National CNS Week is coming up the first week of September, and I thought I’d do a quick intro to Hildegard Peplau, the creator of the CNS Role. 

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Brief History of the CNS Role

Hildegard Peplau, EdD, RN (September 1, 1909 – March 17, 1999), established the first clinical nurse specialist program at Rutgers University School of Nursing in 1956. This innovative program was a master’s degree program that focused on advanced clinical practice in psychiatric nursing. She helped initiate the first graduate nursing program in Europe (NACNS, 2021; Sills, 2007).

As one of the first nursing theorists, Peplau published her nursing theory book, Interpersonal Relations In Nursing: A Conceptual Frame of Reference for Psychodynamic Nursing, in 1952. Like many nursing theorists, her theory evolved from her conceptual framework, Interpersonal Relations in Nursing. Her purpose was to “emphasize the nurse-client relationship as the foundation for nursing practice and today serves as the basis of the CNS role in health care” (NACNS, 2021, para. 2; Peplau, 1952/1988).

Dr. Peplau emphasized the nurse-client relationship as the
foundation for nursing practice and the partnership model that
focused on a shared experience between a nurse and a client through
observation, description, formulation, interpretation, validation, and
intervention. (NACNS, 2021, para. 4)

Dr. Peplau also influenced the nursing profession through her presentations, publications, and active involvement in her local (New Jersey State Nurses Association), national, and international chapters of professional nursing associations. Her service included time as the Executive Director and then as President of the American Nurses Association (ANA) and on the board of directors for the International Council of Nurses (ICN) (Sills, 2007). 

Did You Know? National CNS Week starts on September 1st every year to honor Dr. Peplau’s birthday!

 

References and Sources (7th edition APA)*

*Hanging indent doesn’t work on my blog posts, so know that you need to use a hanging indent for your reference page citations when using APA format.

National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists. (2021, August 31). Happy birthday and thank you Hildegard! [Blog post]. National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists. https://nacns.org/nursing-news/happy-birthday-and-thank-you-hildegard/

Peplau, H. E. (1952/1988). Interpersonal relations in nursing: A conceptual frame of reference for psychodynamic nursing. Palgrave Macmillan. DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-10109-2

Sills, G. (2007). Hildegard Peplau nursing theorist homepage. Western University Canada. https://publish.uwo.ca/~cforchuk/peplau/obituary.html

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