nurses in my family.
Both my mom and my sister graduated from Trumbull Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in Warren, Ohio; my mom in 1937, my sister almost 30 years later. My daughter received her associate degree a few years ago and her B.S.N. this past December.
It's interesting to note the changes between nurses' dress 50 to 75 years ago and now. When my mom and sister graduated they were required to wear white dresses, white shoes and stockings, and white caps (which indicated the school they attended). These days, nurses wear scrubs, sometimes in hospital colors, and comfortable shoes. In earlier times nurses went through nurses' training, taking courses and working in the hospital as early as their first few weeks in training. These days nurses attend college and must have a bachelor's degree.
I've been in the hospital enough times to appreciate a good nurse but it wasn't until last month, when I read The Shift: One Nurse, Twelve Hours, Four Patients’ Lives by Theresa Brown, R.N., that I truly began to realize and appreciate the attention, knowledge, and skill of nurses and the juggling act they perform on behalf of their patients. My mom worked for only a short time as a nurse but my sister worked for many years and my daughter has worked in a hospital for a few years. I'm grateful for the service they performed/perform for their patients.
Well done, Mom, Marsha, and Brenna! Thank you. Happy Nurses Day.
The date for National Nurses Day is always the same, May 6, as are the dates for National Nurses Week, May 6-12.
--Nancy.
Copyright © 2016 Nancy Messier. All Rights Reserved.
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Yes, thank goodness for good nurses. They make all the difference! Recently after a procedure I came out singing the praises of the facility and realized it was because of the excellent care of the nurses.
ReplyDeleteI remember as a child wanting to be a nurse (this was before I realized I couldn't handle blood etc. ha ha) and we always made and wore the little white hats. It is interesting to see how things have changed over the years.
That's cute that you made little white nurse's caps, Michelle. How creative. (We played house, school, and store, but never hospital, though we did have doctor's kits and played doctor.) I never wanted to be a nurse. I realized very early that I wasn't interested in anything having to do with blood or any other human liquids.
DeleteThanks for visiting and leaving a comment.
Nancy, I think everybody loves nurses. Probably no more than me, because it was at my birth that my grandmother helped deliver me at the hospital. Congratulations to those in your family, especially your daughter. I'm wondering, does she have an official nurses uniform, or have they done away with the cap and outfit completely?
ReplyDeleteHi, Barbara --
DeleteI love good nurses, but I've had a few who weren't so great during hospital stays. That's pretty amazing that you had such an early opportunity to "know" your grandmother. I don't suppose there are many people whose grandmothers helped deliver them.
My daughter does not have an official uniform. The hospital where she works requires that she wear a specific color of scrubs. Most colleges and schools of nursing have done away with the caps and dresses. I wondered about that when I was writing the post last night and checked online. I almost wonder if hospitals would allow nurses to wear caps if they graduated from a school that required them.
My daughter's photo is not one of her working as a nurse. She's not excited about being photographed so I had to choose from one of about 4 photos I have of her. That was the best (with just her and a face-forward shot) for the blog post.
Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment. I appreciate it.
Thanks, Nancy for the reply. I scrolled down your page to see where your hits were coming from (I am listed through Billerica, MA, although I live in a much larger city next door, Lowell). Then I saw 441,514 page views! My goodness...see you have to keep up with it, no more breaks for you.
ReplyDeleteYou're so funny, Barbara. Those page views are from so many years of posts! The day after you left this comment, Feedjit quit working. So very strange. Now I never see where people are coming from to visit and read. Thanks for your encouragement. I'll keep going, maybe just more slowly. Take care.
DeleteLike you Nancy I never wanted to be a nurse for the same reasons. However I love a nurse. Years ago I was in a strange place in the hospital due to an accident for four days and never saw the same nurse twice. One nurse was very special because I felt her empathy just by her voice and touch. It was just after a shift change in the middle of the night when she came into my room; I was laying as still as can be putting my mind in a place to help me endure the pain. I did not see her face clearly just heard her voice with so much concern "You are in a lot of pain aren't you" I could only nod. Her touch on my hand was like an angel touching me and it gave me so much comfort feeling her concern for me. I was also very lonely for my family; they could not be with me because of the bad weather and travel was impossible the first couple of days. Never will I forget the touch of that kind nurse. I celebrate with you honoring the nurses in your family. Beautiful post.
ReplyDeleteWhat a difficult experience for you, Renée, to be alone in a hospital after an accident. Nurses are usually good but some are just exceptional, like the one who took care of you that night.
DeleteI can only imagine the cap as a source of infection. I am glad they have gone the way of the horse and buggy.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought of that but I suppose it could be. But then any clothing could be, right? I always liked the look of a nurse in white with a cap. They looked so clean and neat, but I did wonder how they kept those uniforms so white, what with all the blood and other bodily fluids in a hospital environment. And I suppose caps were hard to keep on. It's probably easier all around without caps and white dresses, Claudia.
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