"The Good Ol' Days!"

One of my favorite things about allnurses is reading the posted "Stories" of how things used to be. I am amazed to learn about nursing in the past, and how things are different now. Nurses Announcements Archive Article

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?"

Specializes in Emergency, Haematology/Oncology.

I miss the bell that we used to ring in our oncology ward when visiting hours were over.

I remember how proud I was to be issued with my six white dresses (that the hospital would wash for you each week).

I miss the night duty care packs we were issued with the apple, sandwiches, juice and yoghurt.

I miss my first boss (most incredible woman, and superb nurse) who used to smoke cigars in her office and take the patients in there on the sly, who called me braindead and useless for at least six months and made me cry, but made me a better nurse and taught me everything I never learned at university.

I miss being called "sister" and my badge starting with SR .........

I miss working when there was no such thing as the internet, facebook or mobile phones.

I miss the faith and trust that patients inherently had in those caring for them.

I miss the doctors who wore bow-ties.

I miss the old autoclave, I can't believe I was nursing when we still sterilised our own equipment!

I miss the funny side of nursing and the practical jokes we used to play on each other and our patients because we had time!

I hate to admit it but, I miss the old school polite hierarchical "rules" of being a junior nurse and how things changed as you grew and became more experienced, I loved becoming more respected as I "grew up" and got promoted based on clinical skill development and leadership encouragement that was inherent in the system 15 years ago rather than the system that rewards ego driven entitlement.

I miss having empty beds.

I remember passing out while on my clinical pracs as a student because etiquette demanded that we stand quietly, in non-air conditioned wards (forever) while the RNs did group handover, and having my facilitator catch me, throw me into a chair and give me a juice (no trip to the ER).

I remember drawing up our own chemotherapy.

I remember working when the word "bully" only applied to school children.

I miss working with nurses who devoted 40 years of their lives to looking after people.

I miss working with doctors who devoted 40 years of their lives to looking after people.

Oh, I know, I am a sentimental fool.

Not a sentimental fool at all NO50FRANNY, to be honest I miss being called Sister a bit too, although some of the oldies still do say that.

I remember older Sisters like the one you wrote about... 'you'll never make a nurse' became 'well, you just might make a nurse one day' and that was high praise indeed. The ones I was the most terrified of in the beginning were the ones who taught me the most.

I could have written everything you said (except that my six dresses were blue and I had six white aprons too).... great post!

When I first started as a student nurse, I wore a blue dress with a high collar and a starched white apron with criss-cross straps at the back. Seriously!

The hospital took a bold move about a year later, and ditched the apron. I don't know how much wringing of hands there was at the higher levels, but it sure was good not to have that **** apron any more! We still had caps though lol.

Do youse mean like dis? :D

3 Vintage Navy Blue Nursing Student Dresses + 1 Apron and accessories | eBay

Hahahaha omg almost exactly like that!! :p

We didn't have pockets in the apron though - I remember we all had to have a pair of scissors and a clamp (can't even remember what for now, in case we came upon an IV that had run through and the patient was about to die from a air embolus????.... or maybe it was to clamp urinary catheters....) but I can't remember how we carried them lol or even where I put my four-coloured pen! I think we had to reach under the big starched apron into the pockets of the blue dress.

The clamp was the same size as the scissors and I still have it somewhere.

Oh man, I really AM a vintage model. Lol.

1. Finger cots (they looked like tiny condoms) for suppositories or rectal checks, including digitally removing fecal impactions (Nurse's job.)

2. Gloves were only for sterile dressing changes, surgery or delivery.

3. Only Doctors were allowed to do lady partsl exams during labor, Nurses did rectal exams (with a finger cot).

4. Nurse carried the charts for the Doctor and accompanied him (very few female Doctors back then) during his patient rounds. (And of course, Nurses stood up for Doctors to sit at the desk, where smoking was common, and ashtrays provided.)

5. All patients (who were not NPO) got graham crackers and juice for bedtime snack. Followed by a back rub with lotion and powder. Every night. (They also got backrubs after their daily morning bath.)

6. Medications were delivered in little cup trays with color-coded (for times) card-board Name/Room number/ Medication/dose cards which fit into a little slot in tray above the little hole that the cup sat in. Med Trays held 24 cups. (Admitting Nurse had to make up the med cards.)

7. Medications were all drawn from large bottles of pills and placed in the cups by the Nurse in the Med room. It took a couple hours to set up meds for med passes.

8. Visiting Hours were strictly adhered to (2 visitors per patient per visiting hour), and children were not allowed in hospitals unless they were a patient.

9. Fathers only allowed on Maternity floors, and never in the Delivery Room. They had to "gown up" during labor or to visit post-partum.

10. Fetal-scope was a metal stetoscope, worn over the head to listen to fetal heart-tones.

11. All new-borns were only given water for the first 24 hours...even nursing babies. Never the breast, "until the milk came in."

