University of Michigan Medical and Nursing School - Aequanimitas Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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Dedicated to the Class of 1969 THE DILEMMA To help you live for one more minute In pain, in coma, in mental strife, To preserve life, no matter how With tubes, with needles, with bottles dripping, And yet- To watch you slipping cell by cell toward death. To help you die, to end lifeis meaning In peace, in rest, in mental health, To let death come, no matter when, With hope, with trust, with faith returning, And yet- To watch you yearning day by day for life. To help you live, to help you die. Here am I. How Can I say that there is no more hope for life? Why Should I cause you pain and so much strife? Why Should I fight till dignity passes you by? How Can I say that now I will let you die? So I will live in the coming days In pain, in hurt, in mental strife, And I will wonder many times With tears, with doubt, with thoughts conflicting An yet With choice reflecting day by day my creed: To help you live, to help you die- Here am I. jo-Carole Sikorski A.j.N., june 1966

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Slightl s f Y I Being a nursing student at University of Michigan School of Nursing is truly a unique experience for each of its stu- dents. Secluded in a corner of the vast medical complex, it is often overlooked by many bypassets in lieu of the larger and more striking appearance of University Hospital and the Medical Science Building. To each of its students it is well known, however. We have classes within the building as sophomores and continue to have classes and meetings there as we continue through our rotations. Each person who has contact with the school views it from their own perspective and remembers it in a manner reflecting their experience with it. just as each students, view of the school differs, so their entire nursing experience while a student varies greatly around a general store of knowledge. Though each student completes fundamentals within their sophomore year, their knowledge and experience with patients varies as much as the clinical situations in which they were placed. For some students there is a semester at Ann Arbor Veterans Hospitalg others will never have this experi- ence. Each girl grows in skill and experience under the guid- ance of instructors, whose views of nursing practice often dif- fer slightly in various situations. 178 iffering e X 'M 3-iv C r i e n c S As we enter our rotations a variety of different experiences await us. Though in nursing the type of patient is sometimes different, the care practiced and experience with organization is essentially the same. Because we are taught individualized nursing care, it is obvious why no two individuals get the same experiences throughout their training. Each patient and student has a different personality, Though we begin with essentially the same store of knowl- edge, our methods and ability to apply it varies from indi- vidual to individual and situation to situation. From our experiences here we learn to adapt to a variety of situations, utilize our knowledge and past experience with patients, and formulate a plan of care in light of the situation that presents itself. Each of us has grown along a slightly different path as we completed our training, Some rotations and instructors influ- enced us more than others. As we prepare to leave the school and strike our individual pathways to successful nursing, we carry with us knowledge of a variety of nursing activities, and impressions welve drawn from situations encountered here. As each of you embarks on her new career may it be one filled with successful and skillful nursing.

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CLASSCHV PRESIDENT .............. VICE-PRESIDENT ....... SECRETARY ............. TREASURER .......,............. SOCIAL CHAIRMAN .............. PUBLICITY CHAIRMAN ....... STEERING COMMITTEE ...... STEERING COMMITTEE ...... I believe that one reason there are so many people who are so restless, dissatisfied, and disappointed is that they have no bright and glowing objective before them, no star to which they can hitch their wagon. -George Mathew Adams 180 1969 KATHLEEN WHALEN SHIRLEY BAME DONNA JACOBS CAROL GILLIS BARBARA HAMILTON INGRID ALFREDSON CHRISTINA VanBOKKEM NANCY SCOTT The above quotation was written by a famous syndicated columnist and lecturer who also was renowned for his rare book collections. It appeared in a popular magazine in 1948 but seems more appropriate in these times than in those. Restlessness, dissatisfaction and disappointment, though feelings of the uncommitted, can be the spurs to urge one to live a purposeful and meaningful life. Restlessness is a virtue when it is a restlessness in a quest for knowledgeg when it is a yearning to improve the lot of mankindg when it is a desire to turn a furrow so new seeds of knowledge may germinate and grow. Dissatisfaction is healthy if it is dissatisfaction with the worn-out past, the traditions that stifle creativityg and with one's own ability to absorb new knowledge and see its appli- cations. Disappointment, too, can be a valuable experience if it is disappointment that we have not reached our goalg that we have not made our contribution to our profession for which we have the capacityg and that we have failed to accept leadership when the opportunity arose. You have chosen your bright and shiny objective. Now you must find a 'fstar to which you can hitch your wagon. Dean Rhoda R. Russell