Mimi56

Regarding the above comment about Cocaine-- when I did transfer to the OR in 1978/79, Cocaine 4% solution was on the shelf in the OR room. It was the prettiest ocean blue. After a couple of more years, it began to start disappearing and we had to start locking it up with the other narcotics. i have just read through this whole thread. We are so lucky to have had the wonderful, wacky, experiences we have had and survived. My only hope is that this new generation of nurses will commit to care for their patients, in spite of what insurance, legislators, or administrators throw at them.

I began working in 1976 on an Orthopedic floor as the charge nurse on the 11 pm-7am shift. It was myself (a new graduate) and a relatively new LPN to care for 32 Orthopedic/Surgical patients. I had a medication room where I mixed all of my own IV piggybacks and dispensed my own medications. My biggest nightmare was the list of patients awaiting pain medication when I arrived and it seemed like about the time I got everybody serviced, it was time to start all over again. This was in the days of skeletal traction for femoral fractures for 6 weeks and total hips were non-weight bearing for almost a week. There were no scope cases- all knees were open knees. While I was in orientation, I wore my white dress and cap, but at night, I wore a white pantsuit and my cap. If I felt it was necessary to consult with a surgeon regarding a patient or an order, I had no problem doing so. And I learned soon enough, what was important enough to wake up a doctor for and what could wait. After about 11 months, I transferred to the SICU step down floor. I loved this experience. I worked a 3pm-11pm shift and had the opportunity to work with some really great nurses in the SICU that I really learned a lot from. During this year, I began to "forget" to put my cap on (and kept getting written up for it), developed a horrible bilateral ulcerative blepharitis as a result of taking care of trach patients, and eventually got the opportunity to transfer to the OR. This made me a very happy girl! The rest of my career has been spent in and around the OR--happy days, indeed. Times have changed a lot. And yet, nursing has gained very little in 40 years. Nurses are still overworked, floors are understaffed, and no one wants to pay you what you are worth.