What was it like to be a nurse in the 1980s

Rockijo · Apr 13, 2016

Nursing in the 80's.... I worked at Teaching hospitals and Level 1 Trauma Centers. I was ER and Flight Nursing. What would you like to know. Email: [email protected]

Thank you!

Avalonian · Apr 13, 2016

I became a nurse in 1988. My first job was on a medical floor in a teaching hospital. We did primary care nursing, as someone said earlier, 5-6 patients on the day shift. You had the same patient each time you worked until they were discharged. But we did everything for them from feeding them to baths to running them to xray, cath lab, etc., not to mention meds and everything else.

We had our share of AIDs patients. Some of the nurses were scared to death of them, so others of us would volunteer.

Yes, the smoking lounge...one for patients, one for staff.

We wore no hats, but were required to either wear white dresses or pants with any nursey-like tunic. Most of us had the white hose and white shoes with the little blue hearts on the back. There was one nurse on our sister unit (onco) who bucked the dress code. She wore white fairy looking dresses, white shoes that curled up at the tips like an elf's, and had purple hair and black lipstick The management hated it, but since it was technically in compliance with the dress code there was nothing they could do. She was awesome!

Gorjesss, BSN, RN · Apr 13, 2016

My mother worked as a pharmacist in the 1980s at a hospital, one of the perks for full time vested employees (5 years +) (including nurses) was free diapers and formula for a year. My mother didn't breast feed and had 5 children, so you can imagine the savings this perk afforded. Also vested employees with uncomplicated births were allowed to stay up to 5 days post partum. Cool huh?

aussienurseaz · Apr 13, 2016

Hi I am a hospital trained nurse and registered in 1978 in Australia Very strict war all lived in the Nurse's Home with the Matron having an apartment Work was hard but loved every minute We we taught by Registered Nurses And Doctors following cirruculm sent by Nurse's Board There were no respiratory therapist or Assistants in Nurse's You learnt on the job and spent 2 weeks in the Training school every 3 months After 6 weeks when first started you we scheduled to a ward and working as a real nurse Bathing patients giving shots Going on rounds with the doctors and residents There was a Senior Nurse and you were the junior nurse and you advanced as you passed exams Al written No computers Careplans were hand written as we're all reports observations and changes

Absolutely loved my training days made friends for life as we were all in the same boat and took care of each other The day we did our final examination was a big event Breakfast in the Nurse's home with the Matron and all the Charge Nurse's then off together on the bus to the local school and 3 hour long hand written papers with some multiple choice mostly written I am at the end of my career after nearly 40 years and my initial training has carried me through Intensive Care nursing and Certification , PeriOperative Nursing and Certification Changing my country and working in one of the major hospitals in USA in specialities that never existed in the 70s. But I can truthfully say I can still do all the skills that we we taught back then EKGs, making beds, bathing patients, care for any medical and surgical patient , I wouldn't change any of what I have learnt or experienced

allnurses Guide · Apr 13, 2016

My mother worked as a pharmacist in the 1980s at a hospital, one of the perks for full time vested employees (5 years +) (including nurses) was free diapers and formula for a year. My mother didn't breast feed and had 5 children, so you can imagine the savings this perk afforded. Also vested employees with uncomplicated births were allowed to stay up to 5 days post partum. Cool huh?

That's interesting.

I had my first child in 1983 in Reno; normal lady partsl delivery but had the "big shave" and an enema:sarcastic:; 3 days in the hospital. Baby spent most of the time in the nursery. :no:

22 months later, in a small town 3 hours from Reno, I had my second child. Same delivery but no shave or enema thank goodness!! Baby roomed-in and we went home in one day.

Amazing differences in the 80's.

Farawyn · Apr 13, 2016

That's interesting.
I had my first child in 1983 in Reno; normal lady partsl delivery but had the "big shave" and an enema:sarcastic:; 3 days in the hospital. Baby spent most of the time in the nursery.
22 months later, in a small town 3 hours from Reno, I had my second child. Same delivery but no shave or enema thank goodness!! Baby roomed-in and we went home in one day.
Amazing differences in the 80's.

"How big was it?"

