University of Michigan Medical and Nursing School - Aequanimitas Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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l A L. Hopper S. Sheffer S. Steeb E. Stockwell S. Sutter l L ,an ' 9 if V. Veale SSV ii P. Wilkins 41' wa. sr. fxaewms - f ., -- f 2-la H W pig? AL' Q! . I :Mg ' 2. Q is 'Wx A. Zalewsiki i , M. Thompson A. Zawacki X Class of 1972 PRESIDENT .......... ....... P AULA EBERLY VICE-PRESIDENT .......... SUSAN ROZNIK SECRETARY ......... ...... S UE DeMOTTS TREASURER ...... ...... C SALE ANDERSON kt.. ,V 4 . 3 559 lag 9 Row l: Gale Anderson, Susan Roznik, Pat Chill. Row 2 -Iudy Simmons, Paula Eberly, Nancy Lcipold. Cathy Coyne. ff . . - 4.-.k l. ' fir H ,g , il' 'g1Qw - V K. Rowan ' T. Turner

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0 E TEP CLO ER T0 PRGFESSIONAL NURSI G The freshman student brings with her to the university all of her dreams and expectations. Eagerly she awaits the open- ing of the first semester. Perhaps for the first time she feels completely on her own, Suddenly she finds herself in the midst of a sea swirling with new faces, unfamiliar places, and uncer- tainties. She wonders what college will be like for her. This is her beginning. She has taken the first step toward the future she has chosen as a professional nurse. After an exciting year, she has a better understanding of herself and finds that she enjoys a new measure of self reliance and independence. Now she is ready to take a second step toward realizing her goal. Filled with a sense of purpose and direction, she looks ahead to entering the hospital world as a sophomore nurse. As she conquers the many tests posed during the sophomore year, the student begins to gather her own impressions as to what nursing is really all about. She must begin to work through her feelings about death, life, medical regieme, and the many tasks she is called upon to perform for the first time. This year is the one in which she will probably decide ifnurs- ing indeed is the profession for her. She wears a narrow black band for only a year, but with pride in the knowledge that she has earned it. To thejunior student it is a symbol of greater responsibility shared with other members of the health team. She learns specific skills and to look for the motivation in the behavior she observes in her patients. Each experience leads her closer to her goal of professional nursing. As she grows in the ability tojudge her patients' needs she reaches another step toward meeting her goal and is ready to enter the senior year. As she looks back over her experiences the senior sees the richly expanding world that her studies opened for her. She has been seeking professional identity by learning techniques and mastering skills to be incorporated with learning to exer- cise professional judgment. As she comes to the close of her experience she has learned to function independantly and to accept responsibility. In the process of defining our role as a professional, each of us has come or will come to a unique philosophy of nursing. The unmistakable similarity of these philosophies is the underlying committment each of us made when choosing to be a member of the nursing profession, Personal committment is basic to the belief that nursing begins with a compassion for others. We take pride in our profession and at last feel a part of it. We will be stepping into leadership roles sometime in the future. Nursing must change as the needs of society and the individual change, and the professional nurse will foster an improved quality of nursing care. As we participate in the new experiences of each class and rotation we grow a little closer to our goal of becoming a pro- fessional, but it cannot end with graduation and the receipt of a degree. We must continue to learn and strive to give even better nursing care. Our education must not stop after graduation if we are truly professionals, for adapting new knowledge and experi- ence into our care makes us the compassionate, effective nurse we strive throughout our four years of undergraduate school to become. Looking into the future the way seems bright. Technical advances in all sciences are promising many implications for the future practice of nursing. The L'Space Agei' is increas- ingly a part of our daily lives and will continue to be. Machines are recognized for their efficiency and time-saving features, and will serve us better in the future to give more individualized care to all patients. 215 l Junhnd