Interview with Molly Lee, February 6, 1979

Partial Transcript: This is an interview with Ms. Molly Lee for the oral history project Frontier Nursing Service by Carol Crowe-Carraco at approximately 10AM at Hyden, Kentucky on February the 6th, 1979.

Segment Synopsis: Molly Lee is introduced. She talks about her midwifery training, and discusses her work in Dublin, Ireland and British Columbia, Canada. She talks about the rural conditions and her responsibilities.

Keywords: Bicycles; British Columbia (Canada); Canada; Cars; Delivery; District nurses; Dublin (Ireland); Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Honors; Horseback; Midwifery training; Nurses training; Patients; Queen's Nurses; Responsibilities

Subjects: Childbirth; Horses--Transportation; Midwifery; Midwives; Nurses; Nursing; Rural conditions; Rural health services; Transportation

Partial Transcript: Why did you decide to co, come to Kentucky then?

Segment Synopsis: Lee talks about why she decided to work at the Frontier Nursing Service in Kentucky, and talks about her impressions of the area and of Mary Breckinridge when she arrived. She talks about the rural conditions and the difficulty of traveling in the area.

Keywords: Administrators; Beech Fork (Ky.); British Columbia (Canada); Dogs; Duties; Horses; Hyden (Ky.); Impressions; Kentucky; Mary Breckinridge; Red Cross Outpost Hospital Service; Responsibilities; Trains; Wendover (Ky.)

Subjects: Breckinridge, Mary, 1881-1965; Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Health facilities.; Medical care--Kentucky; Rural conditions; Rural health services

Partial Transcript: And you went to Beech Fork to begin with.

Segment Synopsis: Lee talks about her time working in Beech Fork, her opinions of the midwifery students there, the rural conditions and isolation of the area, and the poverty of the local people.

Keywords: Beech Fork District; Buses; Clinics; Delivery; Districts; Electricity; Fleas; Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery; Homes; Horses; Jeeps; Leaving; Patients; Poor; Poverty; Returning; Salary; Students; Wages; Winter

Subjects: Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Health facilities.; Medical care--Kentucky; Midwifery--Appalachian Region; Midwives--Appalachian Region; Rural conditions; Rural health services; Rural roads

Partial Transcript: So you came back in August then of, of 1955.

Segment Synopsis: Lee talks about returning to Kentucky after visiting England, and beginning her work at Confluence. She talks about the rural conditions and the difficulty of travel in the area.

Keywords: Clinics; Horseback; Jean Tolk; Jeeps; Mothers; Names; Possum's End (Ky.); Problems; Returning; Transportation

Subjects: Confluence (Ky.); Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Medical care--Kentucky; Rural conditions; Rural health services; Rural roads

Partial Transcript: In your two and a half years at Confluence, uh, what stands out the most, uh, Christmas time and the Christmas parties or the, the committee meetings, or are they both important?

Segment Synopsis: Lee describes the committee meetings at Confluence, which she says Mary Breckinridge attended. She talks about the effectiveness of the meetings. She talks about the local people bartering to pay their medical bills, and about the education of some of the local women.

Keywords: Bartering; Boyd Campbell; Committee members; Costs; Education; Fees; Mary Breckinridge; Medical bills; Money; Sizemore family; Trading; Useful; Visiting; Women

Subjects: Breckinridge, Mary, 1881-1965; Confluence (Ky.); Education, Higher--Kentucky; Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Medical care, cost of.; Medical care--Kentucky; Rural health services

Partial Transcript: So you really enjoyed your days at Confluence.

Segment Synopsis: Lee talks about her horse at Confluence. She talks about the Christmas party at Confluence, as well as the clothing the FNS provided for the local people.

Keywords: Christmas parties; Clothing; GRAB; Gifts; Parades

Subjects: Charity.; Christmas--Appalachian Region; Confluence (Ky.); Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Horses

Partial Transcript: Uh, did you have a jeep at Confluence at this time as well as the horses?