*runs*

RN-Doula · Apr 13, 2016

When I worked 3 - 11 pm shift, every patient got a back rub at bedtime. We had a less demanding role as patients were in the hospital longer and not as acutely ill before discharge. They had longer recuperation times in the hospital. A C-birth mom stayed for 5 or 7 days as was the norm, but they were not allowed to walk until 48 hours post-op. All babies were bottle fed on schedule 9 - 1 - 5 am and pm. More teaching was done, moms had to demo back a newborn baby bath, swaddling, diaper change, bulb suction use etc. before discharge. lady partsl deliveries were kept 3 or 4 entire days. Shifts were 7-3, 3-11, 11-7, not uncommon to work a double shift, meaning 16 hours in a row when there was a sick call. And be back at 7 am again. We recorded our hours worked on a written time card and gave to our boss. If you were 5 minutes late, no one much cared unless you did it daily. No computer charting at all. Your doctor carried a pager, cell phones didn't exist, if he was in traffic it took an hour or two to get a call back.

Porttack64 · Apr 13, 2016

I could write you a book about nursing in the 70's and 80's. I graduated from a diploma program at a private hospital in 1969 at the ripe old age of 19 and went to work in a big city teaching hospital in the Peds ICU. At the hospital where I trained, we lived in a dorm that was connected to the hospital by a tunnel. We wore pink pinafore dresses and had to be in at 10:30 during the week and 12:30 on the weekend. We had "house mothers" that were sitting at a desk when we came into the building so there was no hiding anything. Dates had to wait downstairs as no men were allowed to be up in the dorm. Once a week our director had a tea, so that we could learn how to serve a "proper tea." You were not even supposed to be married. When a doctor entered the room, you were supposed to give him your chair. Private hospitals were then and now very different as far as what you were able to discuss with a doctor. Fortunately most of my career was in a teaching hospital and I never felt that way. We often were the best resource those interns and residents had. Nurses today would just not be able to understand what it was like back then. The workload was different in so many ways, we did not have the technology but we also did not have IV pumps, respiratory therapists or computerized charting. I was oriented for 2 weeks on day shift and there were several deaths and it was so busy, meningitis was so prevalent as was Reyes Syndrome and horrible child abuse. After that I went to night shift in charge. Rude awakening. We actually counted drips and most were 10ml/hour and if we needed a vent we had to go to the basement, get one and hook it up. One year of that, working all three shifts every 2 weeks and 2 out of 3 weekends-with no extra pay-and I changed to the general peds floor. Sixty patients, many of whom were toddlers who sat at tables for dinner we doled out of a food cart and they went to the playroom in the afternoon. No parents were allowed to stay overnight. Many times I would have 20 IV's running at 10ml/hour with every 4 hour antibiotics. The doctors started the IV's and they were butterflies precariously inserted and taped down, even glued in with collodian which is like clear nail polish. To keep the IV"S in we restrained them on all fours, like someone being tortured in the desert. Thank goodness it was only 8 hour shifts although we usually had to stay overtime to get the charting done. Blue for days, green for evenings and red for nights-that is the reason for those multi colored pens. I gave all the meds from a cart, we mixed our own antibiotics, no Pharm D getting them ready. I also took off all the orders and made the assignments. I usually had an LPN and some aides. I ran laps all shift just looking at IV's. I would love to have a conversation and tell you about it. I went back for a BSN and had to take the entire 4 years as I got NO credit for my diploma. I eventually went back for and MSN and I am a PNP. I have been a nursing instructor for many years. I love seeing that growth but I fear students today are just so much concerned about the meds, charting, equipment, paperwork for school, etc., that they do not always "care" for the patient. Beds are a mess, people do not always get baths and the rooms are cluttered. My very first instructor told me that is the room was a mess, you probably did not give great care. That is what I miss. I was a patient for 12 days with an ileus after a ruptured appendix a couple of years ago and it was a rude awakening. I got so little care from nurses except for meds and irrigating my NG. I do not think I slept for more than 3 hours a day for that entire time as they woke me up for something constantly. Times have changed for sure!

allnurses Guide · Apr 13, 2016

"How big was it?"
*runs*

Absolutely everything . . . and it hurt to grow back. :no:

D'Avignon · Apr 13, 2016

I graduated in 1982. We had to wear all white (pants were OK). We had to wear a cap to graduate and most of us refused to purchase them not only to never have to wear it again but also our male graduates did not have to wear one. The school insisted so the male students made a hat out of paper and we ALL wore one!

