Meet the “KING” of Goal Attainment.
Dr. Imogene M. King, EdD, MSN, RN, FAAN
She dreamed of being a Teacher. However, to escape her life in small town she accepted her Uncle’s offer to study nursing. Where she never thought, would lead her to become one of the Pioneers and most sought Nurse Theorist.
She was born in West Point, Lowa on January 30, 1923, youngest of three children.
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
- 1945- received Nursing Diploma from St. John’s Hospital of Nursing St. Louis, Missouri
- 1948- BS Nursing & Education with minors in Philosophy and Chemistry from St. John’s Hospital of Nursing St. Louis, Missouri
- 1957- Master of Science Nursing from St. John’s University
- 1961- Doctorate in Education from Teachers College, Columbia University
- 1980- Honorary Ph.D from Southern Illinois University
WORK EXPERIENCES
- Administrator Director of the Ohio State University, School of Nursing (1968-1972).
- Educator at St. John’s Hospital School of Nursing; Loyola University, and University of South Florida (1961-1980). Where she was involved in efforts to change the curriculum from a medical model to a nursing model.
- Practitioner as Adult Medical – Surgical Nurse.
- Assistant Chief at the Research Grants Branch, Division of Nursing, Department of Health and Welfare. Washington, D.C. (1966-1968)
- Was honored as Professor Emeritus at University of South Florida in 1990.
ACHIEVEMENTS
- Founder of King International Nursing Group (1998)
- Jessie M. Scott Award ( ANA Convention) (1996)
Ø which is presented to a registered nurse whose accomplishments in practice, education or research demonstrate the interdependence of those fields and their significance in improving nursing and health care.
- was inducted in the American Nurses Association's Hall of Fame and the Florida Nurses Association Hall of Fame,
- In 2005, she was given a title a “Living Legend” by the American Academy of Nursing.
Publications:
Toward a Theory for Nursing: General Concepts of Human Behavior.
A Theory for Nursing: Systems, Concepts, Process.
HER STORY HOW SHE CAME UP WITH THE THEORY:
She was challenged by her Philosophy Professor with a question
“Have you or any other nurses have defined the “Nursing Act”?”
She pursue to answer the question, and reading courses led her to the Literature Systems analysis and General Systems Theory and hence to another set of questions. With the thought of:
- What is the goal of nursing?
- What are the functions of the nurses?
- How can nurses continue to expand their knowledge to provide quality care?
THESE QUESTIONS LED HER TO…. “THEORY OF GOAL ATTAINMENT”
Despite King’s many awards and honors, she considered teaching students to be her most important accomplishment. Over the years, she enjoyed watching her nursing students become expert practitioners, teachers and researchers. “That is the biggest honor of all,” King said. (Houser & Player, 2007, p. 130)
She Died on December 24, 1997, 2 days after suffering from stroke.
REFERENCES AND RESOURCES
References
Houser, B.P., & Player, K.N. (2007). Pivotal Moments in Nursing, Volume II. Indianapolis, IN: Sigma Theta Tau International.
King, I.M., & Fawcett, J. (1997). The Language of Nursing Theory and Metatheory. Indianapolis, IN: Center Nursing Publishing.
Messmer, P. (2000). Imogene King 1923-, in V.L. Bullough & L. Sentz (Eds.), American Nursing: A Biographical Dictionary, Volume 3 (pp. 164-167). New York: Springer.
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COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning
