Epidermal clysis, they are bringing that back some places as a way of gently hydrating fragile people. Who knew, I remember reading about in my text book, that big pink volume that was updated every year and was a standard for Med-Surg Nursing courses. I did it in 2013 when I hit the roof over a patient's care. I worked a CLC and they gave some little 95 year old guy normal saline at 150ml/hr IV for 24 hours to rehydrate him. I came in the next morning and found that they had sent into heart failure and renal compromise. After I got finished with my rant over the whole thing they limited the hourly rate to 75ml/hr (for everyone) but we actually did try clysis under the direction of one of the NPs who also knew how to do it. We never had another resident have to be treated for being over hydrated. I am sue there are more things some of which I might be ashamed of, we were not evidence based back then.
***Fully and and luxiously stocked supply cabinets for every patient room. Keri Lotion bottles.***
Back rubs at night with said Keri lotion!! From the LPNs who did a lot of the hands-on care, although the RNs did too. But evening shifts seemed to have fewer staff, so LPNs did more on evenings, since there didn't seem to be as many RNs around then, and I only recall seeing RNs when they charted and passed meds. I learned very young how to "read" caps to know which was which.
(Speaking as a young patient in the late 60's - early 70's - I got into nursing school {LPN} in 1978; and Surgical Technology in 1993 - 2008.)
***Patients in their pink frilly night gowns. Cosmetic bags in the bathroom counter.***
I got to wear my own jammies most of the times I can recall being in the hospital between the ages of 12 and 15. I didn't OWN any "pink frillies" at that age, and no makeup! But, the grown women I was frequently roomed with, in four bed wards (the cheapest room, and the one insurance paid for back then) since I was never put in Peds, did have their own gowns, except the poorer ones who I guess didn't want to wear whatever they wore at home, so they wore the plain hospital gowns. But, I do recall having real robes, not having to wear a gown backwards.
***Candy strippers.***
I'm almost POSITIVE you meant "Candy STRIPERS" instead of "Strippers" - which gives a WHOLE NEW mental image of their activities!! LOL!!
***Women's auxiliary with carts full of magazines and treats.***
And those "treats" included food type treats, and cigarettes the patients could buy at the bedside, providing of course they were not on restricted diets, or on oxygen! I remember as a teen several times being stuck in women's four bed wards, not Peds, and some of the patients were smokers - bleah!! Nice and healthy for ME, huh? I complained to my nurses AND my doctor, and it took them a while to manage to find another room without ANY smokers, and that had a space to move me to! Changing the patient's location for such "unimportant" reasons was apparently more hassle to them than they wanted to bother with. But I made such a fuss, they had to. My parents did NOT smoke, so I think that may have been a factor in my favor!
***Gift shops that would rival a souvenoir shop on Main St in Disneyland.***
With prices to match!! I never got anything from the Gift Shop more costly than a magazine or two, since everything was so expensive there.
***White stockings.***
Stockings, younger nurses, NOT pantyhose! Which of course required garters attached to either girdles or garter belts (not sexy - very much just one more layer of undergarments you were required to wear.) White nurses pantyhose was difficult to find when pantyhose hit the markets at first, since pantyhose were originally designed and marketed to the young, "swinging single" miniskirt wearing set, NOT to professional nurses who were still wearing hems to the knees, or lower! Depending on what hospital you worked for, of course.
Pantyhose had/have the disadvantage of being done for with the first run, then you had to break out a whole new pair! Unless of course, you were motivated into being frugal with them, and learning how to get around that limitation!
No hair hanging down, no nails, no nail polish, and respect.....you had better respect....and white yes my shoes did squeak and they were white and yes I wore a hat and a dress.......I knew and the patient's knew who the nurse was and did not have to guess what I did......and what I could do......I was proud to do the job and it was what I did......now I don't know who does what.....I was told I was obsolete by a big conglomerate multi hospital group.......if they only knew whos back they started on......
I started in Surgery in 1993, and had done clinicals while in school at a hospital where one of the surgeons had BEEN a surgeon during WWII. He was the stereotypical "grouchy old fart" who was known for throwing things sometimes, and who had a son old enough to also work there as a cardiac surgeon.
I figured out the way "around him" when he would glare at the Scrub when they didn't pass instruments to him, especially loaded needle drivers with free needles and ties for suture, instead of packaged suture with swaged on needles, the way HE wanted them (not the safe way everyone else did, and we were taught) was with music.
The second time I scrubbed with him, I had found out already about his being in the War, so I asked him an innocent question about his War experience. He was surprised but apparently flattered that anyone "my age" (I was 36!) would either know about it at all, or care to hear more. He told me all kinds of interesting stories, and wasn't quite so touchy after that.
The next time I came to clinicals, I was prepared with several cassettes of Big Band music! I slipped them to the anesthesiologist before I started setting up my case, and asked if he would play one after the case was safely under way. He smiled, and said he sure would.
That, chickadees, proved to a T the old proverb about music soothing the "savage beast" - which is really breast, but in his case, beast also applied! He was quite taken aback and actually stopped what he was doing when the strains of Glenn Miller's "Moonlight Serenade" filled the room, and he immediately asked what radio station was playing! The anesthesiologist and I winked at each other, and I told him that wasn't the radio, it was a tape! He looked at the anesthesiologist and thanked him for bringing it in! The anesthesiologist told him, "That's not mine - it's hers!" and pointed at me. Dr. Grouchy looked at me and asked me what I was doing with such music, and said I was too young to even know about it! I told him I was not, that I enjoyed Big Band music quite a lot, and did know a lot about it. He was quite pleased, and became downright pleasant to work with!
He even requested me to scrub with him a few times, which he NEVER did for students before, and I always made sure to bring in a couple of tapes from my car in the mornings after that when going in to clinicals for the day.
He retired the following year, but I heard he'd mellowed out a good bit after I left, and could actually be heard humming tunes sometimes, instead of grouching at new students!
moldyoldyrn
98 Posts
Epidermal clysis, they are bringing that back some places as a way of gently hydrating fragile people. Who knew, I remember reading about in my text book, that big pink volume that was updated every year and was a standard for Med-Surg Nursing courses. I did it in 2013 when I hit the roof over a patient's care. I worked a CLC and they gave some little 95 year old guy normal saline at 150ml/hr IV for 24 hours to rehydrate him. I came in the next morning and found that they had sent into heart failure and renal compromise. After I got finished with my rant over the whole thing they limited the hourly rate to 75ml/hr (for everyone) but we actually did try clysis under the direction of one of the NPs who also knew how to do it. We never had another resident have to be treated for being over hydrated. I am sue there are more things some of which I might be ashamed of, we were not evidence based back then.