St Lukes Hospital School of Nursing - In Tenebris Lux Yearbook (Cleveland, OH)

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Ee: Delle Bae Beloit As we, the 49er’s, passed through the portals of our future Alma Mater, we cast aside our cloak of adolescence and assumed the mantle of maturity. The friendliness and genuine interest shown by our instructors and upper- classmen helped us to begin our adjustment to institutional living, and to overcome the first pangs of homesickness. Our safari’’ to the cafeteria for dinner, the Big-Little Sister Party, the Sunrise Service, the tour through the hospital, and the overwhelming number of books with which we were ladened preceded our first day of classes. Three months of concentrated study and practical experience in the nursing arts laboratory exposed us to the essentials of nursing and prepared us for our first six weeks of duty on the divisions. With a mixed feeling of pride, uncertainty, and apprehension, we faced our patients for the first time. With practice and experience, the hour or two that it took us to give one patient complete nursing care was soon reduced to less than a quarter of that time. Before we knew it, our preclinical period had ended and we returned to classes for second theory and an education which pertained more precisely to nursing. After six months of existing in this period of Total Darkness’, we were qualified to don the “crowning glory” of the nursing profession. Hair off the collar, uniform trim, shoes neatly polished, we were at last prepared to receive our caps. The solemnity of the candlelight ceremony inspired our audience as we, with beaming faces and rapidly beating hearts, recited, ‘I solemnly ar pledge myself before God ................... , CAPPING 20

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a Sy re, of 1949 WSs a ee es A poor man served by thee Shall make thee rich; A sick man helped by thee Shall make thee strong; Thou shalt be served thyself by every sense Of service which thou renderest. E. B. Browning

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beginning to ae af olight Beets (7UNLOPS One year gone by. Second theory had ended and we were now prepared for our special services. It was with fear and great anticipation that we began our work as surgical scrub nurses. The first time we set up a major laparotomy table we thought we would never learn to identify the numerous instruments. Craniotomies, lobectomies, gastric resections, plastic surgery and arthroplasties — it seemed inconceivable that we were actually as- sisting with major operations performed by noted surgeons. With Dr. McCall's words, “Anyone can be slow,” resound- ing throughout surgery, we learned to work more quickly and efficiently. After eight very fascinating weeks in surgery, most of us were reluctant to leave. G. Dublino, S. Hawkins, M. Garl. Another of our specialized services was the diet kitchen. Planning menus, writing diets, serving trays, attempting to satisfy patients’ idiosyncracies; and finally that endless week of collecting isolation trays, all combined to make “D.K.” an interest- ing change. These duties helped us to realize the necessity for complete co- ordination between the dietary and the nursing departments in order to give the best possible treatment to our patients. Obstetrics . . . and with it the thrill of showing a newborn infant to his proud and greatly relieved father. Most of us never knew which of the parents spent B. Birkbeck the most difficult hours during labor. Will you ever forget: Dr. Speicher and his “loud” neckties which he proudly dis- played during our obstetrical lectures; Dr. Hemmings and his ward rounds and his concern about our ‘Aunt Minnie”; Dr. Jordan and his quizzes during deliveries especially at three or four o'clock in the morning? Through the patient efforts of Miss Kish, our clinical instructor, and the members of the obstetrics department, we tried to learn well our theory and practical work. Needless to say, we filed away some of this knowledge for our own future refer- Dr. Gardner, Proud Father, L. Braden, J. Summerville ence. 21