Medical College Hospital School of Nursing - Cap and Candle Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

Page 8 text:

Florence Nightingale Pledge I solemnly Pledge Myself before God and in the presence of this assembly: To pass my life in purity and to practice my profession faithfully. I will ab; stain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous, CJ [3 and will not take or knowingly administer any harmful drug. I will do all in my power to maintain and elevate the standard of my profession, and will hold in confidence all personal matters committed to my keeping, and all family affairs coming to my knowledge in the practice of my profession. With loyalty will I endeavor to aid the physician in his work, and devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care.

Page 7 text:

What is a Student Nurse? Student nurses are found everywhere; underneath, on top of, running around, jumping over, or slithering past pa- tients ' beds. Doctors yell at them, head nurses criticize them, interns tolerate them, residents 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 is a composite; she eats like a team of hungry interns, and 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 flag- pole sitter, and abilities of Florence Nightingale, Linda Richards, and Clara Barton all rolled up into one white uniform. 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 her days off, fellows her own age, the O.R., affiliations, certain doctors, pretty clothes, her roommate, and Mom and Dad. She ' s not much on working 3-11, days off with classes, alarm clocks, getting up for roll call, or eating roast beef every Tuesday. No one else gets so much pleasure from straightening a wrinkled sheet or wetting a pair of parched lips. No one else can cram into one little head the course of a disease, the bones comprising the pelvis, what to do when a pa- tient ' s in shock, how to insert a cantor tube (usually at 3 a.m.) plus the 10 top tunes on the Hit Parade. She may not be Liz Taylor, but she is an example of the American way. 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 a bandage or sacrifice her time to ease the pain of a pa- tient, simply for the satisfaction of a job well done. She is a hard working, determined young girl doing her best for school and hospital. Whenever she becomes discour- aged 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. Anonymous. .: £

Page 9 text:

T T yearbook to our parents as a token of our appreciation for the invaluable aid that they have given to us in enabling us to complete our three years of nursing education. It is doubtful that without their loyal guidance and assistance we would have achieved the goal to our chosen profession. We realize that Dedication many burdens have been placed upon our parents during this period, such as the financial aid, the understanding and solution to our problems and the encouragement to continue when we were depressed. We desire to thank them individually and collectively. It is with humble pride and appreciation that we dedicate our yearbook to them, our parents.