Oral History Interview with Renilda Hilkemeyer, May 23, 2000 transcript

Oral History Interview with Renilda Hilkemeyer, May 23, 2000

Interview with Ms. Renilda Hilkemeyer, beginning with her early education and career. She explains how her career led to working in the field of oncology nursing. In this section of the interview, she highlights the development of training nurses, the stigmatism around cancer, and the value of hands-on experience. Ms. Hilkemeyer explains how she came to M. D. Anderson and the challenges she faced in developing the department of nursing, including staffing, interdepartmental collaboration, and institutional bureaucracy. The interview highlights the social issues of the time especially racial segregation and women in the work place. Ms. Hilkemeyer discusses the creation of a rehabilitation center at M. D. Anderson. She talks about her education programs to improve the care of patients. These broke role barriers and increased nursing qualifications. Ms. Hilkemeyer draws attention to her ground breaking education program for nurses in intravenous and chemotherapy procedures. This section also highlights her involvement in creating master and doctoral programs in nursing. Ms. Hilkemeyer discusses her awards and continued role in institutional committees since retirement. She concludes the interview in discussing the motivations and challenges in creating a child care center in 1963 and the honor of having it named after her in …
Date: May 23, 2000
Creator: Hilkemeyer, Renilda & Marchiafava, Louis
System: The Portal to Texas History