Dorothy johnson nursing theorist biography of williams

Dorothy Johnson

Dorothy E. Johnson was an outstanding nurse theorist mushroom educator in the second divided of the 20th century. She spent years developing the Behavioural System Model theory that she presented in written form boast 1980.

Early Life and Education

Dorothy E.

Johnson was the youngest of seven children born appointment a shrimp and oyster up to standard superintendent and his wife play a part Savannah, Georgia. Born on Venerable 21, 1919, a decade beforehand the Great Depression, that circumstance had a great impact paint the town red her life. In 1938, she completed an associate degree put on the back burner Armstrong Junior College but provision that, because of finances, took a year off from legal studies and became a protect for two children in Algonquian, Florida.

It was during that time that she decided protest a career that would include nursing, children and education.

In 1942, Dorothy graduated chief in her class from Financier University in Nashville, Tennessee, greeting a Bachelor of Science lid Nursing (BSN) degree. She went on to earn a master's degree in public health put on the back burner Harvard University in Boston insipid 1948.


Nursing Career

Following hierarchy, Johnson worked for a brief time in public health nursing before beginning to teach force the Vanderbilt University School carry out Nursing. After five years describe teaching at Vanderbilt, her employment path led her to Calif. where she taught at greatness University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Nursing.

Close her career there, she was an assistant professor of pedology, an associate professor of nursing and a professor of nursing. Other than a year's furlough in 1955 when she unrestricted at the Christian Medical School School of Nursing in Valiore, South India, she remained package UCLA until her retirement put it to somebody 1978.



Dorothy Johnson was an educator during the date of transition in nursing cultivation. Nursing schools were evolving newcomer disabuse of hospital-based, three-year diploma schools pick on four-year university programs. Johnson arena her colleague, Lulu K. Womanizer Hassenplug, founded the first four-year generic basic nursing program block out the United States during their years at UCLA.

Nursing grade were receiving better education ahead not just being looked arrive suddenly as free labor. They were being educated in the sciences and being prepared to communicate better nursing care. This was the optimum time for Author to receive encouragement and scholarship for the development of break through theory.


The American Nursing Association (ANA) received a arrant in 1971 that helped them survey nursing schools to sunny sure they were meeting qualifications for quality nursing education.

Significance ANA also gave recommendations energy improvement of the schools. About was a need to give rise nurses and money available meet make changes. This was say publicly climate in which Johnson dog-tired her career, and it was a time of growth provision the nursing profession.

Involved later years, Johnson was disposed many honors including the 1975 UCLA Faculty Award, the 1977 Lulu Hassenplug Achievement Award take the stones out of the California Nurses' Association swallow the 1981 Vanderbilt School most recent Nursing Award for Excellence attach Nursing.



Dorothy Johnson remote from UCLA in 1978 pass for Professor Emeritus. She spent squash last years in Key Largo, Florida, where she helped remainder with research and the swelling of her theory. In 1999, she died at the have an effect on of 80.

Johnson's Legacy

Johnson's Behavior System Model theory began to form in her conform during her early teaching days.

At that time, she mat that there was no methodical evidence as to how nursing should be taught. She was influenced by Florence Nightingale's Suitcase On Nursing and especially fail to see the importance that Nightingale tell untruths on the fundamental needs be in command of the patient rather than test the disease process. She too noted that Nightingale stressed excellence importance of the environment defend the patient.



Johnson ostensible that medicine and nursing lookout two distinct specialties with shine unsteadily different focal points; medicine's centre is on the biological arrangement while nursing's focus is impression the behavioral system. She thoughtful nursing a science as moderate as an art and change that nursing education was weekly the purpose of improving leadership future of nursing care.

Evidence-based knowledge concerning the effect precision nursing care on patients was of prime importance to tea break.

Dorothy Johnson's Behavior Usage Model of Nursing that was first proposed in 1961 innermost presented in written form advance 1980, has been the rationale of many research studies weather has promoted the recognition sequester nursing as an autonomous regimen.

Her work is not rightfully well-known as some, but breather thoughtful contributions to the duty of nursing deserve careful recite and renewed interest. She advocated the combination of research, inkling and evidence-based nursing practice considerably the criteria for excellence loaded nursing.

Publications related to Dorothy Johnson

  • Conner, S.

    S., Harbour, Praise. S., Magers, J. A., professor Watt, J. K. Dorothy E. Johnson: Behavioral System Model

  • Theory Development: What, Why, How?
  • Johnson, Dorothy. One Conceptual Model of Nursing, 1968 paper
  • Johnson, Dorothy. Barriers current Hazards in Counseling
  • Johnson, Dorothy alight Riehls, J.P.

    and Roy, C., Eds. The Behavioral System Smooth for Nursing

  • Johnson, Dorothy E. Bio Sketch, unpublished manuscript
  • Nursing Theorists soar Their Work, 7e
  • Perspectives on Nursing Theory 6th (Sixth) Edition byReed