Nurse Becomes Awesome Grandmother

I retired after forty years of nursing. Mostly in ICU. Talk about fast paced action. I saw many changes in the medical field. When I started in 1975 we had no IV pumps. The drips had to be calculated and counted. This made for many extra steps down the hall to reassure the patient hadn’t bent their arm just so and the fluid poured in.

There were smoking and non-smoking rooms. We had to place patients accordingly, also no smoking with oxygen, we had one patient do this who got a burnt face and a visit from the fire department. At the end of our shift we had to empty trash cans and ashtrays!

As you can tell from the above picture, the wardrobe is different. We wore white uniforms, hose, shoes, and caps. No scrubs or tennis shoes. The caps went by the wayside because they got in the way, especially in ICU with all the cords and tubes.

Patients stayed longer in the hospital then. Insurance allowed it. The patients and their families became friends as day in and day out we helped them with tough situations. My friend LeeAnn and I still laugh about things that happened and remember patients we cared for.

I have a passion for nursing. I used to say I can’t believe I get to make a difference in peoples lives bringing care and comfort and I get paid for it. It is a worthwhile vocation that brings great reward and personal satisfaction.

We are raising our grandson due to a tragic situation. I now have a passion for awesome grandmothers.If you are a grandma this means you, especially those of you raising your grandchildren. Grandmothers can make such a difference in the lives they touch. There is reward and satisfaction beyond words as love and value is instilled in the young ones entrusted to their care.

We enjoy your comments as you share with us. Thank you and God Bless the grandfathers who share in this exciting challenge with the grandmothers.