Read the short online bio of Elizabeth “Sister” Kenny at http://www.teachspace.org/personal/research/poliostory/sisterkenny.html
Then watch the video clip at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyzg-4Z5G2I&feature=related (cut and paste this URL into your browser)
Discuss with your group how Kenny demonstrates professionalism. Post a summary of your team’s comments to the blog before noon on Wednesday, November 30.
Our group thought that Elizabeth “Sister” Kenny displayed many qualities that a professional would be expected to have. Almost all of us spent some time talking about her commitment to her beliefs. Kenny was never one to give in to the common ideas and procedures when she believed and had evidence that better methods were available. As future doctors, we believe that our patients should also expect us to never settle for the status quo. At times, it can be difficult to stand up to others, especially your superiors, but a professional must remain objective and scientific. Like Kenny, we should be expected to keep pushing to find better answers to help our patients.
ReplyDeleteAnother sign of Kenny’s professionalism was seen in her education. Despite having no “medical background” she was constantly educating herself as much as possible, and teaching others about her findings and theories. She showed professionalism to her patients, her peers, and other doctors by continually trying to find avenues to expand the discussion of proper polio treatment. Eventually she was able to speak at universities and even establish an institute. Her ability to reach out and make an impact on such a large scale is a testament to her professionalism.
Her story also had similarities to the beginnings of chiropractic. Advances in healthcare often come through struggle, resistance, hours of tedious observation, and trial treatments. Like D.D. Palmer, Kenny had to develop and hone skills without much assistance. Many people would have been daunted by the strong opposition to her ideas, but her optimistic spirit and strong character are traits that any good professional, healthcare related or not, should strive to encompass in their careers.
Brian Hall, Group 16
Our groups discussion of Sister Kenny's professionalism was rooted in her opposition again the "common knowledge" of the Medical community at the time. She stuck with a treatment that was resulting in relief and success. As a true professional, she initially went to her superior asking for advise and when she was told to just do "the best she could" she sought the best for her patient and found something that was working. She never claimed it was a "cure" however, found that her treatment was getting improvements. She tried to convince the medical community to have an open mind and when they opposed she paved the way and continued with her treatments anyway. She was a trailblazer and innovator and would not be deterred in her efforts.
ReplyDeleteShe was even able to take her earnings to open a clinic to help and treat patients afflicted with Polio. Her drive to help patients with an alternative treatment consistently proves her level of dedication, commitment and professional character that she exuded.
When it comes to the many advances in the Medical community, much of it has to do with resisting the common practice and searching for alternative methods. She was a single contributing factor to this idealism and her story demonstrates and important lesson of how one individual can have such a large impact.
Stephanie Connolly, Group 5
Our group discussion on Sister Kenny’s ventures and her positive role in the medical community had us amazed with the knowledge she gained by her passion towards helping others. Miracle worker is right! She used the self-taught knowledge she gained by reading books and under the guidance of her doctor, took to the world and helped patients in a truly professional manner. In times of doubt, she would refer back to her doctor, whom started this fascination in the first place. Even when she could only do the best she could, she figured out innovative ways to help patients, even though the medical community frowned upon it. She never really found the “cure” for her patients problems, but she figured out ways to help symptoms disappear when all else had failed for the patient. Continuous education also ensured that her patients would be receiving the top care that they eventually got from her. With her medical background, and her passion to keep learning, this was an unstoppable force.
ReplyDeleteSister Kenny eventually became famous, and opened up a clinic in Minneapolis. Her methods were proven to work. However, with no scientific evidence, they were still quite controversial. This controversial alternative therapy not only helped her patients, but also gave Sister Kenny the title of most admirable woman in the U.S. The field of Chiropractics is quite similar in a way to what Sister Kenny had managed to accomplish in the early 1900’s. Chiropractics is an alternative method of healing, which shows results patient after patient, and it is this alternative method which Sister Kenny provided to her patients which proved to work. Sister Kenny’s story provides us with a perspective of how dedication into what you believe in will ultimately help patients with their goals and needs, regardless of what anyone else has to say.
