History

THE HISTORY OF TOADN AND EVOLUTION OF NOADN

As written by
Betty Oliver, RN, MS
Director Alvin Community College, Retired

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Although TOADN was formed in 1984, the impetus for it’s inception dates back to 1960. In 1960, the ANA House of Delegates recommended that ANA promote baccalaureate programs as the basic education for professional nursing. Five years later in 1965, the ANA developed their “Position Paper on Educational Preparation for Nurse Practitioners and Assistants to Nurses” indicating that all nursing education would be in an institution of higher learning with the BS degree the entry into nursing practice and the Associate Degree Nurse as the technical nurse. Further, in 1978 the ANA adopted three resolutions:

1. Ensure 2 categories of nursing practice by 1980 and by 1985 the preparation for entry into professional nursing would be the baccalaureate in nursing.
2. That by 1988 ANA establish a mechanism for a comprehensive statement for two categories of nursing.
3. That ANA actively support career mobility.

Finally in 1983, ANA voted to commit $500,000 to establish the BS degree as the educational requirement for professional nursing and selected four states, Maine, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana to implement this. These 4 states had few AD programs, were primarily rural, and predominantly caucasian in population, thus were considered easy targets.

With these resolutions, AD educators in Texas became concerned that AD graduates would no longer be able to maintain RN licensure by taking the same examination as BS graduates to become registered nurses. AD graduates pass the same licensure examination as the BS graduates and usually made higher scores. In addition, the numbers of graduates from AD programs historically surpass those of BS programs and provide the major workforce in many health care facilities.

Returning from an April 1984 NLN Council of Associate Degree Programs (NLNCADP) meeting, Mary Moses, Mary Hardy, Jean Pryor, and Naomi Brack became concerned with the future of AD graduates if ANA’s resolutions came to fruition. Maintaining the RN licensure for Texas graduates was imperative. A committee was formed, by-laws drafted, and on June 5, 1984 the leaders of all Texas AD programs were invited to attend a meeting in Dallas. The purpose of this meeting, chaired by Mary Moses, was to “organize all AD educators to strengthen the current status of ADN education in order to influence any legislative actions necessary to retain licensure as registered nurses for our graduates”. Seventy representatives from 39 Texas programs were in attendance. At this meeting, a new organization supporting AD education was formed! Organization for the Advancement of Associate Degree Nursing (OAADN) was accepted as the name, the by-laws adopted, and Naomi Brack named as chairperson. (The word “Advancement” was removed from the title in 1992.)

The success of the Texas organization gained the interest of other states and on October 17, 1985 a meeting with other states was held in Dallas to determine interest in forming a national organization. The response was overwhelming and in 1986 steps were begun to organize on a national level. The organizational meeting was held April 14, 1986 in Orlando, Florida in conjunction with the semi-annual meeting of the NLNCADP and the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges (AACJC). Two hundred twelve individuals representing 31 states were in attendance. By-laws were adopted and Naomi Brack, for whom the Brack Scholarship is named, was selected as the first chairperson for the newly formed National Organization for the Advancement for Associate Degree Nursing (NOAADN). The major goals of this newly formed organization were to 1) to maintain RN licensure for all AD nursing graduates and 2) to interact with other nursing organizations.

NOAADN was now the official voice for Associate Degree Nursing education nationwide. Forces were joined with other professional organizations to ensure that AD concerns were being heard. The American Association of Community Colleges (formerly AACJC) became one of strongest supporters of NOAADN. In 2005, NOADN gained the prestigious status as an affiliated council with AACC.

April 22-24,1987, Texas hosted the first National Convention in Dallas. Five hundred fifty individuals representing 32 states attended this meeting. Texas boasted the largest delegation with Mississippi and Kansas also sending large delegations. At this meeting, Naomi Brack was elected President for a one year term and Bobbie Anderson President-elect. Annual conventions continue to be held in cities throughout the country.

During the annual convention in 1991, the NOADN membership requested a study be done to determine the feasibility of hiring an executive director. Invitations to Bid were sent to selected management firms and in February 1993, the NOADN Board selected the Drohan Management Group in Arlington as the organizations first management firm. Over the years, several different management firms have served NOADN in this capacity.

Another milestone occurred June, 2006 when the inaugural issue of Teaching and Learning in Nursing was published. This Journal is published quarterly and is peer reviewed. It is considered the official NOADN publication and is a source of information for associate degree nursing educators.

THE FUTURE

From the very beginnings of TOADN and NOADN, the main objective was to “Maintain eligibility for RN licensure for graduates of Associate Degree nursing programs“. AD educators must always be alert and keep abreast of those issues that professional organizations are addressing which may jeopardize the right of AD graduates to take the licensure exam for registered nursing.

If TOADN and NOADN are to remain viable and visible organizations, members must continue to be the leading advocates for AD education and practice. It is essential to develop and maintain strong educational programs with dynamic curricula, utilize a variety of settings for clinical practice, emphasize lifelong learning, and collaborate with colleges and universities to develop articulation plans.

NOADN has made AD nursing a nationally known success story. However, only through numbers do we have the power to be heard. Encourage colleagues and graduates to become members on the state and national level. Just remember the slogan: “Associate Degree Nursing-You Can’t Argue With Success”!