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CHAP TER

Ramona T. Mercer
1929 to present

Maternal Role Attainment—

Becoming a Mother

Molly Meighan

“The process of becoming a mother requires extensive psychological, social, and physical work.
A woman experiences heightened vulnerability and faces tremendous challenges as she
makes this transition. Nurses have an extraordinary opportunity to help women learn,
gain confidence, and experience growth as they assume the mother identity”
(Mercer, 2006, p. 649).

1962, graduating with distinction from the University
Credentials and Background of New Mexico, Albuquerque. She went on to earn
of the Theorist a master’s degree in maternal-child nursing from
Ramona T. Mercer began her nursing career in 1950, Emory University in 1964 and completed a Ph.D.
when she received her diploma from St. Margaret’s in maternity nursing at the University of Pittsburgh
School of Nursing in Montgomery, Alabama. She in 1973.
graduated with the L.L. Hill Award for Highest Scho- After receiving her Ph.D., Mercer moved to
lastic Standing. She returned to school in 1960 after California and accepted the position of Assistant
working as a staff nurse, head nurse, and instructor in Professor in the Department of Family Health Care
the areas of pediatrics, obstetrics, and contagious dis- Nursing at the University of California, San Francisco.
eases. She completed a bachelor’s degree in nursing in She was promoted to associate professor in 1977 and

Photo credit: Marie Cox, M&M Studios, San Francisco, CA.
Previous authors: Mary M. (Molly) Meighan, Alberta M. Bee, Denise Legge, and Stephanie Oetting.

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