Chris Tagggar, Group 4
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ReplyDeleteIn our group's discussion we were able to address a few aspects of Sister Kenny's professionalism and the way she conducted herself. We started with the physical appearance of Kenny. If the movie was accurate and true she looked very professional. From her hygiene to her respectable looking clothing. Although this may seem like a small issue but it is one that plays a part Kenny's poise.
ReplyDeleteNext we addressed how the approach to her career was professional. She was educated and this is very important that you are knowledgeable in the subject you are wishing to be professional in. She became a brush nurse and gained invaluable experience in her field. Following this experience was the leadership in innovation of medical treatment that opposed the status quo. From her bibliography She was able to take all of her knowledge and experience to provide better treatment for her patients and their health. The next crucial step in her professionalism was being able to stand up to the opposition with confidence. Even in this time it was uncommon for a woman to be leading a movement or seen as respected among men (which was apparent in the video clip when the physician addressed her position as a nurse working under him)
This applies and relates to the field of chiropractic in the essences that throughout history the status quo and alternative theories, methods, and treatments have been opposed. If our profession of chiropractic is to survive and become common we are going to have to be professional in the way we carry ourselves. From how we dress to our education and experience along with the important confidence we need when educating our patients, opposers, and even our fellow chiropractors.
Jacob Peot, Group 2
During our groups discussion of Sister Kenny, we all came to a quick conclusion of what a professional role model she played, beginning from learning the skeletal system from a few ropes and pulleys. In a sense she was in a way a pioneer to the techniques she was using, learning her methods throughout her journeys. She would travel to those that couldnt get a doctor, across the outback of Australia. When she didnt quite understand the symptoms of the patient she would trace her knowledge back to what she knew, taking the care that did work and adjusting it to the patient she was seeing. This was a remarkable thing to do at her time, she was a self taught physician. Many medical communities frowned upon her for the methods, and innovative techniques she used, but they were working and helping the patient, so she was not going to stop seeing success. After many years she moved to the United States, still the medical community frowned upon her but that didnt stop her. She was a determined lady, and saw what was working and would not stray from that.
ReplyDeleteThis is a similar way the chiropractic world is viewed by so many other medical professions, for how we use alternative treatments, and methods, but we are the newest medical profession, the only way others will respect us is to be professional in how we carry ourselves, educate others, and treat the individual patients that come in. If there is something you truly believe in dont let others deter you away, because what you believe in is powerful because you believe it.
Jake Clark, Group 25
The consensus of group 21 is that Sister Kenny was professional and carried herself in a positive, respectable mannor. It was brave of her at that time to continue to profess her ideas and deal with the opostion. She was a true visionary.
ReplyDeleteHer dedication is proof of her love for others. She traveled to remote areas to help those who were otherwise unable to seek medical attention. Even when others were displeased with her treatments she carried on for the sake of her patients. Sister Kenny is an inspiration.
Our group discussed the role of a foundation of solid character, and how one needs moral and ethical strength in their chosen profession. Sister Kenny appeared to demonstrate those qualities. She battled with the scientific method by doing what her moral beliefs told her was right. She rationalized this by doing what, in her mind, was best for the patient. She clearly was opposed by the medical field for refusing to immobilize her patients, but according to the science at that time it was the only option. A group member brought up a good point in saying that weren't physicians aware that immobilizing limbs leads to muscle atrophy, and bone loss from inactivity? If so, then why would a professional (the doctors) take that route of immobilizing a limb when they know it's not the best way to treat the patient?
ReplyDeleteSister Kenny persevered through her trials because she believed in her morals knowing that although her methods had not yet been proven scientifically, she ultimately got what she wanted: positive results for the patient. We as professionals must keep an open mind towards all methods; however it must be accomplished by maintaining our foundations of solid character.
