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Jean Craig, Graduate Nurse

<h2 id="xv">15. Graduation!</h2> July was nearly over. And although there weren’t any summer patients at the clinic, Jean and her classmates were very busy. Graduation was scheduled for the end of the month. But before Jean, Sally, Hedda, Ingeborg and Lucy could wear their registered nurses’ caps, they had to take their final exams. They all studied every free minute they had. And Jean was frankly worried about her approaching exams. Although she had mastered most of her studies with ease, she was still baffled by the nervous system and the essentials of psychology which were required knowledge for the graduate nurses. Miserably she flipped through her psychology book one afternoon as she sat alone in the lobby of the clinic. It was her day off, but she refused to take time off to go home till she had mastered her lesson. Gerald Benson found her huddled over her book and sat down beside her. “Still grinding away?” he asked. She nodded. “I can’t understand why I can’t get this through my head,” she said desperately. [159] Gerald picked up her book. “Maybe I can help you,” he offered. “Oh, go away,” she groaned with pretended despair. “Suddenly everything’s changed. Eileen ... my good friend, Eileen ... has become a witch who haunts me at night. She’s going to be on the examining board. And so are all the doctors! I get all nervous when I think that Ted or Dr. Daley or especially wonderful Dr. Barsch can up and flunk me without a second thought if I don’t pass my exam.” Gerald laughed. “Then I’m your friend of the hour. I won’t be on the board. I’m just an intern. Now, let’s see. What’s troubling you so?” He turned to the front of the book. Then he closed it. “Let’s start at the beginning. In the first place, did you ever run a switchboard?” Jean nodded. “One summer I worked as a receptionist in an office.” “Then there’s nothing to it. You’re just trying to master the switchboard of the human body. Keep that in mind. Sensory nerves to the brain or spinal column, depending upon whether the reflex called for is automatic or deliberate. If it is an automatic response, such as pulling your hand away when you touch a hot stove, the message goes no higher than the spinal column. Otherwise, it goes to the brain. Your brain tells you to turn up the thermostat because you’re cold in your house. You had to learn that heating a house will warm you. But a tiny baby will pull his hand away from a hot stove.” [160] Jean nodded. “See how simple it is? The rest of it is just memorizing the various parts. But to excite your interest, I’m going to tell you a story. I think when you hear it, you’re going to want to learn the various parts. And anything you really want to learn, you will learn.” Jean giggled. “You’re quite a philosopher, Gerald,” she said. “I would rather like to go on into psychiatry if I can,” Gerald said. “That’s why you’re going to find me so helpful today. This is my stuff. But to get back to the story. You’ve undoubtedly had a toothache at one time or another, haven’t you?” Jean nodded. “I should say I have. I remember a particularly bad one once, when it seemed as if all my teeth hurt.” “That often happens,” Dr. Benson continued. “Sometimes, you may remember, instead of the infected tooth in the upper jaw, let us say, being the one that hurts, it is the tooth directly below it in the lower jaw that seems to be causing the pain. Why do you suppose that is?” Jean shook her head. “I can’t imagine.” Gerald went on. “That’s the fascinating part. What actually happens is this. The area around the infected tooth hurts. It sends a message to the brain, saying ‘Ouch.’ But the brain says, ‘Hold on a minute. You must be confused. You can’t possibly hurt. It must be the other party on your line. Now, let’s see. The[161] other party on your line is the second molar in the lower jaw. That’s the tooth which hurts.’ And, by heaven, that’s what hurts, in spite of the fact that the tooth in the lower jaw is perfectly sound.” Jean grinned. “Really? That’s fascinating!” she cried. Gerald stood up. “Now, go home. You can’t study here. You find out why these fascinating things happen. I’ll drill you every day till exams come. We’ll lick ’em, Witch-Gordon and the whole pack of ’em!” Jean giggled. “Eileen should hear you say that,” she teased. He laughed. “No girl of mine is going around flunking industrious young students, either. You might remember that!” Gerald was true to his word. Every day until exam day he drilled Jean in the intricacies of the nervous system. And when she went in to face the examining board, she felt more confident than she ever believed she would feel. Dr. Barsch headed the board. Dr. Daley, Dr. Jenkins, Ted and Eileen asked the questions, but Jean was sure enough of herself to enjoy the ordeal. As the exam went on, the doctors and Eileen became more relaxed. Jean was a favorite among the staff members, and they were as anxious as she that she do well. Finally with beaming faces, the board came to the end of the questions. Dr. Barsch looked around at the staff. [162] “I guess there’s no question in anyone’s mind, is there?” They all shook their heads. Dr. Barsch stood up. “Then