"The Good Ol' Days!"

[BostonTerrierLover]

I was blown away to find out student nurses could not be married during school, when one of my instructors went to a Public Charity Hospital based Diploma Nursing Program.

I loved hearing about having to sterilize everything, and how the student nurses practically ran the hospital. ("A Physician would find a Nurse, begin a Hospital, . . .and start a Nursing School." -Straight out of one of my old Nursing School Text books."

How mental institutions have changed soooooooo dramatically just over the last 50 years!

How cancer was once an instant death sentence.

That Physicians sometimes slept at the bedside of a really sick patient, . . .And made housecalls!!!!

How hospitals were once basically an inpatient hospice before the advent of medicinal treatments such as antibiotics/antivirals.

That one of my instructors from the ADN program worked 7 days a week for $1 per shift her whole first year! (was pinned in 1957).

How one of my professors broke down in tears when a patient with a radio told her that JFK had been shot in Dallas, TX.

How one nurse had every child she had drafted in WWII, so she went as a "Civilian" Nurse to the Corps, and worked at Westpoint post-wartime.

Please add what you know about Nursing in the Past, you don't have to be from a previous era to join in, I'm not, but I promise to cherish each piece of information.

Any books or movies you could recommend a plus too! (History Buff!)

And, if you are from an era before the present, please share some stories about the Nursing Profession, and other memorable events from thah era!!! I can't wait to read them!!! If these stories aren't passed on, it makes me shiver to think we could loose just one!!

What Could You Share about the "Way Things Were Back Then?"

[DoGoodThenGo]

Any one mention glass mercury thermometers for oral/rectal temps? I couldn't imagine giving a bath today with my bare hands like we use to. Ughhhh.

When first started out working as an aide (1980's) had a nurse sit me down and explained that my wearing latex gloves whilst cleaning up *soiled* patients was incorrect practice. She was felt that by doing so one was giving the patients offense as if something was wrong with their *ahem* stuff. After all "you don't wear gloves when *you* use the bathroom do you?".

Yeah right!

First thing one did when starting a shift was load my pockets with gloves and kept a supply handy! I'd do bed baths without them, but form BM's and anything else involving fluids, out came the gloves.

Not too long after that little talk AIDS began showing up in large numbers at hospitals and then EVERYONE was wearing gloves.

[DoGoodThenGo]

My class (1974) was the first NOT required to wear a girdle!! We had grey uniforms with a white collar and cuffs, had to have freshly polished/cleaned nursing shoes, and I had a navy cape.

Most nurses still stood to relinquish their seat at the NURSES' station so the docs would have a place to sit.

A med room stocked w/big bottles of certain meds, and a tray with cups to carry from room-to-room to give the meds. Then came the carts.

Color-coded charting led to multi-colored pens! We each had one, with 3 or 4 different barrels in them.

Mercury sphyg's were common, on wheels, then came the aneroids.

Capping and pinning ceremonies - tears in all of our eyes!

Older female relatives/friends have told stories of house mothers that ran a "thumb check" for girdles on girls before they left on dates, and again once they came home. Dorm, sorority, student nurse's residence, it didn't matter.

As for giving up the seat to a doc, can see why such a custom would come about. Anyone who has entered a crowded nurse's station looking for a spot to chart/work knows the drill. Usually the ward clerk had her "space" that no one who valued their life would invade, and depending upon how the place was set up there was little else free at times. Attendings and physicans needed to chart/write orders and be on their way, soooo.

Things would often get so bad at shift changes that nurses would scramble to find any free spot on the floor to do their end of shift charting so they could give report and get shot of the place. You'd see nurses (usually with a coffee or can of soda pop) in one hand the other holding several of those large metal clad charts heading for the nurse's lounge or some such. I also have seen nurses holding several such charts doing their notes standing up; the chart in use would be opened hand held against one's knee. Not very lady like posture, but you do what you gotta do.

I worked at places where the head nurse/charge got so fed up that all "hangers on" were banned from the NS, this included aides and techs unless strictly required. Remember one lady going off "this is the NURSES STATION, not GRAND CENTRAL STATION..."

[DoGoodThenGo]

Med/narc cabinet counts at the start of each shift where the previous nurse would hand over to the med nurse for the incoming shift. If the narc count was off depending on the facility/floor/unit all heck could break loose. It could range from merely making a report to contacting the head/charge nurse and or supervisor.

Then there was the fun when the previous nurse went home with the narc cabinet keys.

