Monday, October 22, 2012

LPN

More pages from my life story scrapbook.  This is the start of my nursing career.  Yes that is my school pin on this page.
 
Student and graduate LPN
 

The story page
 

My nursing career

began when I enrolled in the Broward Vocation School in the LPN program in September of 1965 at the age of 17.  The teachers made it very clear to me that I was the youngest student they had ever accepted and they were not sure it was the right to accept me into the program.   I think they pushed me harder than some of the other students.
On October 13th I had an emergency appendectomy, it was a Wednesday night.  I missed school on Thursday, Friday & Monday, which was a half day of testing for a scholarship.  I walked in to school on Tuesday and I was asked what was I doing there; they had dropped me from the program.  I told them they could not drop from the program because I had not missed 5 days of school; I had missed 3 days of school.   I do not remember thinking that was gutsy back then but in retrospect it sure did take some guts to stand-up to what I know what is right.   I was able to finish the year long program but they made me make up two days of school at the end of the year.  I spent my make time cleaning the classroom for the new class coming.
 
I was nominated to be the student of the year from my class and I attended the LPN Nursing Association Conference.  Each school had two representatives so we traveled to the conference.  I think it was in Jacksonville, Florida.  I forgot the name of my fellow student. 
 
Yes my career has been an…
 
Adventure

Friday, October 19, 2012

My Senior Prom

These are two pages from my life story scrapbook I am making.
 
Ed & Mary
 
My Senior Prom Story

Senior Prom

May 1965
 
My date was Ed and now I can’t remember his last name and he was my best friend’s older brother.  Barb was my first roommate after LPN school.  Funny how I can remember things we did together and were we meet but can’t remember her full name.

I made my dress, it was a bride’s mail pattern and I wasn’t an experienced enough seamstress at the time to know how to change the sleeves.  I also think at the time I liked the idea of the long sleeves but I didn’t like them the night of the prom, too warm.  It was a beautiful shade of teal with white lace trim.  The fabric had a satin finish, very slippery fabric to work with.

After the dance, which I have no recollection of where it was, we took a cruise bot down the International Waterway in Fort Lauderdale.  Ed and I dance a lot but we had absolutely nothing in common and it was nice of him to take me to my prom.  It was and last date.  I didn’t date a lot in high school but I had a date for the Senior Prom.

 I sewed on the dress every night after school and work in my bedroom.  I stayed up way to late on school nights working on it.  As I sit here writing this 47 years later, I think the dress is what I remember the best.
 

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Wordless Wednesday

Mary' School Days
 
1958 to 1961
 
Some of my few school pictures.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Mesa Familly Search Expo

Connecting to Your Roots on Saturday October 20, 2012. 
8:15 AM to 2:15 PM

Here is the link to the expo site.  http://www.mesarfhc.org/MyExpo/default.aspx
It looks like it will be an excellent opportuity and I have signed up for German Research,   Immigration / Emmigration classes and I forgot what the other two classes are.  The price is wonderful; FREE!!
Here is a link to the Mesa Family Search Library a very valuable resource. http://www.mesarfhc.org/
Here is a summary about the library. I didn't realize they had 150 missionaries and 35,000 patrons who visit each year.  Nor did I realize they have 129 computers.  I do know about the free access to paid sites.  I have used them many times and plan to make better use of them in the near future. 

I hope to see you there!
 
 

Sunday, October 14, 2012

This Date in My History

Well since part of the reason why I have this blog is to share some of my own personal stories. I am going to share this one. 
 
LPN Student 1965 - 1966 I am on the left.
On October 13,1965 I was enrolled in at the Broward County County School of Practical Nursing. We were getting ready to start our hospital rotation and on that Wednesday we where learning how to take vital signs, you know Temperature, Blood Pressure, Pulse and Respiration.  Yes I even remember what day of the week it was. 
 
After school I went home and didn't feel well.  I had a little headache and a stomach ache.  I thought I was constipated.  I drank some grape juice and I wasn't able to go to the bathroom and the stomach pain was getting worst.  My Mom had died in February that year and my Dad was at work as a fireman, he worked 24 on and 48 off.  So I called one of my Mom's nurses friends.  She came over and to me to Holy Cross Hospital Emergency room. 
 
 My Dad was called at work and he gave verbal permission so I could be treated since I was 17.  They asked me if I had a name of a surgeon. I did the one who did my Mom's colon surgery, Dr. John Bloom.  He came right in and examined me and decided I had appendicitis and I needed an appendectomy right away.  The nurse's aide that helped me that night was one of my class mates.  She had to catheterize me to get a urine specimen.  Boy was that embarrassing but I was so miserable by then I don't think I really cared. 
 
Off to surgery I went, the IV medications made me talk a lot.  The next thing I remember was being in my hospital room.  My Dad was there and once I woke up and knew he was there he went home.  The next thing I remember was having projectile vomiting.  You remember that grape juice I drank earlier.  Well it all came up and I hit the curtain between the beds.  Let me tell you that nurse was not happy with me.  I don't blame her but I couldn't help it, I woke up vomiting, with out warning. 
 
The next thing I remember was being giving a cold bed pan and told to pee while flat on my back.  Mind you I was in nursing school and I had learned to warm the metal bedpan with hot water. 
 
My next misadventure was my bed bath.  I had also learned how to do this correctly, providing privacy for the patient.  First you cover them with a bath blanket, on top of the bath blanket you place a towel and cover the chest and then pull the blanket down.  Guess what that didn't happen.  Remember I was a 17 year old shy girl. 
 
This was the hospital that my Mom worked at as a RN.  She had also died there.  So they all knew I was Annette Hartmann's daughter.  I heard them talking.
 
I was thinking about this the other day as I was writing the start of my nursing career and doing some scrap booking pages.  Here is the rest of the experience as I wrote on my scrapbook page.
 
On October 13th I had an emergency appendectomy, it was a Wednesday night.  I missed school on Thursday, Friday & Monday, which was a half day of testing for a scholarship.  I walked in to school on Tuesday and I was asked what was I doing there; they had dropped me from the program.  I told them they could not drop from the program because I had not missed 5 days of school; I had missed 3 days of school.   I do not remember thinking that was gutsy back then but in retrospect it sure did take some guts to stand-up to what I know what is right.   I was able to finish the year long program but they made me make up two days of school at the end of the year.  I spent my make time cleaning the classroom for the new class coming.
 So here the story of one October 13th I remember very well.
Happy Search and story sharing!