Differences: Nursing then and now...

Is this an assignment?

What exactly is THEN?

When I graduated in 1983, we did pirmary care nursing. The patients stayed longer in the hospital so not every patient was needy. I smoked in the nurses station (I have been smoke free for 19 years). I think we were more respected, I never remember having words with a patient or family member........it just seemed more civil.

Well for starters, the wages were MUCH lower than what nurses earn today! Even allowing for inflation etc, we earnt a pittance in the 1960's.

We wore uniforms. Stiff, starched, UNCOMFORTABLE uniforms! lol AND ... with an apron over the uniform dress! lol
We wore caps on our head.
Stockings and lace up leather shoes.
Stiff starched cuffs on the end of our sleeves!

We were ALWAYS called NURSE. Never by our christian name. Not EVER! It wasn't allowed!

We called our patients Mr or Mrs or Miss. NEVER more informal or familiar than that.

We did more "domestic" work than nurses do today.
For example; on a late shift, the nurses had to set out and prepare and serve the afternoon tea. LOL

We didn't have lifting machines back in "those" days. Hence why so many of my generation of nurses have back problems.

Patients looked up to nurses and we were held in high esteem and shown enormous respect. (Well, in AUSTRALIA we were!)

We lived in nurses quarters within the hospital grounds and had wonderful fun when off duty with our colleagues. The companionship was ever present and when one needed to vent, laugh, cry, share whatever, there was usually someone around the nurses home to do that with.
After a late shift, or any shift for that matter, gathering in the nurses home kitchen making tons of toast and coffee or tea and sharing the events of the completed shift. Counselling each other as necessary. Supporting each other with study and assingments etc.

The friendships forged still remain today 40 years later!

You never felt abandoned on the ward. Someone always stepped in to help and everyone took responsibility for answering bells, attending to a patient etc. None of this; "Oh, He/she's not MY patient!"
If you were ahead with your workload, you helped others with theirs and no-one went off duty until everyone had finished and we walked off the floor TOGETHER!

There was the downside to how we were treated at times by some members of the medical fraternity. Those individuals thought they were above the rest of us in the health profession, and tended to elevate themselves to fanciful lofty heights.

My experience has been that this persists today. However, as a word of encouragement to younger nurses; the older you become, the more fearless you become! lol With age and experience, you learn how to handle the jerks and wannabe's. You're not as easily intimidated by those who seek to laud it over you by the mere fact they're a doctor or somesuch.

There's probably a "million" other ways the profession is different today as compared to yesterday, I hope these I've listed helps you gain some insight into how it was "Back then!"

No more stories? I'm a student too, and I LOVE hearing these! We have instructors who tell us about the days when they had to wear dresses, caps, and tights to school, back when hospitals were the schools, and how they were appalled when they learned they had to start using gloves. (Explains why sometimes you'll catch a nurse ripping off a finger or two of the glove before she puts in an IV or draws blood... bad!) To us, we can't even imagine not using gloves, etc. It's amazing. One of the hospitals we have a lot of clinicals at has a whole mini "nursing museum" because they used to be one of the nicest nursing schools in the area and it's so cool just to even look at all of the equipment you used to use. I love hearing your stories!!

I've been a nurse since 1961. I graduated from a very large teaching hospital in New York City. At that time, the only things disposable were paper cups. Interns, and residents started IV's . When a patient came in with phlebatis, the treatment was to cover her legs with warm towels which would be removed periodically. There were no ward clerks, no computers, no monitors and we were expected to a small amount of housekeeping. We word stiff hats, starched uniforms, polished, white shoes, hair couldn't touch the coller, low salary, and we had to put up with sexual harassment to boot.
I was 20 when I graduated from nursing school and I worked with an OB doctor, who removed all his clothing and one of us had to put on his gown. He got a big thrill out of this. When we complained we were told it was easier to replace on of us, than a physician. Oh, and the treatment for ulcers was Maalox and milk.
The first time I saw a disposable enema can, I was sooo happy.LOL!

I graduated in 1963. I was 20 years old. I graudated from a teaching hospital. We had to wear the hats, which in the hospital I graduated from, were gauze like round things with a black ribbon around the edge. We wore starched uniforms and white shoes. We were responsible for our patients, some housekeeping and assisted interns whose job it was to start IV's. We lifted heavy patients without the aid of a machine; the needles and syringes were placed in a large drawer where we would assemble them. We didn't have telemetry, scans, and b/p were taken with a stethescope and spygnomanometer Phlebitis was teated with warm towels wrapped around the patients legs. When they got cold, they were changed to another set of warm, wet towels. The only disposable item I can remember was the paper cup at the water fountain.
We also put up with what you would call sexual harassment today. I worked labor/delivery, and there was a doctor old enough to be my grandfather who loved to disrobe down to his boxer shorts. One of us had to put his gown on. We complained, but were told it was easier to replace one of us than a physician.
I can't tell you how happy I was the first time I saw a disposable enema can. That's all this old girl can remember. Oh, the pay was terrible!