[DoGoodThenGo]

​spanx aren't that much better!

creator of spanx is worth billions now, all from an idea about cutting the bottom of control top panty-hose off to make a better control garment.

spanx is alright, but fwiu nothing like the foundation wear of old. indeed last year the new york times had an article written by a woman about her quest for a *real* girdle. poor thing searched all over new york city and couldn't lay hands on one for love nor money.

apparently there is a vast market for old girdles, especially the rubber jobs by playtex. why anyone would want one is beyond me, but some are willing to pay several hundred for a nib tube.

pipe: dollhouse bettie - pinup and vintage lingerie - 50s vintage playtex pink rubber girdle | archives | shop

[CompleteUnknown]

Med/narc cabinet counts at the start of each shift where the previous nurse would hand over to the med nurse for the incoming shift. If the narc count was off depending on the facility/floor/unit all heck could break loose. It could range from merely making a report to contacting the head/charge nurse and or supervisor.

Then there was the fun when the previous nurse went home with the narc cabinet keys.

It's still done this way where I work and I have gone home with 'the keys' once or twice.

[merryeh]

When I began as a student in a diploma program, they didn't allow married students, so I told them I was single and attended umtil I became pregnant and began to show, then they kicked me out. That was in 1961. I returned to school after about ten years and they were admitting married students, so I completed the nursing program and became a registered nurse in 1970.

We did have to stand for doctors when they came on the floor, and I worked with three other nurses and an LPN on a 43 bed medical / surgical unit. We mixed our own medications and were the step-down unit for cardiac patients as there was no CCU. We also took care of cancer patients and gave cancer medications per the oncology MD's orders. I remember having a cabinet in the medication room with large jars of drugs, no counts, and we shared them with the ER when they ran out. The head nurse was wonderful and the medication nurse was great! They both mentored me and I then mentored other newbies. It was a good experience and I don't regret a moment of it.

[Theresa141]

I was a student nurse in the early 70's and remember during clinical being assigned to an older male patient who had just had a pulmonectomy. The chest tubes drained into giant glass bottles and when the patient ambulated, you had to place the bottles in a wagon and pull them around behind the patient.

[merryeh]

There was still a central supply and most dressing changes and sterile equipment was metal and glass.....no plastics! Many items were not disposable. I also remember the glass syringes, no plastic, and needles were reused after going back to central supply for sterilization. I thought butterfly needle setups and gelco catheters were just wonderful things!!

[OCNRN63, RN]

Just wanted to say didn't wish to sound mean or anything. However there has to be some balance between the free for all that has become most facilities visiting hour policy, and being totally fixed.

IIRC some hospitals and nursing homes in the UK are going back to fixed visiting hours, and especially limiting or restricting guests during meal times. Again IIRC the theory was that patients needed some "down time" to have their meals in peace.

Where I work, there was a clamp-down a few months ago. It used to be that everybody and their brother would come in to see the patient; since the treatment areas hold 8 patients each, you can imagine how crowded it got. Sometimes you couldn't see the patient for all the visitors. The visitors would just help themselves to the food in the refridg. that was supposed to be for the patients and wipe it out like a plague of locusts. The new rule is 1 visitor per patient--no exceptions. Children have to be 16y to come back to the treatment room--no exceptions. Before, we'd have people bringing in screaming babies, little kids running rampant, getting into the fridge, etc. Sometimes you'd almost fall because the little kids were everywhere. One time, a nurse fell into an IV pole because of an unattended child. The screaming babies were distressing to the patients who didn't feel well, and I know it used to get on our nerves when we were trying to focus on what we were doing. If someone has extra visitors now, they have to either sit in the lobby, or go to the cafe and take turns coming into the treatment room. They may not wait in the waiting room, period.

Things are much better now. It's unfortunate that people pushed the envelope and forced these changes, but it's just a sign of the times.

[OCNRN63, RN]

​spanx aren't that much better!

ain't that the truth! they make you feel like an overstuffed sausage.

[SJerseygrle]

My mom worked in the lab in the late sixties/early seventies. Blood came down in a bottle, and all the blood was drawn up with a pipette that you sucked on to pull the blood up, and then blew the blood into each little tube for testing. In the 80s when she was hospitalized for something else, docs almost fell over when she tested positive for every kind of hepititis - the "spills" into her mouth had forced her body to produce antibodies for them all!

Today I would laugh if someone suggested I do this and most people feel sick at the very idea - I wonder what we do that in 40 years people will get grossed out by lol.

[DoGoodThenGo]

It's still done this way where I work and I have gone home with 'the keys' once or twice.

Think so much of the drama back then came from trying to locate the nurse in question. I mean after her shift they woman could have been anywhere from running errands, picking up the children from their minder, etc... In which case all anyone could do is telephone the nurse's home and leave a message (assuming she had an answer phone or someone was even there), or try tracking her down via "emergency phone number" listings in her HR file.

Late as the 1980's or 1990's it was mainly doctors that had pagers, and while they were becoming common to the population in whole it is nothing like today's mania for cell phones.

Living in a large urban area where many then and today take public transport to and from work, always felt sorry for such a nurse who went home "with the keys". Imagine taking a bus, subway, ferry, another bus, then walking home (about two hours or so) only to get in the door to see your answer phone blinking off the hook!