I remember shortly after starting work the AIDS crisis hit and nurses were initially allowed to refuse to care for patients with HIV/AIDS. We were in the MICU and wondering why we were getting young people (mostly men) with unusual pneumonia's who died.

We were very outspoken and advocated for patients. Many of us refused to fetch for the doctors who expected us to pour their coffee.

It was an exciting time for sure and I have since worked in a lot of different settings with all age groups. 40 years later, I'm still enjoying the profession.

edgar1 · Apr 13, 2016

Started out at a hospital affiliated with an Ivy: working conditions were intellectually stimulating and the least physically stressful that I've ever encountered. I remember the young male medical students calling their PAs-in-training "Turkeys" (this was in the mid-1970s and the program was new). That has always bothered me; I was too intimidated to call them out for this poor behavior. All of us newly graduated nurses had our BSNs; many of the doctors were actually interested in dating/marrying the nurses back then. We nurses wore white shoes, hose, uniforms and nursing caps (caps were always falling off our heads when we did pt. care). Went into Peace Corps from there; was assigned a 40 bed hospital as Nursing Director and also was responsible for a number of local public health nurses. I was called "Doctora" simply because anyone with a four year college degree (and up) was called this out of respect. Had a visiting doctor each week; otherwise, we nurses were on our own. One doctor from a neighboring South American country borrowed my nsg books to study (I even knew more than him [disconcerting]). I remember coming into the hospital after having had the weekend off and seeing a male patient stitched up literally all over his body (had been in a machinery accident); he was puffed out like the Pillsbury Doughboy and was on his feet walking around with arms outstretched in mortal agony; had gangrene everywhere -- that ignorant doctor had been on duty. Also remember seeing one young well educated and earnest doctor on his knees crying one night (he had sent for me to come in) ... he had lost a four-year-old pt. ... he stated that he could not locate a pediatric cuff which was vital for the treatment that he had needed to do. Our one peds cuff had "walked away." Many, many more dramatic and interesting stories than these ... these two are always intermittently in my mind, however. Two attempts were made on my life by wild children from the capital city located by rickety bus three hours away; these children would be dumped into local pueblos periodically. Both attempts were made simply to secure food (which I would have given them). When I first arrived at this assignment, it was late at night and there was no electricity (it was sporadic). Upon entering the hospital, I was guided by the sound of moaning (no screaming [nor any family members present) ... to the hospital's labor and delivery room (which also had several beds for new mothers). The girls were around 11-12 y/o and both were on the same bare narrow mattress -- each had the other's feet at her head. Both were crowning at the same time. Here I am, the new DON, barely speaking Spanish -- what did I do? I went looking for an enfermera (!!) -- who ultimately slowly came in and competently delivered the babies. Her training? No formal education past middle school or high school ... but a lot of hands on. FARC came into my pueblo the second year; I was trapped in the hospital for two months -- psychological hell but I was not physically harmed. My last moments with any of them consisted of being walked to the back of the hospital -- where there was a local dump for organic/inorganic materials -- the "soldier" and I were positioned right at the edge of the cliff. I looked off into the distance at this incredibly beautiful sunset and just started rambling on about it -- blowing at least one verb tense; the "soldier," who had been playing around with something in her pocket (the only female in the bunch), stared at me long and hard -- ultimately smiled (only smile that I ever saw from any of them), turned around, and said "Let's go." Within the hour the entire bunch had pulled out of the pueblo and moved on. (PC had not known of the event until I informed them.) It was not until many years later that I finally let the realization of what she had been twirling in her pocket, psychologically "out of the bag" -- it had been a small pistol, I am sure. I elected to remain at that hospital until the end of my assignment. Next nsg job situation -- I became a soldier in the military (this was still in the 70s -- extending into the 80s). Worked all three shifts in the week and many, many hours; did not get a real vacation until the end of my time there; however, was compensated with a nice chunk of money for this (base was outside the US). We nurses did have one nice conference in the middle of our tour (at a very nice hotel). Nurses were in the military very professional and competent; the doctors treated us with a good deal of respect (never did socialize ... was always too tired)! Did have a problem with non medical males saluting me. Made Captain towards the middle of my first tour; was given "credit" for my PC work (had no idea about this). We would sometimes wear our BDUs/jump boots to work -- boots back then were heavy. Had a pt. when I was working in the ICU who presented with strange set of s/s; he was from one of the islands and was later found out to have been homosexual. Various doctors would come by trying to figure out what was going on with the pt. It wasn't until post discharge from the military that I would learn that he had AIDs -- back then his illness did not even have a name. I do remember being angry at the doctors one shift (there was one peering in through the glass windows); I practically yelled that the pt. MUST be administered an analgesic ... he was practically levitating off the bed with pain (the doctors were circumspect about this due to the strangeness of his illness). I was finally given the order to do so; he died not long past this. By the end of the course of this pt's brief illness, I felt that I was inside his skin with him -- not just physically, but metaphysically as well. I still carry him around inside me, somehow. I also remember a young ~ 19 y/o homosexual enlisted medic (he did not formally announce his sexual orientation inside the military [only some of us knew]) whisper to me that he had heard of a friend of a friend in San Francisco having some of the same weird s/s. (I hope that this medic survived the AIDS epidemic.) I worked at a VA next; the VA had a good number of former military nurses. The VA nurses, as in the military, were generally very well trained/educated;I loved,loved, loved the pts (generally speaking, I sadly do not have the same general opinion of my own baby boom generation). It seemed as though beds were always filled at the VA; worked progressive care and in one of the intensive care units. Pts. did not have to worry about receiving a bill for their care; I was proud of my country for their free care [i believe in universal free health care]) I also served in the Army Reserves throughout my time there. Army Reserves receives mixed reviews from me; some nurses are not as experienced as one would like (one had not EVER worked apart from it [only nurse that I never had any kind of respect for; never saw her working with pts. -- only sitting off somewhere]). I really do have incredible respect for the nurses associated with the military and VAs in our country. (Aside: once I was out of the military and married, I began the very serious business of creating humans inside me. What a difficult job it is for women in any capacity to create and then nuture human beings -- particularly as a nurse!) That essentially ends my nsg. experiences in the 80s: total number of meal breaks ever taken during that time (excepting quick presentations in the nurses' lounges for social stuff) -- two handfuls worth, perhaps (I would feel guilty [not unusual for a nurse]). Blessings.

