Mack School of Nursing - Yearbook (St Catherines, Ontario Canada)

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Juniors... ...A Time to Plant

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what is a Student Nurse? Student nurses are found everywhere, on top of, underneath, running around, jumping over, or slithering past patients ' beds. Doctors overlook them, mothers worry about them and patients love them. A student nurse is courage under a cap, a smile in snowy white, strength in starched skirts, energy that is endless, the best of young womanhood, a modern Florence Nightingale. Just when she is gaining poise and prestige, she drops a glass, breaks a syringe or steps on a doctor ' s foot. A student nurse is a composite. She eats like a team of hungry interns, works like the whole nursing staff put together. She has the speed of a gazelle, the strength of an ox, the quickness of a cat, the endurance of a flagpole sitter. To the head nurse, she has the stability of mush, the fleetness of a snail, the mentality of a mule and is held together by starch, adhesive tape, and strained nerves. To an alumna, she will never work as hard, carry more trays, make more beds, or scrub on more cases than her predecessors. A student nurse likes days off, boys her own age, the OR, affiliations, certain doctors, pretty clothes, her roommate, and mom and dad. She ' s not much on working 3-11, days off with class, alarm clocks, getting up for roll call, or eating corn beef every Tuesday. A student nurse is a wonderful creature; you can criticize her, but you can ' t make her quit. Might as well admit it, whether you are a head nurse, doctor, alumna, or patient, she is your personal representative of a hospital, your living symbol of faith and sympathetic care. She is judged not by her race, religion, or social standards; she is measured by a professional yardstick that measures her ability to make a bed, apply bandages, or sacrifice her time to ease the pain of a patient, simply for the satisfac- tion of a job well-done. She is a hard-working, determined young girl doing her best for her school and hospital. When- ever she becomes discouraged, or the lamp gets too heavy, she should remember that there is a reward waiting for her, because surely some of God ' s angels wear white caps instead of halos and carry medicine trays instead of harps. — Laurel Leaf — 16

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Life gives us a time to laugh, to reflect, to work, to achieve and a time to speak to someone in warmth and sincerity Now is the time of happiness because you have attained one long-awaited goal which has ushered you into another new beginning . Having shed your high school cocoons, you take up another purpose and accept the challenge of continued intellectual pursuit. You are happy because the need to explore and create is being renewed as anticipated new exper- iences confront you. As you think about what is to be, you feel the need for a personal philosophy which gives purpose to the activities of living. This philosophy will give meaning to your experiences, and sustenance through moments of discouragement and sadness. The phase of personal growth which you undergo in nursing is not easy as you experience life ' s joys and sorrows; its triumph and tragedy; and its bewilderment and insight. Through all of this your knowledge grows, but more important, so does your concept of yourself and the universe. The challenge of examining previously unexamined certainties and seeking answers will require much intellectual effort and personal involvement. Avoiding the unknown is easier, yet the unknown with its disappointments and surprises is sometimes the most enriching. Bear in mind that success is a journey, not a destination and that wishes are the echo of a lazy will. Like a seed, nursing h as been planted within you. Your care, concern and attention will ensure its future growth. You will need to reconcile the gap between the idealism and the realism in nursing remembering that the spirit of the true inquirer supports intellectual honesty and humility, both of which enable you to realize how much remains to be learned. As 1 address these remarks to you, 1 feel that there is a common understanding of purposes, and their associated frustrations and satisfactions both of which somehow enrich us. Your knowledge will continue to multiply while your relationships will expand. Take time to develop friendships realizing that these are discovered in the experience of living Remain encouraged by man ' s unquestionable ability to elevate his life by conscious endeavour. Advance confidently in the direction of your dreams and efforts. We know that trying to relieve man ' s suffering, helping to sustain those in need, and helping people to experience peace is what life is all about. This gives meaning, vigour and taste to living. Mary Sirotnik Coordinator of Term 1 18