When our older nurses die :(

[Emergent]

The new, young ones are coming up. Just got the news today about a neat old nurse who died suddenly. We always kept in touch, our paths crossed in life on a medical unit years ago.

She went to nursing school when it was run by the nuns. I always liked looking for her picture in the old building. Now a for profit owns the hospital, healthcare isn't what it used to be.

She was a strong, vital, kind, hard-working woman, wholesome and dependable.

The world is changing. Some changes are okay, but a lot has been lost to us, never to be regained. A bit of valiant, strong goodness died this week.

It's up to the younger men and women to keep these values alive now.

[katdan1026]

My 1st job after graduating LPN school in 1992 was on a Med-Surg floor of a hospital. I was trained and orientated by 2 diploma RN's who took their training at the end of World War 2!!! They were both late 60/early 70 age group at that time and I learned more from them than I did in school, and they worked circles around the younger nurses. I couldn't keep up with them and I was only 26! They could both remember when only doctors gave shots and people who went into cardiac arrest dying because CPR wasn't known yet. Oh boy, the stories they had! I miss those nurses. They were truly the last of their kind.

[sarlou]

MUCH has been lost.....

[southern rn]

Generally speaking, if you start a sentence with "I'm sorry for your loss BUT... in reference to someone passing, you should hit the back button and keep your mouth shut.This wasn't intended to be an argumentative or debate thread.Inappropriate at best.OP, I'm truly sorry for your loss.

[TriciaJ, RN]

I'm sorry for your loss but times indeed changed and nurses are no longer the folks who does everyone's b work. We are highly trained, well educated advanced professionals many of whom in hospital leadership positions or running independent practices. Yes it's unfortunate that we don't have a tradition of wearing the uniform and cap but you better believe it that I'm glad we've progressed passed that point. Granted I'm a dude so that's another benefit.

I think you missed the point. This is about honouring venerable role models who provided great nursing and mentoring in their time. Their program of study might have been very different from today, but no less rigorous.

The honour guard with the uniforms and caps serves a ceremonial function; no one is advocating we go back to that as a regular uniform.

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

She intimated that at her funeral she wants to hold her cap in her hands and have her cape on display. I got a bit misty eyed at that.

At my great-aunt's visitation, they put her framed nursing school graduation portrait on her casket. (She had worked in rural community health until age 76!) It was lovely.