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Washington PA Newspapers:
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McDonald PA Newspapers:
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Remainder of Genealogy / Family Sites
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Focusing on the lives
of any person or family who has lived in Little Washington,
Washington County, Pennsylvania at anytime throughout
history to recent times, through data and family stories.
NEW SEARCH BOX ADDED
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WASHINGTON HOSPITAL SCHOOL OF NURSING
WASHINGTON HOSPITAL
WASHINGTON PA
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The
Washington Hospital School of Nursing (with picture) - Est. 1897: The
picture shown in the website link is the Main (front) door of the School, a door
I entered the first time in 1980 for an entrance interview. Inside the
door is a very small (4-foot square?) foyer. The front desk is inside on
the left, where the House Mother doubled as telephone receptionist.
Between 1981-83, the school still had a dorm section for students who were not
local. Being a native of Washington, I never saw the dorm rooms.
After our class graduated, they eliminated the residence for out-of-town
students (I guess they have to find apartments now.)
The graduating class
of 1983 (my class) was the last completely Diploma Program offered at WHSN to
become a Registered Nurse. The next year, students were required to take
classes at California State University (California PA) as part of the WHSN
program. Our class completed 2175 hours and completed 90 weeks of
practice; now they require 1085 clinical hours plus 34 college credits through
Waynesburg College. Over 4000 students have graduated from WHSN over the
years.
Because nursing standards (the things that govern what nurses can do or should
know) changes so frequently, probably every class has different stories of what
they were required to do in order to graduate. Nursing, by its nature, is
a changing profession. Nursing has gone from a role of being a
"hand-maiden" to doctors, to now being independent professionals who
have a very distinct role in the care and well-being of patients.
As well, the school requirements have changed. In the 1930's and 1940s,
nursing students lived at the school; I believe it was required. During
the '40s, the Pennsylvania Nursing Board also issued LPNs a "licensed by
Waiver," in which they proved what they knew
I'm not sure how old she was, but one "Mrs. Chase" was an integral part of WHSN in
1981-83 when I attended. Regardless of her age, Mrs. Chase seemed an
eternal 25-30 year old. She never complained, despite her illnesses (of which she
had many). Nor did she complain about inept nursing students who sometimes
rolled her to far to one side of the hospital bed, or when was treated a bit
roughly by some. Mrs. Chase was largely ignored also, staying
quietly in her room, awaiting care by the next class. No one ever offered
to brush her hair, or rub her back. But, throughout student's
inattentiveness, Mrs. Chase's only goal was to teach all of us good nursing
skills. A few students got so attached to Mrs. Chase that they said they
would invite her to our class graduation... but... Mrs. Chase never got to see
any of the students walk across the stage in white uniforms as we each accepted
our diplomas. At the end of the day, just as at the end of a school year,
Mrs. Chase was often just left half laying across her hospital bed, or worse,
stuffed in a corner like an adult-sized doll. Indeed, through the years,
Mrs. Chase has been the best practice-mannequin ever to assist student nurses.
Her plastic-like skin and almost-real hair, and eyes that seemed to follow us
while in the room, were the only things that confirmed she was not really
"human." But, for the amount of times students noticed that they
felt rather fond of her, she certainly evoked human feelings from us all.
Mrs. Chase, I am told, still resides on the lower floor of the School, and
continues to meet students of every class.
Our other instructors
helped us learn a lot about Mrs. Chase, and our other very human patients and
their very real illnesses. Mrs. Rose Scuglia was probably the toughest
instructors that WHSN has ever employed. Employed to teach "Life
Science Labs," (think cellular, and microscopes, and slides of things both
marvelous and yuckky), Mrs. Scuglia was very, very intelligent, and very tough.
(Using "was" sounds like she is gone, but she is still very much alive
and still teaches at the school -- I bet she's just as tough, too!) The
lab (room) is on the lower floor also, as is the auditorium where all the other
classes are taught. In the lab each student had a separate cubicle that
was a desk with a high back. On each desk top sat a large cassette player
with headphones attached. Mrs. Scuglia had taped a class lecture (yes,
every one was on tape) and each student had a stapled booklet of questions that
needed answered. The answers were on the tape - sounds easy huh? The
only thing easy was putting on the headphones, inserting the tape, and turning
on the tape. To get the answers required listening, re-winding the tape,
listening to it again.... and again...and again... and...........
again............ until...............
finally...............you..........found........
"the" ........ one answer ........that.....
fit.........the........specific........question!
Often the questions
were in several parts, each part needing an answer. The type of question
might be: "Name the essential structures of the heart" or to name all
the components present normally in blood. The class covered biology,
micro-biology, science, chemistry -- and everything except how planets came into
existence! The booklet was not a test, just a study guide, but a booklet
that had to be done each week in order to fulfill the Life Science class
requirement. With a hundred-some students vying for maybe 10 desks, each
of us had a limited number of hours we could stick our butts on a seat in the
lab. Each of us rushed to get to the sign-up sheet first, to enter our
name in the 2-hour time slots given, before someone else took the times we
wanted most. For moms (and dads, yes we had at least 1 male student) and
if someone had a job at all outside school, there was high-anxiety to get signed
up for lab time. And, if the material was difficult, it might take double
the "suggested amount of time" needed to complete that week's
material. It wasn't unusual for folks to eat lunch while listening to the
tape, once all the way through, then after eating they'd listen again to the
whole tape, busily scribbling with pen/pencil on the open study guide.
And, always in the back of the student's mind was, first having to find the
answers in a 60-90 minute talking tape, second getting the lab done on time, and
third was whether we'd pass the test at the end of the week that was based all
on this material. Making the test anxiety worse was, the actual test
covered only about 0.05% of what was in the lab tapes -- meaning, 'ya had to
pretty much know everything in order to pass a test that could cover *anything*.
