Hattie Bessent (March 7, 1908 – October 31, 2015) was an American

psychiatric nurse Psychiatric nursing or mental health nursing is the appointed position of a nurse that specialises in mental health, and cares for people of all ages experiencing mental illnesses or distress. These include: neurodevelopmental disorders, schizoph ...

. Perhaps her most significant accomplishments lie in her efforts to recruit members of ethnic minority groups into the field of nursing and provide training and mentorship to increase the proportion of members of ethnic minority groups in nursing leadership positions. Bessent received her B.S. degree from Florida A&M University, an M.S. degree from

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

, and an EdD from the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

in Psychological Foundations.

Career

Bessent had a long and varied career in the nursing profession, after being trained as a psychiatric nurse. Bessent served as a Deputy Executive Director at the American Nurses Association for the Ethnic/Racial Minority Fellowship Program (EMFP) for 28 years, where she developed several programs for nursing professionals and students. Being a member of the Commission for Friendship Treaty for Americans, Dr. Hattie Bessent was sent to China through the authorization of former

President Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 19 ...

. Dr. Bessent worked at many different institutions during her lifetime. She served as a Professor at

Florida University The State University System of Florida (SUSF or SUS) is a system of twelve public universities in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2018, over 341,000 students were enrolled in Florida's state universities. Together with the Florida College Syst ...

, a Graduate Dean at

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

, faculty member at both

and

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, and an instructor at

Edward Waters College Edward Waters University is a private Christian historically Black university in Jacksonville, Florida. It was founded in 1866 by members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME Church) as a school to educate freedmen and their children. I ...

Recognition

Bessent was designated as a Living Legend of the

American Academy of Nursing The American Academy of Nursing (AAN) is a professional organization that generates, synthesizes, and disseminates nursing knowledge to contribute to health policy and practice for the benefit of the public and the nursing profession. Founded in 1 ...

, at the Academy's 40th Annual Meeting and Conference in 2013. In addition, she was part of organizations such as Phi Lamba Theta and Phi Delta Kappa. Dr. Bessent also received numerous awards such as the ANA's Mary Mahoney Award, Linda Richard Award, and the National Black Nurses Association's Lifetime Achievement Award.

References

Selected publications

# Bessent, H. (1979). Future nurse researchers: The Registered Nurse Fellowship Program for Ethnic/Racial Minorities and the Clinical Fellowship Program for Ethnic/Racial Minorities. Kansas City, Mo.: American Nurses' Association. # Bessent, H. (1997). Strategies for recruitment, retention, and graduation of minority nurses in colleges of nursing. Washington, D.C: American Nurses Publishing. # Bessent, H. (2002). Minority nurses in the new century. Washington, D.C: American Nurses Association. # Bessent, H. (2008). The soul of leadership: Journeys in leadership and achievement with distinguished African American nurses. New York, NY: National League for Nursing. # Bessent, H. (1983). Cultural diversity in America: Implications for selected populations. Kansas City, Mo: American Nurses' Association. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bessent, Hattie American women nurses American nurses American military nurses 1908 births 2015 deaths People from Jacksonville, Florida People from Mississippi African-American centenarians American centenarians Women centenarians 21st-century American women African-American nurses