CarolinabornRN · Apr 13, 2016

I graduated in 1981. White dresses, hose, and caps were the norm. We had no problems finding a job as there was a nursing shortage in my home state and surrounding areas. There were always lots of recruiters that came to school trying to get us to sign on. I went to work at a small hospital on a resort island and was put on the night shift on the med/surg floor. Not where I wanted to be! Later I was put on 3-11 shift which was really busy. There was no smoking anywhere in the hospital. We never gave up our seats for the doctors (not in nursing school or were I worked). During nursing school and after, I never really had problems with MD's not showing respect. Patients and families were always respectful to the nurses and staff. Our hospital was Primary Care Nursing. I had 10-12 patients every day and rarely ever had help. When I oriented, I was told that once I completed orientation that I would always have 10 patients, but that I would always have 1 LPN and 1 CNA assigned to me. Yeah, Right! I was lucky to have a CNA for part of a shift. Supper breaks? There was never time for one. Back then it seems that patients were admitted for everything. Even fecal impactions. I got the same old guy about once a month like clockwork with doctor's orders to break impaction followed by warm water enema. Next day he would be discharged home. It seems funny now, but I remember having a patient post-op cataract surgery. She had to lie flat on her back with sand bags to each side of her head. She was not allowed to bend over so as to avoid pressure on the sutures. All surgical patients were admitted the night before and the night shift got them prepped for surgery early the next morning. All so archaic sounding now. I guess I am now considered an old "dinosaur" nurse. LOL!