Segment Synopsis: Lee talks about riding horses in difficult weather conditions, and talks about saddlebags and the nurses' uniforms.

Keywords: Clinics; Jeeps; Riding; Saddlebags; Stirrups; Uniforms; Weather conditions

Subjects: Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Horses--Transportation; Rural conditions; Rural roads

Partial Transcript: So you went back to England then in what year were you--

Segment Synopsis: Lee talks about returning to England for training as well as work. She talks about hearing Mary Breckinridge speak, and how Helen Browne also became a speaker for the FNS.

Keywords: "Wide Neighborhoods"; England; Helen Browne ("Brownie"); Leaving; Mary Breckinridge; Meetings; Public speaking; Training schools; Working

Subjects: Breckinridge, Mary, 1881-1965; Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Medical education

Partial Transcript: When you came back in 1960 did you immediately start teaching in the school?

Segment Synopsis: Lee talks about returning to the FNS and beginning to teach in the midwifery school. She talks about the head of the school, the exams required of the students, and the regulations placed on the school. She talks about her own training to become certified as a teacher.

Keywords: Clinics; Courses; Directors; Doctors; Dr. Beasley; Exams; Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery; Funding; Home births; Home deliveries; London (England); Policies; Practical exams; Returning; State examinations; Students; Teachers training; Training schools; Written exams

Subjects: Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing; Maternal health services.; Medical care--Kentucky; Medical education; Midwifery--Appalachian Region; Midwives--Appalachian Region; Nurses; Nursing--Study and teaching; Teachers

Partial Transcript: Also the other interesting thing that I did w--n--to do with FNS was that when I finished my, um, teacher's training I had a couple of months, I, I can't remember, it must have been during Christmas and I, I--

Segment Synopsis: Lee talks about working briefly in Scotland as a nurse and her attempt to conduct research on Mary Breckinridge and the nursing program while there.

Keywords: District nurses; Highlands and Islands Medical Service; Hospitals; Mary Breckinridge; Public health; Sir Leslie MacKenzie

Subjects: Breckinridge, Mary, 1881-1965; Health facilities.; Nurses; Nursing; Rural conditions; Rural health services; Scotland

Partial Transcript: Well when did you come back to Kentucky after that then?

Segment Synopsis: Lee talks more about teaching midwifery in Kentucky. She talks about Dr. Beasley's influence on the initially-resistant attitudes of the local people toward birth control and family planning. She talks about how the birth control pill was introduced in Leslie County by Dr. Rock.

Keywords: Communication; Curriculum; Delivery; Dr. Beasley; Dr. John Rock; Family planning; Harlan (Ky.); Isolation; Nurses; Research; Returning; Sensitive subjects; Sterilization; Teaching

Subjects: Birth control.; Children; Contraception.; Country life; Families.; Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Maternal health services.; Medical care--Kentucky; Pregnancy; Rural children; Rural health services; Rural health--Kentucky

Partial Transcript: Well what about--you stayed in Harlan for a while--

Segment Synopsis: Lee talks about commuting to places like Somerset, Kentucky and Cleveland, Ohio to work as a nurse. She also talks about having to become certified in Ohio in order to work there.

Keywords: Cleveland (Ohio); Delivery; Harlan (Ky.); Health department; Hospitals; Hyden (Ky.); RN licenses; Somerset (Ky.); State boards; Teaching

Subjects: Health facilities.; Medical care; Nurses; Nursing; Nursing--Study and teaching

Partial Transcript: In 1970 the, the school broadened, didn't it, to become family nursing as well?

Segment Synopsis: Lee talks about how the school has changed over the years, mentioning the expansion to family nursing, changes in the teaching curriculum, and changes brought about by their association with the University of Kentucky. She talks about how her duties as a teacher changed over time.

