Community Hospital School of Nursing - A lesson of a lifetime

Community Hospital School of Nursing - A lesson of a lifetime

Donna Bond, DNP, RN, CCNS, AE-C, CTTS, FCNS (Class of 1981)

Community Hospital of the Roanoke Valley School of Professional Nursing (CHRV SON) was in existence less than 20 years but graduated 428 students eligible to take nursing boards. The school was established in 1965 with students from Jefferson Hospital School of Nursing and Lewis-Gale Hospital School of Nursing after the respective schools chose to consolidate when the hospitals planned to close. According to a history written by Donna Mathews in 1967, the administration at Jefferson Hospital and Lewis-Gale Hospital made the decision in November of 1959 to consolidate the services of the two hospitals to form Community Hospital of the Roanoke Valley (CHRV). The target date of completion was the fall of 1965. As part of the consolidation the two nursing schools were combined. Later, possibly because of construction delays and courting by the then city of Salem, Lewis-Gale joined the Healthcare Corporation of America (HCA) in 1968 and began construction of their hospital in Salem, completed in 1972. The new Lewis Gale hospital did not have an associated nursing school.

The newly formed CHRV School of Nursing graduated the first class of nurses in 1968. The diploma nursing program was 33 months in length, which included college classes at Roanoke College in Anatomy and Physiology, Chemistry, and Microbiology. All other classes were in the Carlton Terrace building located on Jefferson street. The nurses lived on the eighth through tenth floors with classes held on the seventh floor.

The curriculum changed in 1967 from the approach that student nurses were treated as staff, which was typical of diploma nursing schools at the time, to students being treated as learners. The first year was comprised of basic nursing classes and academic classes. The first summer the students started clinical rotations. For psychiatric experiences the students would rotate through Catawba and Western State Hospital, where they also lived, and later at the Veteran’s Administration Medical Center and Lewis-Gale Psychiatric Center. After 1966 their medical, surgical, pediatrics and mother-baby rotations were all at Community Hospital of the Roanoke Valley (CHRV).

Being a new school there were several “firsts” for the students.1969 was the first class to spend all three years at the Carlton Terrace dorm. The first male student was Richard Cowling who graduated in 1969. The first class to spend all three years of nursing clinicals at CHRV was the class of 1971. Linda Gardner (Class of 1967) was married in the chapel of the then uncompleted CHRV. During the 1960’s and early 1970’s, students who wanted to marry had to ask permission of the school administration. If a student became pregnant, she had to leave the program. In 1969 a set of twins graduated, Brenda and Linda Dickinson. According to Brenda, the administration was fearful of admitting both sisters to the program in case one would excel, the other not, and cause family problems. Both sisters graduated in 1969.

Along with the marriage and pregnancy rules, the diploma program also retained more traditional practices that were not in tune with the general college age students. Until the 1980’s if the student walked towards downtown, they were required to wear a dress. This included anytime they went to the hospital cafeteria for meals. There was a 10-minute limit on phone calls (from a pay phone). Lights out occurred at 11 pm nightly, students were required to sign in and out of the dorm, and no men were allowed in the dorm until the mid-80’s, except for a few hours on Saturday and Sunday. Male students lived on a separate floor. When a male did visit, including fellow students, brothers, fathers, or dates, the door had to remain open 12 inches. House mothers were on duty around the clock to enforce dorm rules.

Several traditions identified as unique to diploma nursing schools continued at CHRV SON. Three items identified the CHRV nursing students from other nursing schools - their uniform, pin, and cap. The first Nursing Director of CHRV SON was from Lewis Gale School of Nursing. To avoid favoritism from Jefferson or Lewis-Gale students, new uniforms, pins and caps were developed by a committee formed from both schools. A pale yellow one-piece dress was chosen for the uniforms. The school administration made the decision to not require an apron over the uniform. Pant uniforms were first allowed in 1980. The school pin was circular in design with the words “Community Hospital of the Roanoke Valley School of Nursing inscribed around the circle. A cut-out of the state of Virginia was in the center of the pin. A star representing Roanoke was added to the southwest part of the state cut-out. The colors were blue and gold

adopted from the merging schools. The Nightingale Pledge was recited at the time the students received their cap at the completion of the first year of study, prior to clinicals. The cap originally was a flat nine-inch square that was brought together to form a triangle in the front. Each corner represented the merging school while the center represented the coming together of the schools to form CHRV SON. The class of 1967 was the first class to wear the new cap. When the members of the class of 1967 became alumni, they contacted the school’s educational director and requested to redesign the cap with input from the current students. The cap they designed remained in use until the school converted over to an associate degree program. The cap retained the three points, but the point of the cap was in the back, a wide brim, and the initials CHRV were added to the side. The official debut was May 24, 1968 at graduation.

