Massachusetts General Hospital School of Nursing - Yearbook (Boston, MA)

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I Then, back to studies. In January, some of us attended the Ice Capades collecting for the Heart Fund. Who had the slippery hands? ■■■ Most of us, at one time or another, snuck out for coffee in trench coats concealing various degrees of assorted clothing. Then came 7 A.M. duty, now familiar to all of us, but it seemed awfully early then. Those of us at Charles Street will never forget i getting up in the dark, and the long, cold walk to M.G.H. lighted by street lights. Moving day came as our ward days increased. These days were headlined by pro- J ' cedures. “Have you been checked off on that?” - March was a memorable month. One section of our class started probie period, while I others of us began our clinical experience. J Regardless of when a section of us had surgery, no one will ever forget, “Have you I been evaluated on that?”, the surgery picnics, the hectic days on White 6 and 7 with ! their notorious west wings, and last, but by no means least, the multiple “guess” j exams. ,ji Medicine block meant strict uniform regulations, studying long hours, “those” care i ' studies, “What are the toxic effects?”, and enemas until clear. Whose S.S.E. turned Jj into a bed bath for the instructor? l| I ' Before long, we had all had our XYZ block with another vacation. Eye and Ear meant chapped hands, feeding endless numbers of patients, the small, friendly ■ cafeteria, and sitting in class with an eye staring right back at us. Clinics were certainly a change from bed baths, and bed making — all those patients were walking! When affiliations started, the fun of moving will never be forgotten. Cars piled high to the windows — even a U-Rent-It trailer, helped to transport our belongings which proved to be numerous! On return the school welcomed us back with picnics. Boston-Lying In brings back memories of clinic mothers delivering in the wee hours of the morning, calling the maintenance man for locking the keys in the medicine closet, our battered hair due to the turbans, our good friend, Mary Ruth, grilled cheese sandwiches every noon-time, McLean students diapering babies, the Strict

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■mS m History SEi iT:nitK:Ki The mysterious, long looked forward to day was here. In mass bewilderment, we wandered into the lobby of the impressive, gray George Robert White Building. Today was the day we were entering Massachusetts General Hospital School of Nursing. For some of us it was September 4, 1956, others March 5, 1957. After registration, a tea was given in our honor where we met our upperclassmen and instructors with great admiration. That night our “Big Sisters” took us out “on the town” — some for pizza, movies, or other spots of interest. X Hr — ' 1 The next few days were spent trying to find our way around the seemingly unending tunnels and maze of corridors only to arrive at classes late — much to the amusement of all. Getting to know Boston was another big project. Night walks, fraternity parties, tips from upperclassmen all went to help us “discover” Boston. Then, as time went on, we found we knew our way around. Classes became increas- ingly more “nursey.” Homework and exams began. Library orientation by Miss P.D.L. familiarized us with magazines and books of nursing. With expectations, celebrations, and suitcases we arrived at Friday classes looking forward to week- ends. Transformation to a nurse came with uniform inspection. Off went our nails and hair, on with black stockings — not without difficulty. With terror and curiosity we looked forward to our first day on the wards. It took little time to find the utility room — a convenient hiding place. It was about this time, we began to lose a few classmates in favor of matrimony. Before long, bibs were added to our uni- forms which, after their first laundering concealed the fact we were probies. No one will ever forget our “seminars” with Audrey and Pearl. This was when we first became familiar with “Well, what do you think!” Meal tickets with pictures closely resembling those seen on want-ads in the post office replaced our battered worn green ones. For some of us, we then had our first M.G.H. Christmas. There was the family Christmas party, a Christmas formal dance in Mosely, caroling in the White lobby, a Candlelight Glee Club program, and several house Christmas parties. Charles Street had Sharon as Santa Claus passing out small useftll gifts thoughtfully con- tributed by “Granny.” In Thayer, Dee as Santa Claus distributed a grab bag. Last, but, by no means least, were exams, then followed by a welcome d vacation.

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“Honor System,” and our j arties the night before leaving to which the supervisors came uninvited. ' hat student had maintenance men climbing in the elevator shaft in search of six delivery instruments? Why did the girls in Section 111 sleep with no sheets the last night? The last day, the group usually looked bedraggled but ready to move onward. ] 1 Tbe informal classes wbere we could knit and smoke stunned us at first on arrival It i at McLean. Before long, we all bad bruised shins from the “Green Door.” Why u was the medicine closet key hanging from Codman’s tree? The late hours amazed us j all — especially those coffee dates after relief. At last once, someone forgot to get her | meal ticket once a week. Each section has their own little memories of the parties — | Halloween, Christmas, the Senior Show, and the District 5 picnic. Wealth came with j our overtime pay. Pool playing became a popular pastime. Some of the girls even J returned with war stories of bites, attempted stranglings, and kickings, but everyone lived to tell about it. Nigbt duty, growth and development, “this is good,” all bring back thoughts of pedie. ji Everyone’s imagination was given a chance with our pedie play projects. Who was ■ the student caught riding up and down on the elevator by the night supervisor? Remember trying to get gloves on keeping them sterile, keeping your hands above J your waist, and then came the itchy nose? It could happen only in one place — the | operating room. It certainly was a lesson in interpersonal relationships trying to j remain calm, as vou discover the knife handle is missing just as the doctor is ready I to start. Two short buzzer rings at eleven o’clock could only mean one thing if you i were on call — the O.R. wanted you. We soon learned all the glitter in the O.R. i meant hard work — winding suture boards, checking rooms, filling suture jars, and | many more were included in P.M. junior duties. Usually a vacation came before or | after our O.R. experien ce, which gave it added incentive. ‘ I Scattered throughout these two years were various small courses. Remember History | of Nursing and Sociology? The many trips to the library rumaging through stacks of papers will not soon be forgotten. Movies and records were the highlights of the course. The Hopi Indians certainly had quite a life. In our communicable disease course our six hours of lecture by Dr. Eiumaura most descriptive ones at that — left many a lasting impression. t