Imogene King was a nurse who broadened the field through her research, analysis and processes in theory, nursing education and nursing practice. King received many awards during her long career, including the 1996 ANA Jesse Scott Award and a gold medallion from the Governor of Florida for her contributions to the advancement of the nursing profession (Imogene M. King- Obituary, 2007).
Imogene King was born in 1923 in the small town of West Point, Iowa (Imogene M. King- Obituary, 2007). She completed her first diploma in nursing from St. John’s Hospital School of Nursing in St. Louis, MO just after World War II, which was quickly followed by a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (Imogene M. King- Obituary, 2007). Nearly a decade later in the late 1950s she earned a Master’s degree in nursing, from St. Louis University and then a Doctorate of Education from Columbia University (Imogene M. King- Obituary, 2007).
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King held many positions throughout her career, including as the Assistant Chief of the Research Grants Branch in the federal Nursing Bureau of Health Manpower and Welfare, a professor at Chicago’s Loyola University, the Director of Nursing at Ohio State University, and a Professor Emeritus at University of South Florida (Imogene M. King- Obituary, 2007). She was also part of the advisory board in the University of Tampa Nursing Department and she served as president of the Florida Nurses Foundation (Imogene M. King- Obituary, 2007).
Her interdisciplinary approach was focused on not only expanding the theoretical basis of nursing, but also in identifying the best ways to teach these concepts so as to build and develop the discipline of nursing for a new generation. King’s theories of nursing continue to resonate with the direction of future nursing studies and practice from their focus on sickness to a focus on wellness (Strout, 2012).
King passed away in 2007 in Florida (Imogene M. King- Obituary, 2007).
Social issues in the time of Imogene King
King lived in tumultuous times. She came of age during the Great Depression in the Midwest. She would have begun her studies near the end of the Second World War, and would have been very aware of the difficulties of that this conflict created. She continued her studies during the 1950s, at which time the human relations movement and other new theoretical positions were challenging the established basis for caring professions, including psychology, education and nursing.
The 1960s saw the rise of Civil Rights movements, alternative perspectives and youth protest. One particular focus of these protests was the Vietnam War. As the director of a nursing program at Ohio State University from 1968-1972 she was in the midst of this counterculture revolution. When four young people were killed at a protest at Kent State University, only 140 miles away, it is likely that she was impacted by these events.
King describes two critical events which contributed to the development of her theoretical philosophy. The first occurred in 1963 when King was challenged to realize that one could not define what constituted a nursing act without defining what constituted a human act, and this led to reflection regarding nursing as a series of processes rather than interventions as well as consideration of the need for a strong theoretical framework for nursing (King, 1997). A further important event which was a great influence on King’s thinking was formal classes in systems theory (King, 1997). She realized that the multiple levels of understanding which this theory presented in terms of the individual, groups and social systems were important not only to wellness but should be incorporated into an understanding of how nursing should be practiced.
Contributions to nursing
She was one of the first to publish her thoughts regarding the dependence and relationships between the diverse areas of theory, education and practice. This concept of interdependence remains particularly important today as nursing has developed. Imogene King made two major contributions to nursing in the form of two theories which became foundations for modern theories of nursing today: the application of systems theory to nursing, and goal attainment theory (Imogene M. King- Obituary, 2007).
In King’s publication Toward a Theory for Nursing (1971) she first describes the application of systems theory to that of wellness and nursing practice. King was also trying to redefine nursing as a very human related practice which should be rooted in human relations, rather than a set of clinical and technical processes.
King’s goal attainment theory built on systems theory in terms of individual, group and system wide approaches, and how the direction of each was a determinant of wellness and healing. This fits well with the understanding of prevention and wellness focus as a means of avoiding sickness, and healthcare as more than interventions in acute illness.
Discussion
Today there is no question that theory is the foundation of nursing practice, and this was a concept which King promoted throughout her career. Today it is well understood that nursing practice must incorporate concepts from diverse disciplines, and that the context of caring for patients and promoting wellness requires an understanding of interdependence. Further, the practice of nursing is increasingly seen as one where there is an ecology of ideas in that practice has a foundation in theory, research is based in real needs and measurable goals which must be translated into practice, and that the teaching approach to nursing underlies the philosophy which determines the future of the profession.
Imogene King could be said to have been a nursing theorist before her time. She passed away in the decade prior to the passing of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which she surely would have seen as the beginning of a new direction on the system wide level of nursing care which would provide support for group and individual wellness, and one that is very compatible with theoretical philosophy.
- Imogene M. King- Obituary. (2007). Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved from: http://www.legacy.com/
- King, I. M. (1971). Toward a theory for nursing: General concepts of human behavior. John Wiley & Sons.
- King, I. M. (1997). Reflections on the past and a vision for the future. Nursing science quarterly, 10(1), 15-17.
- Strout, K. (2012). Wellness promotion and the institute of medicine’s future of nursing report: Are nurses ready?. Holistic nursing practice, 26(3), 129-136.
