An Omaha nurse and anthropologist known internationally as the founder of transcultural nursing, Madeleine Leininger, Ph.D., was recently honored with the Living Legend award by the American Academy of Nursing. A native of Sutton, Neb., Dr. Leininger, 72, teaches at the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing in Omaha.
One of the academys top honors, the award recognizes the contributions she has made to the nursing profession and to society, in particular, as the founder of transcultural nursing. Transcultural nursing is the formal area of study and practice of providing care for people of diverse or similar cultures, Dr. Leininger said.
In the 1960s, after living and working two years in New Guinea, she learned the western way of practicing health care, although technologically-advanced, was perhaps not the most effective.
I learned many of the things I did were inappropriate and I came back to the states thinking, How are we going to learn how to work in these cultures? Dr. Leininger said. I used to start with the physical and psychological aspect of care, but soon learned it was the cultural factors that were most important.
For example, she said, in the Vietnamese culture, a white cloth must be placed over the head if head surgery is performed. They believe the head is the center of the sacred spirits. Even if you dont believe it, they believe it, and it is important to recognize this to be effective as a health provider.
Dr. Leininger, considered by some as the Margaret Mead of Nursing, together with her colleagues, have studied 87 different cultures.
Dr. Leininger has established transcultural nursing courses worldwide, including at UNMC. She also serves as a lecturer and consultant. Students find the principles of transcultural nursing enormously helpful to provide care that this is satisfying and healing to the patient and family, she said. People come to Omaha from all over the world to attend sessions.
All of the health care disciplines must become transcultural, she said. We are living in a multicultural world. If we dont educate ourselves as to how we can provide culturally-sensitive care to all people, people will not want to use the system or find it inappropriate.
UNMC College of Nursing faculty member and colleague, Nancy Bergstrom, Ph.D., praised Dr. Leiningers intellectual and physical stamina. She is the consummate professional with a passion and enthusiasm for her work that is both inspiring and infectious,” Dr. Bergstrom said. She will travel anywhere and speak to many groups and seems to know no fear. She teaches a one-week course, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., for 5 consecutive days in the summer and is as excited about her material at the end of the week as she is at the beginning.
Dr. Leininger, professor emeritus at the Wayne State University College of Nursing in Detroit, has served in a number of academic appointments, including dean and professor of nursing at the University of Washington and University of Utah, emeritus member of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, and founding member of Transcultural Nursing and Human Care Theory and Research and the international Transcultural Nursing Society. She is the author of 27 books, has published more than 200 articles and given more than 1,100 lectures worldwide.
UNMC is the only public academic health science center in the state. Through its commitment to research, education and patient care, UNMC has established itself as one of the country’s leading centers for cancer research and treatment and solid organ transplantation. More than $34 million in research grants and contracts are awarded to UNMC scientists annually. In addition, UNMC’s educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution.