ICU and Cath Lab Photos Look Interesting

It’s been a while since I graduated from nursing school. After getting a baccalaureate I went on to get my masters degree in a clinical specialty but also in nursing administration. I spent most of my career in the administration side. And I think because I liked visuals and gadgets, my clinical experience included the ICU and the cath lab after a bit of time on med surg units. A reunion is planned next month in the Midwest for all of us who worked at a hospital where my husband and I met. I worked there for thirteen years and he worked there ten more years after I moved on to a larger health care system. But the people we met there will never be forgotten. I was rummaging around for old photos and came across two that must have been taken for publication because they were more than snap shots. One of them was taken in the ICU shortly after the new unit opened and I starting working there. The patient was shot in the head. The room is rather sparse with a monitor measuring vital signs and just an IV a running. And I’m wearing my cap and a white uniform. The second photo was from the cath lab. I’m wearing surgical scrubs with head cover and mask. The scene is rather modern looking with the equipment and supplies. We were preparing for a case this day. I find it hard to believe that I was the supervisor and took call - sometimes having to come in in the middle of the night and set the room up. Luckily we always had someone from radiology on call too. Those photos are from over forty years ago! We won’t be going to the reunion but I am reminded of the place and the people. How fortunate I was to pass that way. You can do just about anything with a career in nursing. The sky is the limit.