Another point was brought up in our discussion about her validity for treating her patients. The term "spasm" was used to describe the condition which ailed her patients. This was lauged at by the doctors because it had no relevance in what their books had told them. Does this hold true for subluxations? A few days ago a petition was passed around campus just to keep the word in practice! Group #15
Group 6 decided that Sister Kenny displayed both professional and unprofessional qualities. Sister Kenny showed some admirable qualities that could influence one see her as professional; however, our group decided that even though Sister Kenny was passionate towards her patients, and determined to let her voice be heard, she did so in an unprofessional way.
ReplyDeleteSister Kenny had a passion to discover new innovative techniques to help with healing. She made a lot of money for coming up with a stretcher, and she decided to donate that money to make a hospital to further serve her patients. This is a professional use of money as opposed to just spending it on herself. She also pursued and attained high levels of knowledge about the body and shared with others and set up care centers to help patients, which shows she is professional in her passion as a healer because she truly cares for her patients and always put them first by being available to all of those in need. She helped the patient through any means possible and she added to the profession by influencing doctors to try new healing techniques. She was also committed to life long learning to make sure she knew what was best for the patient.
Sister Kenny was professional towards her patients, but with her peers and doctors and others in the healing profession, she went about sharing her ideas very unprofessionally. Sister Kenny didn’t care who she trampled over to get her opinion heard. She was unprofessional to barge into a meeting with Doctors that she wasn’t invited to too. She was very passionate while she argued with the main doctor but could not control her emotions which ran wild throughout the whole argument. She threw out petty insults to the doctor, who is supposed to be her superior, more than once. She did not look for another way to share her opinion peacefully and considerately, which probably would have gained better results then leaving the meeting all shook up and angry. She also ignored her oath as a nurse by not supporting the doctors. An oath is something a professional person would strive to keep. It was very unprofessional to argue against a doctor and his peers. It is especially rude to call a doctor out in front of his patient. The patient was probably nervous after a nurse yelled at her doctor about doing the wrong procedure. She was ridiculed by many doctors, and chose to fight for her patients, which can be seen as honorable. Also, the science community could have been more open to learning new ideas, which is the basis of science itself. Overall, Sister Kenny was professional in the way she treated her patients, but unprofessional in how she shared her findings by emotional arguing, interrupting meeting, going against her nurses Oath and insulting her superiors.
In summary of our group discussion, we agreed Sister Kenny demonstrates a new level of professionalism that is not limited to academics and science based ideas alone. Sister Kenny’s professionalism requires knowledge and wisdom of conceptual treatment as well as the ability to be open-minded to new ideas. Sister Kenny strays away from common medical practices and opens her eyes about new techniques to healing. She didn't always agree and accept common knowledge; she used critical thinking skills and common sense to develop new methods. Sister Kenny was true to herself and her beliefs, not deterred by opposition. In Sister Kenny’s story, professionalism also deals with the professional's willingness to serve those in need of assistance. Sister Kenny is a prime example of the service pillar of chiropractic’s. As Chiropractors, this level of professionalism will need to be exhibited to change the mindset of individuals and help them discover the benefits of chiropractic adjustment. Sister Kenny closely resembles the chiropractic profession with D.D. Palmer (and especially B.J. Palmer) by standing her ground when she knew what was best for the patient. She stood firm to her values and made her opinion heard because she truly believed what she was doing made a difference. Her integrity was on display and Sister Kenney would adhere to her moral and ethical principles even though her life consisted of constant friction against Medical Doctors. In our profession, judgments will be made and we will need the professionalism of Sister Kenny to become successful and teach the power of chiropractics.
ReplyDeleteAlissa Knigge
Group #1
Our Principles book defines professionalism as, “Professionalism is service through the use of specialized knowledge, skills and experience; holding oneself to the highest standards of thought, word and deed.” As a group we think of Sister Kenny as fitting this definition perfectly. Based on the clip and the webpage we saw that she had much self taught knowledge, skills and plenty of clinical experience from the Outback. The video especially showed her commitment to her ideas and experience, even though she was being attacked in this area. She showed this by trying to convince the doctor that his methods were not the best way to treat this child, now that new methods were available. She had obviously seen both methods of treatment, and had found that here new method worked best. Through the movie you could also see that she tried hard not to stoop to the doctors “level” by attacking him. But rather explaining the ups and downs of both treatments.