Ah, leaving Life
Science Lab was a joyous day! Other classes that were just as hard, seemed
a lot easier. Of course, I had little interest in nutrition (gag me),
taught by Mrs. Phelan, who often asked rhetorical questions. Silly me,
sometimes I'd offer answers when none was wanted.
Sometimes the
instructors taught classes as team, with Mrs. Campsey, Mrs. Lydic, and Mrs.
Estes taking turns at the lectern, each covering a different section of
material. Judith Campsey taught many of the nursing classes, which taught
the how-to part of our jobs. These classes continued throughout the two
years, beginning at the basics of taking temperature, pulse, respiration, to
using correct body mechanics, and on to more complex nursing duties and
practices. All these classes in the first year were to prepare us for
clinicals that started in the beginning of our second year.
Clinicals were
liberating as well as terrifying. We'd report a half-hour before the
starting times of normal shifts (e.g. 7-3; 3-11; 11-7 -- night turn was in our
last semester). At first we were only assigned to ONE patient, and only
part of the nursing care, such as looking up all the medications that patient
was taking, listing each one on a 3x5 index card, along with side effects and
other information. Slowly, we were given more and more patients to care
for each shift, until by the end of the school year, we'd be caring for one
entire "side." [The hospital unit was divided, usually by hallway or
section, so a "side" usually meant 20-30 patients or 1/2 of the unit.]
We had rotations through med-surg (medical-surgical), pediatrics, obstetrics,
ICU, and the operating/recovery rooms. It was a very tough year with a lot
crammed in and we were all thrilled when it got closer to graduation.
When I attended,
there were three primary ceremonies during the 2 year course. The first
was at the end of the first year. At the Capping ceremony, we were
officially "capped" with our stiff white regular nurse's caps,
replacing the caps with a blue stripe that marked each of us as
"students." During our clinicals the second year, our student
uniforms was the only thing that set us apart and identified us as learners.
The second ceremonial type affair was an awards party, where students were
acknowledged for their skills and successes, and also "roasted" based
on unique aspects of our personalities or personal habits. The ceremony
and bash was a way to break the seriousness and tension of the fast-paced
program, and something we all enjoyed.
The third, and
biggest, our families and friends were present as they had been for the capping
ceremony. But this time, excitement was in the air! Each of us
in crisp, new white uniforms, white hose and white nursing shoes, students filed
in two columns down the center aisle of Trinity High School Auditorium (big
enough for all of us and our guests). This was the evening of GRADUATION!!
Each column of students turned right or left, filing into the first and second
rows down in front of the stage, while students in the chorus continued on up
onto the stage where we lined up on risers set up on the auditorium's stage.
After rituals carried on in each graduation ceremony, each student's name was
called, and reaching center stage, each was handed their diploma in the midst of
rounds of applause. More than a few students had tears; all had smiles on
lit up faces. It was the hardest two years I ever went through, but also
the most satisfying.
Visit My Town-Talk
Pages Also!
Learn about some Washington Co. towns, boroughs
and areas in
the Town-Talk pages.
Rather than fact-only (and often boring) information, I'd like
to describe my impressions and experiences of some landmark places in
Washington. Strictly history type information can be easily found on other
Washington County, PA websites.
If you are looking for documents, newspaper
items, obituaries, etc. for
families of Washington Co., PA and surrounding areas, see my primary website at:
"Little
Washington," Washington Co., PA: Genealogy and Family History
McDonald
Area Newspapers are also on the Little Washington website.
Uptown
Landmarks -1
Uptown Landmarks -2
For pictures of some places, go to
Washington
PA Nostalgia
A few current street scenes are at the City
Hall website.
Street
Map of 1 South Main Street
and surrounding streets uptown (Mapquest)
City Development pages
and current development
projects map.
Main
Street Newsletters
Long Ago Locations: (please send me your additions to
this list)
The old-old post office on Maiden Street has been City Hall for
decades.
The "new" (many decades-old) Post Office was the site
of __________.
Millcraft Center built in the mid 1970s was the site of a small
diner owned by Pete Paradise (a Greek Confectioner who homemade candies and
strong coffee) and other business store-fronts including a furniture store.
The Cort Theater was down near Pete's in the 1950s.
The Basil changed to Uptown Theater -- now a live
band-entertainment site.
The State Theater was on the same side as Murphy's
The present site of Hummell Funeral Home used to be Minnimyer's
(spelling?), then the B. F. Goodrich tire sales and repair garage -- the
building sat empty until the Funeral Home built there.
I want to say a special "Thank you" to a friend,
Janet.
Without her help, I would not have completed these web pages.
Special acknowledgement to my genealogy teacher,
co-researcher,
my grandmother Ruth Lane McGary
(deceased)
and to my co-researcher, co-author,
and co-trouble-maker, my sister Cathy
Caldwell (deceased).
Site History and Updates: Dec '05; Jan '05; Mar
'06
Email
Washington.Co.PA.Webmaster
(c) Judith Ann Florian
159 E. Main St.
Girard, Ohio 44420
Copyright Notice - Data / info. for individuals and surnames may be
reproduced for personal family histories only, but not for any commercial use or
sale. Please give credit to Judith Florian and Catherine L. Caldwell for
locating newspaper items and original documents. You may use J. Florian's
research conclusions if credit is given. No other data or images may be
reproduced without permission. © 2005-present, Judith Florian, Copyright All
rights reserved.
This page was last updated on Tuesday, May 26, 2009 02:18
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The background was chosen specifically to
emphasize the matriarchal role of women in "the life" of
children and families, and the resilience of all the women of
southwestern Pennsylvania. |
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