Graduates of New Ulm School of Practical Nursing reminisce
Over the years, New Ulm has been the teaching grounds for many in the health care profession. Today, New Ulm Medical Center (NUMC) hosts students every year from medical, pharmacy, nursing, mid-level practitioner, radiology and lab schools.
In the past, New Ulm once hosted two different nursing schools. From 1928 to 1937, a school for registered nurses was located at Union Hospital. From 1941 to 1983, the New Ulm School of Practical Nursing (LPNs) operated from several different locations, including Union Hospital, under Fischer Drug, and above the old museum (now the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame building).
The LPN school was launched by Union Hospital in 1941 and called the Union Hospital School for Practical Nurses. In 1957, the school came under the dual control of Union Hospital and School District 88 through federal funds available to assist vocational programs. The name of the school was changed to the New Ulm School of Practical Nursing. In 1964, the school was controlled solely by the school district. In 1976, it became the Mankato Area Vocational Technical Institute School of Practical Nursing, New Ulm Campus.
It was a challenging program, said Kay Witt, who graduated from the school in 1973. She eventually went on to become a registered nurse and currently works in the Mental Health Unit at NUMC. “There were 24 in my class on the first day and within a couple weeks, a fourth of them had dropped out,” Witt said.
Kris Grams, LPN and a 1982 graduate, agreed with Witt that the instructor who was there for many years - Fran Temple - was a “tough” teacher. “But, I knew when we came out of that class that I’d want any one of those people taking care of me,” Grams said. Grams is currently the New Ulm branch manager for Allina Home & Community Services (formerly Allina Home Oxygen & Medical Equipment).
Mary Johanneck, a 1969 graduate, was in the last class that stayed in the dormitories at Union Hospital and she remembers that one of the night float nurse’s duties was to come and do a “bed check” to make sure all the girls were present and accounted for at curfew time. Johanneck is currently an LPN in the Birth Center at NUMC – caring for the babies in the nursery.
Not a lot has changed in the manner of teaching since those days, Johanneck said, “except that we maybe got a little more hands-on experience because we were located right there at the hospital for classes and everything.”
Witt laughed as she remembered the strict rules and emphasis put on appearance at the time. “In the morning you had an inspection of how you looked and you’d better not have a hair out of place,” Witt said. “Uniforms had to be pressed and shoes polished. You dressed at the hospital, so you wouldn’t bring any germs into the building.”
Another significant historical shift, Grams said, is that there used to be more LPNs on the inpatient units. “There were fewer registered nurses and they were there to supervise the LPNs,” Grams said. “Now there are more RNs on the inpatient units and LPNs are found more often caring for people in nursing homes, private home care and in clinic settings.”
At the time the New Ulm campus of the nursing program closed, it was said to be a temporary, trial closure and it was hoped that it would open again within a couple of years. The former graduates are among those who are nostalgic about the program. “I really felt that program was a huge contribution to this area,” Grams said.
The classrooms for the program were in the basement of Union Hospital (then moved to other locations after Union closed), and students spent much of their time taking care of patients at Union, and at Sioux Valley Hospital in later years. They also had a pediatric rotation in St. Paul and a geriatric rotation at Highland Manor Nursing Home (now Oak Hills Living Center).
