Callista Roy facts for kids

Sister Callista Roy, born on October 14, 1939, is an American nun, nursing expert, and author. She is famous for creating the adaptation model of nursing. This model helps nurses understand how people adapt to health changes. Before she retired in 2017, she was a nursing professor at Boston College. In 2007, she was honored as a "Living Legend" by the American Academy of Nursing.

Becoming a Nurse and Scholar

Callista Roy went to Bishop Conaty-Our Lady of Loretto High School. She then earned her first nursing degree from Mount St. Mary's College in 1963. After that, she got a master's degree in nursing from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1966.

Advanced Studies

She continued her education at UCLA. There, she earned both a master's and a doctoral degree in sociology. Later, she did special research in neuroscience nursing. This was at the University of California, San Francisco. She has also received four special honorary doctorates.

Her Work and Contributions

Sister Callista Roy was a professor at Boston College's Connell School of Nursing. She was known for her work in nursing theory. In 1991, she started a research group. It was first called the Boston Based Adaptation Research in Nursing Society. Later, it became the Roy Adaptation Association.

Global Influence

She has given talks and lectures all over the United States. She has also shared her ideas in more than thirty other countries. This shows how important her work is worldwide. Later in her career, she studied how partners help people recover from mild head injuries. She retired from Boston College in 2017 and moved back to California. She is also a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet.

The Roy Adaptation Model

While she was a student, her teacher, Dorothy E. Johnson, encouraged her. She asked Callista to create a special model for nursing. The Roy Adaptation Model was first shared in 1970.

Understanding the Model

In this model, people are seen as complete systems that can adapt. This applies to individuals or groups. The environment includes everything around a person. This means things inside and outside their body. Health is seen as being in a good, whole condition. The main goal of nursing is to help people adapt. This adaptation should support their overall health.

Four Ways We Adapt

There are four main ways people adapt to stay healthy:

• Physiologic-physical: How our bodies work and respond.
• Self-concept group identity: How we see ourselves and our group.
• Role function: How we act in our different roles, like student or friend.
• Interdependence: How we relate to and depend on others.

Nurses can use Roy's model in their daily work. They can follow these steps:

• Look at how the patient is behaving.
• Understand what is causing those behaviors.
• Make a nursing diagnosis.
• Set goals for the patient's health.
• Plan actions to help the patient.
• Check if the actions worked.

Awards and Recognitions

Sister Callista Roy has received many honors for her important work:

• 2006: Distinguished Teaching Award from Boston College.
• 2007: Named a "Living Legend" by the American Academy of Nursing.
• 2010: Inducted into Sigma Theta Tau's Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame.
• 2011: Received the Mentor Award from the Sigma Theta Tau Society.

Her Published Works

Sister Callista Roy has written many articles and books. Here are a few examples:

• She suggested that nursing is a field of knowledge. It helps analyze and care for sick people.
• Roy, C. (2009). "Assessment and the Roy Adaptation Model", The Japanese Nursing Journal, 29(11), 5-7.
• Roy, C. (2008). "Adversity and theory: The broad picture", Nursing Science Quarterly, 21(2), 138-139.
• Whittemore, R. & Roy, C. (2002). "Adapting to Diabetes Mellitus: A Theory Synthesis", Nursing Science Quarterly, 15(4), 311-317.

See also

In Spanish: Callista Roy para niños

• List of Living Legends of the American Academy of Nursing