The CHRV diploma school maintained many fun traditions of the founding schools of nursing. Upper class students were paired with freshman as a big sister (brother)/little sister (brother), softball and basketball teams played the rival across town - Roanoke Memorial School of Nursing. There were cheerleaders, choirs, newspaper staff, annual staff, a fellowship club and a chapter of the Student Nurses Association.

In 1965 the National League of Nursing (NLN) and the American Nurses Association (ANA) released guidelines recommending baccalaureate education for beginning nursing practice. Beside setting off fireworks in nursing education, the recommendations led to the eventual closing of most diploma nursing programs. In the early 1960’s, 75% of nursing schools were diploma programs. In 1984 the number had decreased to 18%. Now there are less than 100 diploma nursing programs in the United States representing less than 4% of nursing schools. CHRV SON followed this trend. The last class of diploma graduates received their pins in 1984. The school became the Community Hospital College of Health Sciences offering an Associate Degree in Nursing, later to become Jefferson College of Health Sciences, with a baccalaureate degree.

So why are these memories important? CHRV SON, like most diploma programs, is gone. The classrooms and dorm are now an empty lot on Jefferson Street. The guidance provided by instructors fortyeight weeks a year for three years are gone. The friendships and relationships that could only develop by living together, studying together, eating together, playing together, and going through three years of life as a young person cannot be duplicated in other programs. The traditions of a diploma nursing program capping, pinning, care plans, intense clinicals covering all shifts, white shoes and hose - other nursing students may never experience. It was a world all in its own and like no other college experience. While I have grown and learned, the foundation of my adulthood was formed in those 33 months of nursing school, and that should never be forgotten.

This article was written from personal recollections of former students, a historical perspective of Community Hospital of the Roanoke Valley and Community Hospital of the Roanoke Valley School of nursing written by Donna Mathews, RN, Assistant Educational Director in September 1967, CHRV SON annuals (COHOROVA), History of Healthcare in the Roanoke and New River Valleys Volume III (published May 1, 2012 https://issuu.com/ourhealthvirginia/docs/rnrv_historyiii2013) and information obtained from the O. Winston Link Museum (History Museum of Western Virginia, Jefferson Hospital) archives.

Thank you to Linda McManaway Gardner (Class of 1968), Brenda Dickenson Rechtman (Class of 1969, Cindy White Hodges (Class of 1984), Shirley Hoback Overstreet (Class of 1976), Beth Wiley Elkins (Class of 1977), Debbie Carr Meacham (Class of 1983), Sherrie Andrew (Class of 1977), Clement Brock (Class of 1978), Terrie Dickenson Goins (Class of 1977, and Kathy Robertson (Class of 1975), for their shared memories.

For a glimpse of the memories Donna evokes in her article, turn the page for some historical pictures!

CHRV SON pin “The newly formed CHRV School of

Nursing graduated the first class of nurses in 1968. The diploma nursing program was 33 months in length, which included college classes at

Roanoke College in Anatomy and

Physiology, Chemistry,” and Microbiology. All other classes were in the Carlton Terrace building located on Jefferson street. The nurses lived on the eighth through tenth floors with classes held on the seventh floor. “

~ Donna Bond, Class of 1981

CHRV SON cap, lamp, diploma, and pin 1981

“It was a world all in its own and like no other college experience. While I have grown and learned, the foundation of my adulthood was formed in those 33 months of nursing school and that should never be forgotten. “

~ Donna Bond Class of 1981

Carlton Terrace Building - Home of CHRV SON and dorm

First male graduate of CHRV SON 1969 1st wedding in CHRV chapel before opening of hospital 1976 - Linda and Hartford Gardner

“Being a new school there were several “firsts” for the students. 1969 was the first class to spend all three years at the Carlton Terrace dorm. The first male student was Richard Cowling who graduated in 1969. The first class to spend all three years of nursing clinicals at CHRV was the class of 1971. Linda Gardner (Class of 1967) was married in the chapel of the then uncompleted CHRV. During the 1960’s and early 1970’s, students who wanted to marry had to ask permission of the school administration.” “The cap originally was a flat nine-inch square that was brought together to form a triangle in the front. Each corner represented the merging school while the center represented the coming together of the schools to form CHRV SON. The class of 1967 was the first class to wear the new cap. “

~ Donna Bond, Class of 1981

First CHRV SON cap 1967 CHRV SON cap 1968-1984