12. All nurses wore white dress uniforms, white nylons, white shoes, white Nurse's cap with stripes designating your school. L&D Nurses had to wear whites to work, then change into hospital supplied blue scrubs, OR Nurses were supplied with green scrubs. We had to change to whites to leave the floor for any reason.

13. IVs all came in glass bottles and we had to calculate the number of drips for IV to infuse over ordered amount of time.

14. "Poseys" were standard attire for old folks, to tie them to their beds or wheelchairs.

15. All beds were equiped with full side rails which were to be UP at bedtime. And all beds were crank beds, and if someone forgot to put the crank back under the bed, shins would suffer, as well as putting runs in our white nylons.

I graduated in 1968, and am still working, now in Long-term care. 44 years has seen so many changes in Health care, it is amazing!

1. Finger cots (they looked like tiny condoms) for suppositories or rectal checks, including digitally removing fecal impactions (Nurse's job.)

2. Gloves were only for sterile dressing changes, surgery or delivery.

3. Only Doctors were allowed to do lady partsl exams during labor, Nurses did rectal exams (with a finger cot).

4. Nurse carried the charts for the Doctor and accompanied him (very few female Doctors back then) during his patient rounds. (And of course, Nurses stood up for Doctors to sit at the desk, where smoking was common, and ashtrays provided.)

5. All patients (who were not NPO) got graham crackers and juice for bedtime snack. Followed by a back rub with lotion and powder. Every night. (They also got backrubs after their daily morning bath.)

6. Medications were delivered in little cup trays with color-coded (for times) card-board Name/Room number/ Medication/dose cards which fit into a little slot in tray above the little hole that the cup sat in. Med Trays held 24 cups. (Admitting Nurse had to make up the med cards.)

7. Medications were all drawn from large bottles of pills and placed in the cups by the Nurse in the Med room. It took a couple hours to set up meds for med passes.

8. Visiting Hours were strictly adhered to (2 visitors per patient per visiting hour), and children were not allowed in hospitals unless they were a patient.

9. Fathers only allowed on Maternity floors, and never in the Delivery Room. They had to "gown up" during labor or to visit post-partum.

10. Fetal-scope was a metal stetoscope, worn over the head to listen to fetal heart-tones.

11. All new-borns were only given water for the first 24 hours...even nursing babies. Never the breast, "until the milk came in."

12. All nurses wore white dress uniforms, white nylons, white shoes, white Nurse's cap with stripes designating your school. L&D Nurses had to wear whites to work, then change into hospital supplied blue scrubs, OR Nurses were supplied with green scrubs. We had to change to whites to leave the floor for any reason.

13. IVs all came in glass bottles and we had to calculate the number of drips for IV to infuse over ordered amount of time.

14. "Poseys" were standard attire for old folks, to tie them to their beds or wheelchairs.

15. All beds were equiped with full side rails which were to be UP at bedtime. And all beds were crank beds, and if someone forgot to put the crank back under the bed, shins would suffer, as well as putting runs in our white nylons.

I graduated in 1968, and am still working, now in Long-term care. 44 years has seen so many

changes in Health care, it is amazing!

You go girl! *LOL*

Forgot all about Poseys. I swear there were times almost every patient >50 on the floor was "tied down".

My old (circa 1980's) copy of Lippincott's Manual of Nursing Practice shows a student nurse using a metal "fetal scope". Yes, she was also wearing her cap, though how she got the scope on over the thing is a mystery to me.

Remember "gowing up" on L&D and even some mother/baby floors. IIRC all nurses working in the nursery were gowned and often masked as well.

The only thing more common in hospitals besides Graham crackers was ginger ale. *LOL*

I was an nurses aide in the early 70's i was taught how to remove an IV ,to cath both sexes,changed dressings,gave ether in the delivery room and i was only 17 years old,

Specializes in Critical Care, PICU, OR.

The hospital that I worked in in Ireland when a pt died we opened the window to let the spirit of the deceased out.

That still happened in hospitals serving Native American population. The Spirit of the deceased MUST leave the room.

Specializes in Critical Care, PICU, OR.
the good ol' days..hmmm one thing that comes to mind is my first job out from school working 7-3pm every am our nm would inspect our "starched white uniforms" nurses would wear their cap at all times. besides that the females would wear dresses or skirts below the knee and if any looked suspicious she would pull out her measuring tape:lol2: and the male nurses would have to wear their black stripe around their collar. in addition, i would always knew when she was coming down the hall because of her chalk white stockings making a swishing sound :rotfl:. below you can see a similar male uniform named "ben casey" accepted by the facility where i worked. lastly, everyone addressed each other by their last name ex: mr.gitano.

ben casey.jpg

Mens Medical Wear Melbourne | Buy Online

Isn't that "Dr. Kildare" scrubs?