St Francis Hospital School of Nursing - Cross and Crown Yearbook (Trenton, NJ)

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Ode to a Student Nurse Student nurses are found everywhere; in the classroom, out on dates, watching TV, on cogee breaks, and oh yes, working on the floors. Doctors yell at them, Head Nurses criticize them, Interns tolerate 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, endless energy, the boast of young womanhood and a modern Florence Night- ingale. She has the speed of a gazelle, the strength of an ox, the quickness of a cat, and the ability of Florence Nightingale, Linda Rich- ards and Clara Barton all rolled into one. Just when she is gaining prestige and poise, she drops a glass, breaks a syringe, or steps on a Doctofs foot. A student nurse is a composite,- she eats like a team of hungry interns and works like the whole nursing staff put together. As a freshman, she has the fleetness of a snail and the mentality of a mule, and is held together with starch, adhesive tape and strained nerves. To an alumna, she will never work as hard, make more beds or scrub in on more cases than her predecessors. A student nurse likes weekends off, men, the 0.R., certain Doctors, the latest clothes, her roommate, Mom and Dad, and yes, her School of Nurs- ing. Sheis not much for working 3:30-12, cleaning her room, alarm clocks, inspection or eating in the school cafeteria. No one gets more pleasure from straightening a wrinkled sheet or wetting parched lips. No one else can cram into one head the bones comprising the pelvis, what to do when a patient is in shock, the toxic effects of all drugs, plus the ten top records of the week. A student nurse is a wonderful creature. You can criticize her but you canit discour- age her. You can hurt her feelings, but you canit make her quit. Might as well admit it, whether you,re a Head Nurse, Doctor, Alum- na or Patientewho is your hospitalis living symbol of faith and sympathetic care? She is an example of the American way. She is judged not by her race, religion or social standing, but by a professional yardstick. A yardstick that measures her ability to use good judgment, apply a bandage or sacrifice her time to ease the pain of a patient, simply for the satisfaction of a job well done. She is a hard working and determined young girl doing her best for her school and humanity. Whenever she becomes discouraged, and the lamp gets too heavy, she should remem- ber that there is a reward awaiting her, be- cause surely some of Godis angels wear white caps instead of halos and carry medicine trays instead of harps. Author Unknown

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Class As our two years at Saint Francis draw to a close, we recall with fondness all the wonderful memories we have gathered in these hallowed halls. The thought of graduation brings feelings of ambivalence. How we long to wear the crisp white uniforms of graduate nurses! But, oh, how we will miss the friends who have been so dear to us. We all remember so well that first day. September 7, 1965, seems like ages ago. We tried to hide our feelings of uncertainty behind bright, smiling faces as we said farewell to our families. It was our big sisters who came to the rescue. The first night at dinner we were introduced to some new songs and we soon began to feel welcome in a place that would be home to us for the next two years. Our rooms began to resound with laughter and new friend- ships were formed. Remember the parties we held without fail every Thursday night? We could never fool Mrs. Liick, though! Who can forget Jean Ann under Betty,s bed at 11 p.m.? . . . Margids demerits? . . . Jackie and Janice sleeping with the lights on? Dancing in the halls became a common occurrence. Eight- to-four classes, quizzes, and homework on weekends became routine. Remember those classes in Fundamentals and poor Mrs. Chase? We thought we could never learn all those procedures by heart. Which comes iirst, systolic or diastolic? Finally our uniforms arrived, bringing with them our first day with lirealli patients. Remember our iirst bed baths? . . . Cathiefs and Margies exper- iences with pajamas? . . . Diane and the complete bath? Thanksgiving arrived and with it came many firsts . . . finals, Directofs list, a blue stripe, and the start of two full days in the area of our choice. The challenge of Psychiatric Nursing br0ught many rewarding and fulfilling exper- iences. Wednesday and Friday mornings on our favorite mode of transportation tthe school bus?l were eagerly awaited by those who traversed to State. Trading Post snacks, paper bag lunches and card games with the patients were a few of the highlights. Who will ever forget process recordings at 4 pm. on Fridays, guidance Clinic Visits, Neurology iiquizzesT and the Psych final? Snow Hurries were seen in the sky and the excitement of Christmas brought all of us a little closer. The Christmas dinner was a huge success. Remember singing xThe Twelve Days of Christmas, and how the faculty laughed? . . . Sr. Marian Therese serving the delicious turkey dinner? . . . Sr. Andrew passing out candy canes? The spirit of the season was manifested in the welcome we received from the patients at State and Donnelly as we led them in favorite Christmas carols. Obstetrics . . . The days in LozD were highlighted by liBaby carel and trips to the Chapel. Janice had other experiences . . . Giving TLC in the Nursery was a favorite pastime. Spring Fever hit us as we prepared for our short Easter vacation. It was fun while it lasted. Remember the night the second floor was permeated by the smell of sulfur? . . . Bonnie and her allergy will never be the same. The cafeteria re-echoed once more with our favorite songs . . . ill Came Here to Be a NurseT . . . llHarkT . . . TI Believel . . . liPeds is not a miniature Meszl We soon learned that there is a technique