ReplyDeleteWe also saw a lot of ideas that would not be considered “professionalism”. But as we read though the text book we could see that mainstream “professionals” do not always follow the most ethical ways. When mainstream is not being professional, as in Sister Kenny’s case with treating the patient with poor results even though better treatments are available, we need someone to go against “mainstream professionalism” to get us back on the most professional track possible. So in a way Sister Kenny had to be unprofessional to be professional. She had to start arguing with doctors, who were considered her superiors, to make them realize that treatment with very poor results is not ethical when other treatments have better results for the patient.
Our world needs more people like Sister Kenny, someone to show and prove that the textbook method is not always the most professional way to be. It takes a real professional like Sister Kenny to help us filter new resources and research, to either replace old methods or prove that old methods are right. With people as a whole this can sometimes be hard to do if you have to go against what they believe and have been taught for years.
Shane Zimmer 54004 group-11
There were many qualities about Sister Kenny that were admirable. She had a sincere determination to develop a treatment to help polio patients. There was only one problem with this motivation; her ideas went against what society at that time accepted as the correct treatment. Even with many medical professionals against her ideas, Sister Kenny did not back down. She acted in a very professional manner to try and teach other what she knew to be helpful methods of treatment.
ReplyDeleteOne way in which Sister Kenny acted professionally was by not slandering her colleagues. In the video she could have tried to undermine the male doctor but instead she recognized that he was an intelligent man but that he had an opposing idea of the cause of polio. We agree that acting professionally means presenting your ideas in a mature way and Sister Kenny did this.
In addition to respecting the male doctor, we noticed that Sister Kenny (the actor who played Sister Kenny) spoke and handled herself in a very professional way. She kept eye contact with her audience and also spoke using intelligent, thoughtful words. Speaking in a professional way may be one of the reasons that her ideas did eventually lead to the change in the treatment of polio patients.
Acting in a professional way, as Sister Kenny did, allowed her to be respected even when some her ideas were not accepted. It was her knowledge, determination and professionalism that allowed Sister Kenny to impact the medical world in the positive way that she did.
Amber Romer
Group # 20
During our group discussion we found that Sister Kenny had a lot in common with chiropractic and those who founded it. She was firm in her belief that the methods that she had perfected in the bush worked, and she did not allow anyone to tell her otherwise.
ReplyDeleteIt was this tenacity that helped inspire her to found not only two institutes and invent a new stretcher, but also to educate and train countless therapists that entered the medical field and helped rehabilitate many children.
SIster Kenny was something of an eccentric character. Not only in the way she dressed, but in the theories that she was developing and presenting to the medical world. But she genuinely cared about her patients and this feeling translated quite easily to them and they trusted her immensely. Her passion for her patients often came at the expense of relationships with her colleagues and fellow medical professionals. When they attempted to deride her methods, or her personally, she would react and snipe back at them. This was not always in the best taste. Yet these incidents did not deter Sister Kenny from continuing to help rehabilitate her patients.
It is this tenacity and passion to heal that we, as future medical professionals, must try and emulate if we are to be successful in helping our patients.
Josiah Street, Group 17
We all think that sister Kinney demonstrates many great qualities that all medical professionals should strive to obtain. She is assertive, in the fact that even though she wasn’t given the tools or materials to learn, as many others in the medical industry have the privilege to do, she found & made ways to understand the human body. She illustrates humility a few times, first; when she seeks advice from Dr. MacDonald with the little girl in 1911, as well as, when she admits to being wrong in times before claiming to not have all the answers. The third & final characteristic that stood out to us was the fact that she remained professional throughout the course of her debate with medical doctor. An example of that would be that she only speaks when given the opportunity to & never over steps her boundaries with what she has to say, but still remaining firm in her beliefs in her methods.
