The Unconventional Biography of a St. Vincent's R.N.

Fifty years ago on June 15, 1965 I graduated from St. Vincent's Hospital School of Nursing, NY, NY.

This November, the members of the Class of 1965 will come together to celebrate who we are and where we have been.  One of our classmates, Patty, is compiling our biographies for us - God Bless her, it is a rather daunting undertaking.  I have decided to take a little different approach in writing my biography.  In order to motivate myself, I plan to write little sections at a time. I will put them in my blog in case anyone cares to read it.  Honestly, I am doing this primarily for myself and will not be offended in the least, if no one else wants to read it.   After 50 years, I think it will do me some good to reflect on my nursing experience.

I became a nurse because I made a promise to God when I was young that I felt I just couldn’t keep.  I was about 6 years old when I developed a very high fever and a bit of delirium.  I knew I was pretty sick and I asked my mother if she thought I was going to die, expecting that her answer would reassure me.   Instead, my mother, ever truthful, said she didn’t know.  Figuring this might be the end of me, I promised God that if I didn’t die, I would become a nun.

No sooner were the words on my lips when I began to dread the thought of having to enter the convent.   And, as I got older, I realized that I liked the opposite sex way too much and was not cut out for the celibate life.   This was appearing more and more like a promise I just couldn’t keep.   Nonetheless, I felt terrible for having deceived the Almighty.   I didn’t want to offend God to such a major extent, so I thought about another option that I thought He might like almost as well.   In order to ease my conscience a little, I decided to become a nurse so that I could care for His sick and needy.   I looked at it as simply a modification of my initial promise.   I would dedicate my life to Him, without the unbearable sacrifice of having to seclude myself from the world with a bunch of other women.