Jacqueline Sommer

NUR 101
Catherine Berardelli

Eugenia Helma Waechter

A daughter of Missionary parents, Eugenia Waechter began her life on March 29,

1925 in Crespo, Argentina. In 1942, she became a graduate from Meissner High school in

Bunker Hill, IL. Once she graduated high school, her life and career began to soar.

Waechter has an extensive school record. But the interesting thing about her career was

that she received only her A.A. in Nursing at St. John’s College. This is interesting in the

sense that many professors, school counselors, and parents preach about how nice it is to

complete a Nursing degree in two years, but it’s not best for the students. Having A.A

degrees lack some of the course work or hands on cilices and experiences that nursing

need to become successful along their career. But Eugenia proved many wrong. After

college she proceeded to work at other hospitals and school around California and

Chicago.

Eugenia passion was pediatric nursing. Through out her career she majored in,

science and public health nursing (BSN) as well as a PHD in child development and

education. Her passion was to be a nurse, help young children and also research and

understand "death anxiety in children with fatal illnesses.” Waechter did these hands on

study with some help. It was the first controlled study to be done directly with children

who dying. She also put much of her attention towards school age children with illness

and the impacts that it has on other family members. Even Since her passing, many

researches have tried to duplicate Waechter’s work.

 Along with her accomplishments in child research, Waechter was also very

involved in the nursing community. She was a member of the review panel for nursing

research, a member of the editorial and executive board of the Journal of the Assoc, for

Child Care in Hospitals, member of the Society for Research in Child Development, and

the list goes on. But what is clear here, is that although Waechter did not have children of

her own, she clearly viewed others’ children has her own. She had a passion for children

and the extra work that they require at times. Not only did she enjoy taking care of them,

but she enjoyed informing others and herself, hence why she did much research. Eugenia

ran many workshops from California to New York, and other foreign countries.

All in all, it seems as if Eugenia Waechter is a well educated, charismatic

informed and caring person. Her dedication to children and to nursing, allowed her to

become a great speaker and writer, and an informed caring individual. She passed away

because of Smoke Inhalation from fire in her home January 12, 1982. At her untimely

death, Waechter was in the middle of completing her 10th edition of Nursing Care of

Children.