ReplyDeleteAs chiropractors, we can relate very closely with this scenario. We are at a time in our profession, when other medical professionals don’t necessarily understand the human body the way we see it. What we can learn from sister Kinney, are to remain firm and bold in our beliefs while not over stepping our boundary with others in the profession. We need to understand that being humble & showing humility from time to time is alright. We will not always have the right answers, but if we stay true to what we believe & be assertive in continuing our knowledge of our profession we can’t go wrong. As sister Kinney illustrated in her life, opportunities will always present themselves we just have to be bold enough to take a shot at them when they come.
Robert Boehland Group 18
In our group we agreed on several ways in which Kenny displays professionalism. When she encountered something she had never seen, she sought the opinion of her superior, a physician in this case. When the physician did not have the answer, she did what she thought might work given her knowledge of the body and it worked in reducing or relieving the symptoms. Also, she always stood strong behind her beliefs even after encountering much resistance. She could see that her techniques worked better than the conventional and accepted treatments, and so she stuck to them even though many refuted her ideas and techniques. Even though she was highly disregarded by other professionals, she continued to try and educate others and show that her alternative methods and ideas had evidence to back them up. She knew that by educating others she could indirectly help more patients. Another thing she did that exhibited professionalism is that she continued to educate herself. Knowledge in science, healthcare specifically, is constantly growing and adapting. She was aware of this and realized that in order to better treat her patients she had to continually educate herself on new ideas and methods. Through her perseverance, she was able to finally be respected by her peers and opened clinics and spoke at universities to continue helping and educating people. Through these ways and others, we feel that she demonstrated professionalism throughout her life.
ReplyDeleteAs chiropractic professionals, we will need to demonstrate professionalism in similar ways to Kenny. When we encounter something that we are unsure of or have never seen or treated, it will be our responsibility to ourselves and our patients to consult with our peers and the literature to educate ourselves so that we can treat the patient or at the very least, refer them to someone who can help them. We also need to stand up for what we believe in. We need to do what we believe is in the best interest of the patient, whether or not someone else agrees with us or not. We owe it to the patient to help them in way that we believe is best. Continuing our education after we are done with school will also be very important. We will need to consult the literature, our peers, and other healthcare professionals so that we stay current in our ideas and techniques. By doing this we can offer the best care possible to our patients.
Logan Andera, Group 22
The skill, competence, or character expected of a member of a highly trained profession, this is the definition of what professionalism is about. We as a group believed that Sister Kenny displayed not only high amounts of professionalism but exceeded it by definition. She carried herself with such a sense of pride that would have dwarfed highly respected physicians at that time. Another highly inspirational aspect of Sister Kenny was the fact that she stood up for what she believed in and what she knew helped her patients, regardless of what others may have thought. Her main concern was to help those in need, and she would pursue any length in order to do that. As chiropractors, we may encounter similar situations of a lessor scale, in which someone (of the medical field or not) may not believe in a certain procedure or medical practice that we are doing, but if we have been trained to do it so, and helps our patients, we should act in a manner of what Sister Kenny did and stand up for what will help our patients. One value of chiropractic care is putting our patients needs first, and that is truely a good example of that. Also, Sister Kenny was constantly trying to stay current on new methods in the healthcare field in order to adequately treat her patients with the most up to date care. As chiropractors, we should also carry this standard and continue to stay as up to date on the latest practices available in order to ensure that our patients are receiving the utmost care. Her sense of passion for her profession and caring for patients is also something that all chiropractors should strive for.
ReplyDeleteGroup 12
Dylan Clarke GROUP 10
ReplyDeleteOur team discussed Sister Kenny and all pretty much agreed that she is right on the money when It comes to being professional. We looked up the definition of professionalism. There were two points that referred to having or acting with a professional manner which were: The methods, character, status, ect, of a professional, AND the pursuit of an activity for gain or livelihood.
