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Page 17 text:
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C oncerlo for 16 pieces in V hlat Allegri 1 lie Hat had five flights, liot and cold run- ning water, a not so handy handy-man named Tom, and 16 new tenants. To most of us, it was known as 92 Charles Street, the MCfH dormitory for lirst year students. Needless to say. our lirst impression was one of depression. The introductor ' tea was more introductions and less tefi; ■e smiled wanly for the photograjihers, and were propelled to a place called the Moseley Rotunda, where we were oriented to the rigors of 6:43 roll call and 7:30 A.M. classes. 1 he effect was devastating. WHiy ' e didn t take off en masse that evening for our respect iv’e homes is still puzzling. Back at the dormitory on Charles Street, we were issued room instructions and ward- robe keys by our new housemother. The in- structions were immediateU ' [Hit out of sight and out of mind: the keys were put out of sight. Roommates cast suspicious glances at each other, and curious glances at each ol her s clot I les. But soon misfits in both per- sonalities and wardrobes were adjusted, and the show was on. h‘ pictured ourselves as protagonists in a play that had a six months run in Thayer Class Room. Outfitted in light gray smocks that bore a startling resemblance to new po- tato sacks, we struggled blindly towards the light of a C average. 1 he smocks un- fortunately wore heautifidly: we were mis- taken many times for Phillips House maids (w lio also wore gray) much to the chagrin of both parties. The C average was harder to keep intact: how many times did w ' e change lieds without putting the laundry hag in proximity, or startle the world of biochemistry by formidating new and utterly useless com- [jounds! Soon. hut not soon enough for many of us, we were measured for and given our temporary blue school unilorms. Ibis, coupled with defin- ite Wf ircl assignments, restored our faith in our profession as nurst ' s. and v e worked liard and occasionalK well. ' ‘r well. .Sometimes not wisely, hut too well. And then came the occasion we were all eagerly anticipiiting. the cajjping ceremony. Someone unkindly compared our treasures to Hood s cottage cheese boxes; nohocK knew (or did everyone?) how highk’ we prized our little cheese ho.xes, or with what due respect and consideration we wore them. And SO. fet ' linjJ rcillicr omni|:olenl and or IdK as all lledgl ings do. we engaged in v arious rictiv itii ' S. planning dances, part es, and now and then trying to remember how to sfucK’. h‘ found ourselves being elected to various hoards. (Impossible! We had already broken practically every existing rule. ery good psychology, was the grudging compliment. They either wanted us to sug- gest new ones, or to stop breaking the old ones by being forced to set an example.) And we changed dormitories. No longer the gurls from 92 Churles, ” w ' e were merely th ‘ ungracious tenants of Thayer House’s third Hoor alley who were darkly sus))ected of smoking i llegally in our rooms. Not jieople to he trilled with, the training school office sent us all home for a three week vacation ai id shortK ' tl lerealter changed our dormi- tor - again. There was a new class coming in. Adagio Our favorite instructor during prohie peri- od had once musingly remarked that she regarded the second year student as being the most fortunate one in the school. Hav- ing one vear of training behind her she was well oriented to the hospital and its routines: having one year of training ahead of her, she was as yet not bothered by thoughts of graduation and post graduate jilans. Thus catalogued, we pleasantly reminded our- selves, This is the happiest year of our lives. ” [ 13 }
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Page 18 text:
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1 lius buoyed, we cfuickly took advantage of our newly found sujjreniacy. W exjjeri- mented. W found out tliat doctors bad clay feet, that medical students knew less about liospital procedure than we did, tliat iiead nurses were really very nice people, that mixing medications in one syringe re- sulted only in preci])itation and pciyment for I be syringe, and finally and beartbreakingly, that we really weren’t so terrific after all; in fact, tbe only jieople wbo held us in remark- able esteem were ourselves. But we were adjusted. There was no doidit about it. And it was a very comfortable thought. So comfortable that we must have bad tendencies toward stagnation, for we were ordered out of our comt lacency and sent to concjuer new fields — affiliation was in progress. B.I..1. received us matter-of-factK . Appar- (Mitly we were not tbe first group of General students to study obstetrics. Xor tbe best. W’ e were oriented into all tbe details of parent-child care and education, and were sternly advised not to capitalize on tbe fact lliat tbe fire door at tbe end of our corridor was left open at all hours. It was at B.1..1. tliat we bad our first opportunity to wear our newlv issued checked uniforms and to dis- rard the flattering, but unofficial blues which we bad been using temporarily because of the material shortage. Orientation at McLean was different. T did not seem to be alone in our struggle to find adjustment; a comforting tbougbt at first, and then on second tbougbt. exlremeb- rliscomforting. T adjusted promptly, and soon a whole new and different nursing ex- perience was opened before us. Back at ISIGjH again, we were pleasant Iv aware of tbe fact that tbe grass is not alwavs greener on tbe other side and that it was good to be at borne once more. There were new faces, the necv stu- dent program was well under way. and lif(uid narcotics had put in their conlusing ajrearance. T soon joined tbe ranks of frustrated morphine estimators and got readjusted, f erhaps it was the best year of our training after all. Allegro But it was the long shot, our third year, that came in first after all. It was wi th def- initeb’ renewed vigor that we started on tbe last lap of tlie race. Peril aj s it was because we realized that time was slipping by rapid- ly, and that we still bad so many things to accomplish in this period that we exerted our- selves. b trying to perfect our procedures, to learn those things which we ought to bcive learned so long ago. and incidentally to assert ourselves in other ways. h‘ planned the bi-weekly orientation dances to raise year book funds, made dubious lasting victuals for fudge and brownie sales, and re- hearsed for another money-making venture, tbe minstrel show. W ' e thought with great foresight of our senior formal and made wild and then sensible post-graduate jalans. We realized, that in spite of having ac- (luired a good working know ledge of nursing arts, that we were critically in need of more study and (iraclice. In other words, tbe more we learned, tbe more we knew we bad to learn. T discovered much to our surprise, that we were not merely tolerating people, but were actually getting along with people, that e held dropped our earlier desj:)erately defen- sive attitude, and bad adojited. somewhat unconsciously, a more open minded view- point. Indeed if this attitude were tbe single di idend to be acquired from training, 1 think three years would be an adequate investment. 1 liese jiast semesters have been some- times turbulent, sometimes calm, sometimes hilarious, and sometimes heartbreaking, but never dull. And we can say with those others, that we are proud to have tbe priv- ilege of being an MGH graduate. Barbara K. [ 14 ]
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