Virginia Henderson facts for kids

Virginia Avenel Henderson (born November 30, 1897 – died March 19, 1996) was an important American nurse. She was also a researcher, a theorist (someone who develops ideas), and an author.

Henderson is very famous for her definition of nursing. She said that a nurse's special job is to help people, whether they are sick or well. Nurses help them do things that keep them healthy or help them get better. They also help people have a peaceful death. Nurses step in when someone doesn't have the strength, desire, or knowledge to do these things for themselves.

Because of her important work, Virginia Henderson is often called "the first lady of nursing." Many people also say she was "the most famous nurse of the 20th century." Edward Halloran, a writer, even compared her work to that of Florence Nightingale, who founded modern nursing.

Who Was Virginia Henderson?

Virginia Henderson was born on November 30, 1897, in Kansas City, Missouri. Her father, Daniel B. Henderson, was a lawyer. Her mother was Lucy Minor (Abbot) Henderson. Virginia was the fifth of their eight children. She grew up in Virginia and first went to school at her grandfather's school for boys.

How Did Virginia Henderson Become a Nurse?

Virginia Henderson's early schooling happened at home in Virginia. Her aunts taught her, and she also learned from her uncle at his all-boys school.

In 1921, she finished her nursing studies at the US Army School of Nursing in Washington, D.C.. Later, she continued her education at Teachers College, Columbia University. She earned a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in 1931 or 1932. She then got her Master's degree in 1934.

What Was Virginia Henderson's Career Like?

Virginia Henderson started her career in public health nursing in 1921. She worked at the Henry Street Settlement in Manhattan, New York. From 1921 to 1923, she worked for the Visiting Nurse Association of Washington, D.C.

She was the first full-time nursing instructor in Virginia. She taught at the Norfolk Presbyterian Hospital from 1924 to 1929. Then, she taught at Teachers College, Columbia University, from 1934 to 1948.

In 1953, she became a research associate at Yale School of Nursing. She continued in this role until 1996, even after becoming an emeritus (retired but still connected) in 1971. Throughout her career, she traveled the world. She wanted to help and encourage nurses and other healthcare workers everywhere.

Virginia Henderson's Important Writings

Virginia Henderson also wrote many important books. When the original author, Bertha Harmer, passed away, Henderson revised her Textbook of Principles and Practices of Nursing in 1939. She also helped write the fifth (1955) and sixth (1978) editions of this book. The fifth edition was the most used nursing textbook in English and Spanish until 1975.

She also created one of the main nursing theories. This theory, called "Henderson's Model," has been used worldwide to help nurses practice in a standard way.

She led a twelve-year project called the Nursing Studies Index. This project looked at the first sixty years of nursing research. It was a very important reference for many years. Another key book she wrote was Nursing Research: A Survey and Assessment, with Leo Simmons. Her work helped change nursing research. It shifted the focus from studying nurses themselves to studying how nurses can make a difference in people's lives. She always taught patients about what nurses should do, not just doctors. This made nurses even more helpful to doctors.

What Honors Did Virginia Henderson Receive?

Virginia Henderson received many awards and honors for her work.

• In 1985, the International Council of Nurses gave her the first-ever Christiane Reimann Prize. This is considered the most important award in nursing.
• She was an honorary fellow of the United Kingdom's Royal College of Nursing (FRCN).
• She was chosen for the American Nurses Association Hall of Fame.
• She received honorary degrees from thirteen different universities.
• In 1985, she received the Virginia Historical Nurse Leadership Award.
• The Virginia Henderson Repository, an online place for nursing research, is named after her. It grew from the Virginia Henderson International Nursing Library at Sigma Theta Tau.
• In 2000, she was recognized as one of fifty-one pioneer nurses in Virginia.

What Is Henderson's Need Theory?

Virginia Henderson's theory is called the "Need Theory." It focuses on letting the patient make their own choices. This helps them continue to do well after they leave the hospital.

Henderson described the nurse's role in three ways:

• Substitutive: The nurse does things for the patient.
• Supplementary: The nurse helps the patient do things.
• Complementary: The nurse works with the patient to do something.

The nurse's role is to help the patient become an independent person again. She organized nursing tasks into 14 different parts, all based on a person's needs. Nurses are not only responsible for the patient's care, but also for helping them be themselves when they leave. This makes sure the patient has fewer problems recovering from sickness or injury. It also makes getting back to self-care easier when a nurse motivates them until they go home.

When Did Virginia Henderson Pass Away?

Virginia Henderson died in 1996 at the Connecticut Hospice in Branford, Connecticut. She was 98 years old. She was buried in her family's plot at St. Stephen's Church in Forest, Bedford County, Virginia. Her great-niece, Catherine Mark Burdge, who is a nurse practitioner and a graduate of the Yale School of Nursing, survived her.

See also

• In Spanish: Virginia Henderson para niños