Sister Kenny was not only displayed professionalism throughout her career by definition but she magnified the duties and responsibilities of her profession by her contributions and attitude. By definition in order to be professional you must have the methods, character and status of your profession. Although Sister Kenny did not necessarily have the “Doctor” credentials one could say by her vast experience that she was more than qualified to be a doctor. She had applied knowledge which in many cases is more important than academic knowledge. She served people and cared for the human race. She treated people out in the bush and in World War I. She had practical knowledge.
In our Group we discussed that if you are going to be a true professional you must or should contribute something to your profession. You can contribute in many different ways and forms. The way Sister Kenny did was by furthering and advancing ideas that help people heal. She challenged the status quo by using scientific methods and testing a hypothesis. Once she found out what did and didn’t work she built off that foundation. She did more for polio than the modern surgical and drug methods of the time. She contributed to the power of the body and giving credit to it for its inherent healing nature. She looked for alternative paths to achieve a better outcome that was in the best interest of the patient.
We enjoyed watching the movie clip. All of us could relate to her frustration with the Medical Institution. In our current medical system the doctors act as if they know everything. Many are unwilling to try new things or consider new possibilities. Doctors get stuck with what they have been taught and stay in a rigid formation of those ideas. We could all see it. It also seems as if they are elitist in their ideas. The doctor in the movie didn’t want to have a discussion in front of the patient of all the side effects, optional treatment, and options in general. He played “God” so to speak thinking he knew what was best and the more information he didn’t share of the negative side effects or other treatment options the better so he could do what HE thought was best. Being a professional is sticking up for the patient or client. It is serving their best interest. Ultimately it is allowing them to use their freedom of choice so they can have what they want. It is our job, like how Sister Kenny so beautifully displayed throughout her life, to find the best options and give the client control over their own health and health care. It is a individual decision. She stuck up for the client, kept them well informed, and let them decide. We all agree that is what true professionalism is all about.
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ReplyDeleteThough the intended focus of the reading and video was professionalism, our group's discussion turned ultimately to Kenney's passion and intellect.
ReplyDeleteIt's unlikely that she bested Eleanor Roosevelt's popularity on account of her professionalism. She was idolized because she embodied two very important ideals of the time: Ingenuity and unwavering courage. Kenny refused to submit to medical establishment. She wouldn't concede to the disease either, taking on patients in the most hopeless stages. Sister Kenney was a woman who had every reason to be hard, she'd endured the shrapnel of war and the fire of public scrutiny. Despite all of that, she remained single mindedly devoted to her patients.
Therein lies her professionalism. Sister Kenney time and again rose above the political posturing and the academic egomania to treat her patients. The patient was never a means to an end, but the end in itself. She had her own categorical imperative, and refused to waver. Immanuel Kant would be proud, and so should we be.
Casey Okamoto
Group 3 (I think)
After watching the video clip and reading the short bio of Elizabeth "Sister" Kenny our group has come to the general concensus that she had demonstrated professionalism and determination throughout her life in many different ways.
ReplyDeletePersonally we thought the movie was entertaining to watch, but we felt as if reading the short bio had more information about her personality and life. The movie made her seem more emotional and not as professional as the bio did. The bio however described her as being extremely determined to help people regardless of what the majority of the population was saying about her.
The fact that she had an intrest so young related to being an innovator and helping people was the beginning of her passion of helping people. Even though people questioned her techniques of healing she still knew that what she was doing was helping so many people, and she didn't let the common thoughts of her affect her way of practicing.
Sister Kenny was an innovator and didn't only stick to practicing the things she was taught when becoming a nurse. When told that there was no cure to Infantile Paralysis she still did whatever she could to help the young girl.
We also all thought that the comment about her patients still trusting her compeltely although she had some abstract thoughts about different conditions says a lot about her character.
All in all we thought both the article and biography were very interesting. Sister Kenny was a professional, determined, innovator in the health care profession in her time and because of that was able to help many people.
