placing the blame on personal misconduct and instead focus on treatment. Conclusion: Epidemics leave behind lessons that can either be forgotten or used to inform future practice. In the aftermath of an epidemic, the community is faced with creating meaning and dealing with related challenges.

Flooding is a major natural disaster in Thailand. Dependent older adults are at higher risk because of health conditions and limited mobility. This qualitative study described community flood experiences of family caregivers, and the collaboration of care managers and sub-district administrative officers in the process of flood preparedness for Thai dependent older adults. We conducted in-depth interviews with 15 family caregivers and a focus group with eight administrative and public health officers. We identified several themes of relevance when formulating flood preparedness plans and links between family preparedness and organizational management. A community-based approach is key to successful management of flood preparedness system and involves collaborations between families, communities, and public and private entities.

Background: Collaboration between physicians and nurses is key to improving patient care. We know very little about collaboration and interdisciplinary practice in African healthcare settings. Research question/aim: The purpose of this study was to explore the ethical challenges of interdisciplinary collaboration in clinical practice and education in Botswana Participants and research context: This qualitative descriptive study was conducted with 39 participants (20 physicians and 19 nurses) who participated in semi-structured interviews at public hospitals purposely selected to represent the three levels of hospitals in Botswana (referral, district, and primary). Ethical considerations: Following Institutional Review Board Approval at the University of Pennsylvania and the Ministry of Health in Botswana, participants' written informed consent was obtained. Findings: Respondents' ages ranged from 23 to 60 years, and their duration of work experience ranged from 0.5 to 32 years. Major qualitative themes that emerged from the data centered on the nature of the work environment, values regarding nurse-doctor collaboration, the nature of such collaboration, resources available for supporting collaboration and the smooth flow of work, and participants' views about how their work experiences could be improved. Discussion: Participants expressed concerns that their work environment compromised their ability to provide high-quality and safe care to their patients. The physician staffing structure was described as consisting of a few specialists at the top, a vacuum in the middle that should be occupied by senior doctors, and junior doctors at the bottom-and not a sufficient number of nursing staff. Conclusion: Collaboration between physicians and nurses is critical to optimizing patients' health outcomes. This is true not only in the United States but also in developing countries, such as Botswana, where health care professionals reported that their ethical challenges arose from resource shortages, differing professional attitudes, and a stressful work environment.