Nurse Practitioners Visit Barbara Bates Center at U. Penn

Do you remember the RED PHYSICAL ASSESSMENT book written by Dr. Barbara Bates? Many early nurse practitioners used that book to learn physical assessment and prepare for certification. Dr. Bates' legacy lives on at UPenn as the Bates Center for the study of the history of nursing holds  > 3500 books, monographs and other printed materials ranging from contemporary to rare collections. The AANP Fellows history group including Dr. Loretta Ford and family visited the center on Friday, June 23, 2017 while attending the AANP national conference. A tour was arranged by Bates Center Director, Dr. Patricia DAntonio who discussed the mission and the process for archiving collections to preserve our heritage. Documents are preserved in a climate controlled room and there is a reading room to do research. The Center is the steward of one of the largest collections of documents and images in the country. Florida NPs attending were Dr. Ford, Dr. Kim Curry, Dr. Janet DuBois, and Dr. Jean Aertker.

Dr. Kim Curry actually reserved time to explore the papers and writings of Dr. Dorothy Smith, the past Dean at UF. Dr. Ford has already begun to archive her papers at the Center. If you want to learn more about the Bates Center, please visit the website and see the many collections housed there! Consider a donation to the center to ensure our history is preserved! https://www.nursing.upenn.edu/research