Keywords: Changes; Classes; Curriculum; Degrees; Delivery; Duties; Involvement; Library; Marty Cottage; Modules; Preparation; Quality; Training; University of Kentucky

Subjects: Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing; Maternal health services.; Medical care--Kentucky; Medical education; Midwifery--Appalachian Region; Midwives--Appalachian Region; Nurses; Nursing--Study and teaching; Teachers--Kentucky

Partial Transcript: Uh, so you moved into the new hospital in 1976? '77?

Segment Synopsis: Lee talks about a new hospital that was built, and the current focus on obstetrics and physicians during childbirth. She describes a vacuum extractor and how it is used in childbirth, and discusses the changes in the use of forceps during childbirth.

Keywords: C-sections; Cesarian sections; Childbirth complications; Forceps; Genetics; Medical instruments; New hospitals; Obstetrics; Somerset (Ky.); Vacuum extractor

Subjects: Childbirth; Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Maternal health services.; Medical care--Kentucky; Midwifery--Appalachian Region; Midwives--Appalachian Region; Nurses; Nursing; Rural health services; Technological innovations

Partial Transcript: Uh, I need to ask you about this, uh, midwifery exam that they've just taken.

Segment Synopsis: Lee describes the standardized exam taken by the midwifery school students. She talks about scores needed to pass the exam, the type of questions asked, and how the test scores affect the students' careers. She talks about how the school's curriculum has changed and now focuses less on home deliveries.

Keywords: "Wide Neighborhoods"; American College of Nurse Midwives; Betty Lester; Curriculum; Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery; Graduation; Hands; Helen Browne ("Brownie"); Home births; Home deliveries; Mary Breckinridge; Midwifery exams; Obstetricians; Passing scores; Proctors; Questions; Salary; Standardized testing; Transcripts

Subjects: Breckinridge, Mary, 1881-1965; Childbirth; Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing; Maternal health services.; Medical education; Midwifery; Midwives; Nurses; Nursing--Study and teaching

Partial Transcript: Um, let me--[noise]--ask you just a few more questions because I'm sure you're tired of fooling with me; we've been at this an hour.

Segment Synopsis: Lee talks about the claim that women cannot get along with one another and run an organization. She talks about her opinions of Dr. Beasley as director of the FNS, and talks about the transition in leadership from Mary Breckinridge to Helen Browne to Dr. Beasley.

Keywords: Apprenticeships; Assistants; Death; Doctors; Dr. Beasley; Duties; Family nursing; Family planning; Female directors; Future; Government; Group dynamics; Helen Browne ("Brownie"); Hospitals; Leadership; Mary Breckinridge; Nurse midwives; Nurse practitioners; Overworked; Regulations; Responsibilities; Staff; Transitions; Women; Working together

Subjects: Breckinridge, Mary, 1881-1965; Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Health facilities.; Medical care--Kentucky; Medical centers--Administration; Midwifery--Appalachian Region; Midwives--Appalachian Region; Nurses; Physicians--Kentucky; Rural health services

Partial Transcript: I don't know if we ever got my last question answered.

Segment Synopsis: Lee gives her opinions on the future of the FNS, citing the trend toward more natural childbirth methods. She talks about her future retirement, as well as Betty Lester's retirement from the FNS. She talks about camaraderie among FNS staff, and the importance of the couriers. She talks about the construction of the chapel at the hospital, which was built and influenced by George Bowling, Dr. Beasley, and Virginia Branham, among others. The interview is concluded.

Keywords: Active; Betty Lester; Birthing centers; Camaraderie; Chapels; Couriers; Dr. Beasley; England; Friendliness; Future; George Bowling; Home births; Natural childbirth; Retirement; Rural community; Saint Christopher; Schools; University of Kentucky; Virginia Branham

Subjects: Childbirth; Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Health facilities.; Maternal health services.; Medical care--Kentucky; Midwifery; Midwives; Nurses; Nursing