I want to be the first to congratulate you, Miss Craig. Your work here at the clinic has been more than satisfactory. It will be a pleasure to have you take part in our ‘capping’ exercises tomorrow night.” The following night, Jean and her whole class gathered together outside of the small auditorium of the clinic. To the immense relief of all, they all had passed their final exams and were ready to be capped. Their families had already gathered in the auditorium, and Dr. Gallup was on the platform together with Dr. Barsch and the rest of the staff. The girls were all dressed in fresh, immaculate white uniforms. Finally they received the signal and marched into the auditorium together. They all sat down in the first row. Dr. Gallup and the staff rose as the girls took their seats. Dr Barsch stepped to the front of the stage. “This is truly a memorable occasion for the Gallup Memorial Clinic,” he said. “This is our first graduating class of nurses. I don’t need to tell you how proud we are of our girls. I can see our pride reflected on your faces, too. “These girls have done the almost impossible. Usually when girls start training they don’t have to jump in and perform as regular nurses, too. But our[163] girls did. We didn’t have enough registered nurses, so they just went right to work. Without neglecting their studies, they stepped right in and helped where they were needed. Don’t ask me how they did it. Because frankly, I don’t know.” The audience applauded. Dr. Barsch smiled fondly down on his girls. “And because they did work so hard, our later classes won’t have so much to do. Also, people of Elmhurst, because of them, we have a much better clinic today than we ever dreamed we could have.” The audience applauded again as Dr. Barsch sat down and Dr. Gallup rose. The applause for the revered doctor was deafening. He waited for a moment, nodding his impressive white head. “What do you want me to say about my girls?” he asked the audience. “Why, I brought most of them into the world!” He rubbed his eyes. “You’ll forgive the meanderings of an old man, but I keep thinking about how quickly time passes. It seems like such a short time ago that I gave Sally Hancock her first spanking.” He paused. “Hm,” he continued, “and it wasn’t too long ago that I handed a diploma to a painfully scrubbed youngster by the name of Edward Barsch and welcomed him to the medical profession.” In the front row, Hedda leaned over and whispered to Jean, “Where’s Ted?” Jean looked up at the stage. “Why ... I don’t[164] know. He was up there a few minutes ago.” “And now,” Dr. Gallup continued, “I’m supposed to pretend that enough years have gone by to turn my Edward into a stuffy old executive and my babies into efficient nurses....” The audience tittered. Dr. Gallup looked pleased with himself. But the titter grew into a loud laugh, and the elderly doctor turned around. Ted Loring was trying to steal, unnoticed, onto the stage. He carried a huge bouquet of red roses. He held them behind him in an unsuccessful attempt to conceal them. Dr. Gallup clasped his hands together and rocked back on his heels. “When Dr. Loring finds his seat, we’ll continue,” he said. The audience roared as Ted blushed fiery red. Dr. Gallup tried to cover his grin as he faced the audience once again. “To get back to our girls, I think you all know something of what it means to study for nursing. It means being able to give of yourself. It means long hours with little tangible reward. But don’t pity these girls for their hard labors, ladies and gentlemen. They know what it is to receive the greatest intangible reward of all—the gratitude of an entire community.” The audience stood up and applauded as the girls rose to go to the stage for their diplomas. Jean led the girls to the stage. Dr. Gallup shook her hand and kissed her cheek as he handed her the[165] diploma. He repeated the performance with the other girls. The applause continued during the entire ceremony. Before Jean could return to her seat, Ted rose and walked over to her. Dr. Gallup handed out the last diploma and turned toward Ted and Jean. “I don’t know why I should have been so darned furtive about these beautiful flowers,” Ted said. “Just before the ceremony started, Ralph MacRae wired these flowers to Jean Craig, and I think they have a place in the ceremony, also.” Everyone clapped enthusiastically, and Jean blushed as she accepted the bouquet. Then Dr. Barsch rose again. He introduced Eileen to the assembly, and the girls passed before her to receive their black ribbons for their caps. Now they were official nurses. Eileen grabbed their hands warmly as they passed her. Dr. Barsch imitated Dr. Gallup and kissed them all soundly on the cheek. Jean led her classmates down to their seats again. The audience crowded around them as they opened their diplomas. Ethel, with tears in her eyes, found Jean and walked with her up to meet her family. Mr. and Mrs. Craig embraced their daughter. Mrs. Craig cried a little as she saw Ralph’s flowers. “My own girl,” she cried. “A real, bona fide nurse!” <hr class="x-ebookmaker-drop divider" /> [166] <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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