Historical Timeline of TNA
-- the first 100 years
1907: First State Meeting Held
June 3, the first state meeting was held in Houston with the 26 nurses present adopting a constitution and bylaws.
1908: Second State Meeting Held
April 20, San Antonio revealed a membership of 52 and an increased treasury of $340.76. A state registration bill that would define and regulate the practice of professional nursing was submitted to members with a plan to put it before the Texas Legislature. It passed.
1909: First Practice Act
Before women had voting rights… State Nurses’ Registration Act brought about the organization of the Board of Nurse Examiners (BNE) for the State of Texas (now named the Texas Board of Nursing) as a legal structure for regulating practice and education.
1909: TGNA Joined ANA
TGNA was accepted into membership of the Nurses’ Associated Alumni, forerunner of today’s American Nurses Association.
1916: Changed Structure
Bylaws changes made membership in TGNA both individual and affiliated.
1920: Districts Created
With a steady increase in membership, TGNA began organizing into districts. By 1921, there were nine.
1923: Revised Practice Act Passed
The State Legislature passed the Revised Nurses’ Registration Bill. It provided for the inspection and accreditation of schools of nursing in Texas, and made registration compulsory.
1923: Dietrich Appointed
Miss A. Louise Dietrich was appointed by the State BNE as the first educational secretary. Now there was a means to uncover inferior education in training schools.
1925: Joint Legislative Council Member
TGNA joined the Joint Legislative Council to lobby for women’s causes: health care programs, rural school funding, prison reform, etc.
1928: State HQ Opened
TGNA established a state headquarters in El Paso with a full-time director.
1930: First Nursing Education Course
The first nursing education course at The University of Texas was held; 36 students paid $150 for a six-week summer session on courses in public health nursing, teaching and supervision.
1936: Moving On Up
TGNA gave $10,000 to The University of Texas to establish a permanent department of nursing education. It was instrumental in establishing nursing education in a collegiate-based education system.
1942: Speakers’ Bureau Added Numbers
As the U.S. entered World War II in late 1941, nurses were in huge demand in combat theatres and U.S. hospitals. TGNA formed a speakers’ bureau to help recruit student nurses and Red Cross volunteers, and provide information for nursing interests.
1946: New Program
The Economic Security Program was established to remove barriers to economic advancement for nurses and the profession.
1947: RN Employment Standards
A code of personnel practices was adopted covering minimum recommendations for employment conditions such as basic qualifications, personnel policies covering health protection, holidays and retirement funds, and salaries with specific reference to each type of nursing.
1948: Students’ Association
The Texas Nursing Students’ Association was organized. TGNA established a program providing funding for nurses to participate in internships.
1951: Joint Boards Combine
To facilitate common action and policies, the Boards of TGNA, Texas League of Nursing Education, and Texas Organization for Public Health Nursing organized a joint Board.
1955: HQ Moved to San Antonio
The Board of Directors voted to move the TGNA state headquarters from El Paso to San Antonio.
1958: Code of Ethics
ANA House of Delegates voted that the Code for Nurses should reflect the nurses’ responsibility in participating in the establishment of employment conditions.
1964: TGNA Became TNA
TGNA changed its name to the Texas Nurses Association.
1968: True Practice Act
Billye J. Brown held the TNA office of president. The Nursing Practice Act in Texas was passed.
1973: TEXAS NURSING was Born
TEXAS NURSING became the new name for The Bulletin, the official newsletter.
1974: New TNA Role
National Labor Relations Act was amended to cover RNs. TNA began bargaining representation.
1979: Resolution Reversed Collective Bargaining
TNA decertified as a collective bargaining representative after a resolution was passed by membership.
1981: BNE Sunset Review
Regulatory authority over professional nursing education remained with the BNE.
1987: Patient Advocacy Protections Gained
Whistle-blower protection was added to the Nursing Practice Act. Nurses gained Peer Review. TPAPN, the Texas Peer Assistance Program for Nurses, was established.
1989: Rx Authority
Advanced Practice Nurses (APN) gained prescriptive authority.
1989: No Occupational Tax
From TNA legislative action, nurses were exempted from paying annual occupational tax of $200.
1992: APNs Gained Reimbursement
Advanced Practice Nurses gained Medicaid reimbursement.
1993: Due Process
Nurses now gained the right of due process in peer review.
1995: School Nurses
Publicly-employed RNs were excluded from unlimited liability in professional malpractice suits – unlike physicians and pharmacists.
1997: Experienced Directors
An amendment was added to the Nursing Home Reform Bill requiring that nursing directors must be RNs. APN’s authority to order care and sign orders in nursing homes was clarified.
1999: TNA Recommitted to Workplace Advocacy
TNA reaffirmed its official position on collective bargaining and committed itself to workplace advocacy.
2000: Texas Joined Compact
Texas joined – as a result of legislative success – the Mutual Recognition Interstate Compact which allows for mutual recognition of a nursing license issued by any of the Compact member states. Upon accidental exposure, RNs gained access through new legislation to patient test results for Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C.
2001: Texas Needs Nurses!
TNA was successful in getting passed the Nursing Shortage Reduction Act of 2001 that secured approximately $26.5 million to increase nursing school enrollments. TNA adopted a zero tolerance policy for abuse of nurses by physicians. TNA hosted the first Texas Nursing Leadership Conference.
2002: Written Staffing Plan
Collaboratively, TNA worked for adoption of amended Hospital Nurse Staffing Rules that require hospitals to have a written staffing plan and give RNs direct input into the plan. In conjunction with the Texas governor’s office, TNA became guardian of the Ready Texas Nurses emergency response system.
2003: Nurse-Friendly Hospital Grant; Center Created
TNA became joint recipient of a $1.5 million HRSA (U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration) grant to implement its Nurse-Friendly™ Hospital Criteria in rural/small hospitals in order to affect nurse retention by improving the workplace for nurses. The Center for American Nurses was created as an affiliate organization of ANA to provide workplace advocacy services for individual nurses.
2004: Nursing Education, Roles, and Safety Cultures Addressed
TNA was directed by the House of Delegates to study the redesign of nursing practice and education, and reinvent nurses’ role in the future. TNA Board created three Cultures of Safety task forces to address safety and quality concerns of nurses.
2005: Nursing Shortage Funding Achieved
TNA achieved increased funding in the third straight legislative session for address the nursing shortage. TNA awarded the first Nurse-Friendly™ hospital designations to three Texas hospitals.
2006: Safe Patient Handling Law
Texas’ first-in-the-nation Safe Patient Handling law became effective (legislation passed in 2005) as a result of TNA efforts to require hospitals and nursing homes to implement a safe patient handling and movement program that would protect health care workers from preventable injury from manual patient lifting.
2007: 100 Years Old!
Texas Nurses Association celebrates 100 years of advocating for professional nursing in Texas.
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