The Geek years...

Ok so not only was I a geek to be a volunteen...I became more of a geek in high school...I was determined to do well in school so I could go on to be a nurse...Let me back up a little and tell you about my scholar skills prior to going to high school...As I mentioned before, I was shy and clumsy and some would say not have much common sense...I didn't apply myself in school as much as I should..My school career didn't really get a good jump start...My parents sent me to parochial school...Let me first preface by saying ..parochial schools are very good and one could get a very good education..however, in the 1960's the class size was was over 50 kids in a class. Each class had the kids sit in alphabetical order. There were no teacher aides. Nuns taught the majority of classes and there wasn't any room for individualizing student needs....So my parents sent me from 1st grad to 3rd grade...Oh and did I mention there wasn't any kindergarten when I was little. So...it was up to Mom to teach you what would normally learn in kidergarten...Already that put me at a disadvantage...so needless to say.....my parents finally got the jist that I wasn't really learning well and they decided to put me in public school in 4th grade....I was really behind in math,reading and spelling and struggled to keep up with the rest of my class. I managed to improve in my learning through grade school....middle school got better but still was average...then I had a revelation...I need to be more organized in my studies...I need to study every night...and I need to read and comprehend every assignment..... I was very disciplined in highschool...wanting to keep up with my studies I would study my notes everynight...Read and re read my reading assignment....I would even study on the weekends....I did try to expand beyond my studies and get involved with Marching band in high school...but I pretty much limited my social scene to Marching band in the fall and concentrate on my studies pretty much the rest of them time....well by junior year it paid off...I got inducted into the National Honor Society and was ranked 6th in a class of 400 kids....I was able to take advanced science classes in my junior and senior year to preprare me for my nursing curriculum in college....I will never forget my chemistry teacher..he was the best and I did really well in chemistry.....I got an A ...and when it was time to take college chemistry I...believe it or not it was a review of my high school chemistry class....all the kids in my college chemistry class were struggling and I was brezzing through it....Needless to say my social lfe sucked in high school...I was a geek...everyone knew who I was but didn't want me to be in their "in" group....I didn't go to any proms or dances or wild parties....I couldn't wait to graduate from high school...I did make an impression on the school nurse... She helped my apply for a couple lf scholarships...I did manage to get one for 3 years of college....Oh did I say college...yes .....when I declared to my parents I wanted to go to college and not a 3 year nursing school they looked at me as if I had 3 heads...This was something new...going to college to be a nurse... I think it was as early as 1972 when the first college prepared program was developed. I graduated high school in 1976. My parents didn't know much about the college route...but I made sure they quickly learned... I was accepted to 2 different colleges ( not many were around) and was so excited when I got accepted to West Chester State College.... this was going to be my ticket to being a nurse...Alleluha...

The Revelation

So I am getting a little sentimental in my old age and want to share as much possible with the younger generation to help them put into perspective how things have developed into what they are now. I would like to share my story and my life with all of you. I want start at the very beginning because I still want to keep the Nurse thing in my theme ...So I will start where it all began...when I realized I wanted to be a nurse. I never thought of being anything else but a nurse...I can't remember when or how this thought came into my mind. I can't remember any particular event that made me want to be a nurse...I think I was just born realizing I wanted to be a nurse...No one in my family had any job related to the health care field. As far back as I can think, I always rationalized and did things differently than the rest of my family. I was clumsy, absent minded and shy...Unlike my siblings who were atheletic, percise and spoke their mind. Since I made my mind up about wanting to be a nurse, I thought it would be a good idea to be a candystripper. The hospital where I volunteered called us Volunteens and we didn't wear the pin-stripped uniforms as one would thinks. We wore a yellow apron instead. We would record our volunteer hours and at the end of the year receive awards for the amount of hours we volunteered.. I remember my oldest brother jeering at me says,"why would you want to volunteer instead of working somewhere and making money instead?" I would always brush him off. I knew deep inside that this is what I wanted. Money was not what I was interested in, the exposure was most important. So I would go in every Saturday from 1-3 and do my duty as a Volunteen. I would report to the unit I was assigned to shyly asking the nurses what they would want me to do. They always saved the water pitchers for me. Now, you need to know that the water pitcher were metal. They had a metal tray and the glasses were real glass. So I was incharge of collecting all of the water pitchers,trays and glasses. Then I would take them to the kitchenette and wash them with them with dish soap and water. Refill with water and ice. Then make sure everyone got a clean water pitcher,tray and glass. My next chore was to pass out the mail, water flowers. I would also help make beds every once and awhile. Do you know what was different about making beds back then. They used rubbber pad under the pull sheet. Imagine how hot that was for the patient.
I would volunteer on Saturday afternoons during school year. During the summer, I would volunteer several 1/2 days during the week. The most exciting assignment one summer was volunteering in the Emergency room. My biggist job in the ER was washing and wrapping instruments to be sterilized. Yes, no disposable suture kits, etc. All re useable. Even there syringes were glass. I was also incharge of stipping the liters and washing /clean them down after a patient was discharged from the ER....washing off dried blood from the litter frames were the toughest. The ER doctor would call me in to watch him suture...I was devasted the one time when I almost fainted. The staff took care of me but I was so upset that this meant I would never be able to be a nurse.....the staff assured me that this didn't mean anything and I would certainly be able to pursue my career goals.
The other place I liked to volunteer was Maternity....I loved taking the babies back to the nursery after their Mothers fed them....I never really spent anytime in the labor room...but got really good at making beds in postpartum unit and watching the babies in the nursery.....
I did get a lot of exposure during these years as a volunteen...The experience definitely confirmed my desire to be a nurse......So the journey began .....the next step was to do good in school and take the right classes so I could be accepted in nursing school...