Kylee McGarvie (group 9)
Shamoon Khan group 14
ReplyDeleteOur group really got into the article and Youtube video about Sister Kenny. We found her story to be inspirational and thoughtprovoking, as well as highly releveant to our field. As chiropractors we should be forerunners, innovators, and refuse to let things be a burden on us; much like Sister Kenny. Not to mention the exceptional level of sheer professionalism and manners. Even though Sister Kenny wasn't technically a doctor, she showed that her knowledge based was on par, and even exceeding those of most doctors in her time. The fact that she helped so many people in World War 1 was the main point that our group was caught up on. The courage that she must of had is something to be envied. The second part we like was how she questioned the way things were done by using scientific method and using hypthesis.She defends her patients, and always keep their best interests in mind. We should all be striving to get on her level. Hopefully, we all will.
Tyler Timmerman group 23
ReplyDeleteOur group thought the story of Sister Kenny was quite amazing. We were inspired by how she grew up with an interest in bones and muscles and the body and how she continued her eduaction as she got older. She eventually learned enough to be able to help people in need. She was very strong and determined. With everyone discrediting her and not believing in her ways it would have been easy for her to give up but she kept on helping people and eventually her patients results showed just how well she was doing. She was able to help many people while doing some unconventional menthods and thinking outside the box. People were hesitant to believe in her ways because she was a woman and she was not respected in the medical field but was able to help others and change many peoples thinking and views on certain health issues. She is a good example for us students as a way to live and practice. Believe in ourselves and continue to help others.
After discussing her story we couldn't help but draw comparisons to the foundation of Palmer and Chiropractic. D.D and B.J. Palmer were both viewed as outsiders in the medical field for a long time but they continued on their journey to help people in an alternative way. Their beliefs are the reason we are all here today at this school, without them who knows if this would of been possible.
Based on both the reading and the video regarding Sister Kenny, our group came to a number of conclusions concerning how she demonstrated professionalism. Sister Kenny's treatment methods would not be considered "by the book", for this she was faced with much opposition. Though she was not supported by her peers, her dedication to patient care was steadfast. She put the health of her patients above all else and in doing so her reputation among her colleagues suffered. Even though her views were shunned she conducted herself very eloquently, but also with a strong conviction that she was acting in her patients best interest.
ReplyDeleteSister Kenny used her knowledge, education, and experience to the best of her abilities. In areas where she was lacking she continued her own education and made an effort to educate her patients as well. This should be the goal of any health care provider, as individuals will ultimately become better patients if they are better informed. In all of these areas Sister Kenny demonstrated a great deal of professionalism and should serve as an example to all in the healthcare field.
Sorry everyone, our blog was posted on Sunday but somehow got deleted so here it is again.
ReplyDeleteOur group found the work of Elizabeth “Sister” Kenny to be very inspiring. Although her ideas on the body and treatment of illness were extremely non-traditional and unaccepted during the time period, Sister Kenny devoted herself to spreading her ideas to anyone with an open mind. Pioneering her ideas reminded us a lot of the development of the chiropractic profession. When it began, chiropractic was disregarded as a medical science and has gained much ground since, just like Sister Kenny’s “Sylvia Stretcher”.
Her invention and use of the “Sylvia Stretcher” allowed Sister Kenny the ability to practice as she pleased and to progress her ideas. By becoming an entrepreneur, she was able to support herself and continue to develop her theories. The nobility and selflessness Sister Kenny showed by opening a clinic with her own earnings demonstrated her passion to help others, just as we believe members of the chiropractic profession also aspire to do. The clinic also allowed Sister Kenny to help treat Polio patients in a manner that may have been controversial to other physicians, but was eventually proven to reduce residual paralysis by 70%.
Our group concluded that the reason medical ideas and technology have reached the point that they have today is the result of people like Sister Kenny pushing for new, innovative ideas and research. Her ability to stand for her ideals, even though she may have been alone, is something we believe each of us should aspire to accomplish in effort to further the message of chiropractic.
Stephanie Wigner Group 19