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...