Kaiser Foundation School of Nursing Alumni Association (2024)

KFSN Book Reviews

Jean Watson, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, FAAN, LL; Distinguished Professor/Dean Emerita University of Colorado

… This book is not only revolutionary with respect to comprehensive educational insights emerging from Kaiser’s history, it places the visionary efforts within context of public healthcare’s evolution during the Great Depression and within the rise of national security political priorities and agendas.

… This educational - clinical historic template, developed by early Kaiser leaders, transcended small thinking, and uncovered remarkable fortitude, leadership, and courage during times of crisis for our citizens, country and our world. We could learn today from Kaiser’s history and leadership.

Kaiser nurses and physicians engaged as risk-taking teams…offering a continuing blueprint that integrated the whole person within a whole community. This comprehensive vision rippled throughout all the policies and practices, ahead of societal norms of isolation and separation standards among class, nationality and race, ethnicity. To this day, Kaiser’s School of Nursing history remains a beacon of social and moral justice for our nation.

… It is a living exemplar of not only a legacy but a lasting gift and template to learn and inform our future for nursing education and healthcare for all.

Henry J. Kaiser III

Jean Watson, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, FAAN, LL; Distinguished Professor/Dean Emerita University of Colorado

This is a super well-researched book on a subset of Henry J. Kaiser’s “disruptive” improvements of American health care; a worthwhile book, well-researched and written with heart and passion. – Henry J. Kaiser III

Phyllis Doulaveris, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, CPHQ; Senior Vice President, National Patient Care Services & C

Jean Watson, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, FAAN, LL; Distinguished Professor/Dean Emerita University of Colorado

Phyllis Doulaveris, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, CPHQ; Senior Vice President, National Patient Care Services & C

Kaiser Foundation School of Nursing was established to educate nurses to deliver the highest standard of care, focusing on wellness and prevention. This innovative approach was and still is in sharp contrast to traditional fee-for-service care. This book will take readers on a journey to see how obstacles were turned into opportunities by pioneering nurses. This book is a “must-read” for Kaiser Permanente nurses who will be inspired by the story of their predecessors who shaped the delivery of nursing care at KP and beyond. -- Phyllis Doulaveris, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, CPHQ; Senior Vice President, National Patient Care Services & Chief Nurse Executive

Cuong Le, Kaiser Permanente, Enterprise Historian and Archivist

Ronald A. Wetter, MPA, retired Community and Government Relations Manager, Kaiser Permanente

Phyllis Doulaveris, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, CPHQ; Senior Vice President, National Patient Care Services & C

When the Kaiser Foundation School of Nursing opened in 1947, its innovative principles helped reshape standards for nursing education and the profession in post-war America. Kaiser Foundation School of Nursing: A Legacy of Disruptive Innovation is a seminal book that chronicles how school leaders worked together to develop a curriculum favoring hands-on clinical skills over traditional practices of staffing hospitals with student nurses. Graduates from the school became an influential force in helping develop Kaiser Permanente’s model of care delivery. Skillful archival research and personal narratives offer untold historical insights into Kaiser Permanente’s unique integrated care model.

Throughout the school's history, its mission was rooted in the vision and belief that every individual deserves high-quality health care, regardless of their race or gender. The Kaiser Foundation School of Nursing’s legacy of disruptive innovation became the foundation for the modern health care experience. This well-written volume contributes valuable perspectives to nursing scholarship and education. Coupled with its accessibility to a broad audience, the book underscores its value in the fields of medical history, health care management, and nursing studies. --Cuong Le, Kaiser Permanente, Enterprise Historian and Archivist

Cheryl L. Reinking, DNP, RN

Ronald A. Wetter, MPA, retired Community and Government Relations Manager, Kaiser Permanente

This was an informative depiction of the development and implementation of a new approach to nursing education, based on health promotion and disease prevention. The Kaiser Permanente mission and vision formed the cornerstone for their innovative school of nursing. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the importance of diversity, inclusion, and equity in nursing education and patient care. – Cheryl L. Reinking, DNP, RN

Ronald A. Wetter, MPA, retired Community and Government Relations Manager, Kaiser Permanente

This is a memorable story of creative vision, inspiration, and plain hard work. … how Kaiser Permanente paved a new road to a future that courageously departed from the well-established and entrenched—dare I say calcified--professional and systemic traditions of medical care in America. It worked! Inspired leadership, driven by a bold vision, produced a high-performing organizational model of health care. We are treated to 70 years of rich detail outlining Kaiser’s undeniable legacy. This is most acutely illustrated by innovations in nursing education, especially establishing nursing’s role as the core of a multidisciplinary approach to quality care. – Ronald A. Wetter, MPA, retired Community and Government Relations Manager, Kaiser Permanente

Sharon Eastman, RN, MA

Review: Kaiser Foundation School of Nursing: A Legacy of Disruptive Innovation

Promotion of the book within Kaiser Permanente

Disruptive innovation has always been the Kaiser Permanente way. Reading about the history of the health maintenance organization and the KFSN reminded me of the guiding principles of health promotion that first drew me to the organization and kept me there for 22 years. This is an engaging and thoughtful book that speaks to the importance of health care as a right not a privilege and reminds the reader of KP’s early adoption of nondiscriminatory practices among so many other humanistic tenets. What a treat to read all about it in this well written book. – Sharon Eastman, RN, MA

Promotion of the book within Kaiser Permanente

Review: Kaiser Foundation School of Nursing: A Legacy of Disruptive Innovation

Promotion of the book within Kaiser Permanente

Lincoln Cushing: https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/our-story/our-history/a-legacy-of-disruptive-innovation

Review: Kaiser Foundation School of Nursing: A Legacy of Disruptive Innovation

As a 23 year Kaiser Permanent (KP) registered nurse, I found the history of the Kaiser School of Nursing fascinating. I was pleased to learn not only that there actually had been a school but that it was such an important part of KP history, and how forward thinking it was in educating nurses. I also found it interesting to learn why the school closed in 1976. My Southern California Permanente Medical Group (SCPMG) physician colleagues as well as my KP Health Plan and Hospital nurses colleagues would appreciate the nursing school’s approach in educating nurses and how this contributed to the impact that KP has made to health care in the country. Every healthcare provider of KP (past and present) should have a copy of this book on their bookshelves. This also could be a great reference for schools of nursing curriculum as an excellent example of nursing’s influence and contribution to health care. Review submitted by Terry Bream, retired Chief Nurse Executive SCPMG (September 2020)