• Are You Glad You Became a Nurse?

    I found an interesting study regarding nurses’ satisfaction with their career choice. Note the respondents were middle-aged (45 – 64) and predominately female. Since my specialty is gerontology, I have included the comments made by three older nurses. Yes, Yes, I know they are all positive. I look forward to a study that includes younger…

  • What is a Student Nurse?

    Carol Ann, a friend of mine from nursing school, recently came to visit. She and her husband live in California. They cruised the Panama Canal over Christmas, drove to see friends in Clearwater, Florida, toured both Savannah and Charleston and traveled to Raleigh, North Carolina to stay with us for a few days. Immediately, we…

  • Dad and the Bride Doll

    Dad and the Bride Doll

    In memory of my father’s death 50 years ago.

  • Cardiac Advances Versus Patient Benefit: A Moral Dilemma

    My story, Closing the Door, recently published in Stories That Need to be Told: A Tulip Tree Anthology, tells of the emergence some fifty years ago of cardiac catheterization, artificial heart valves and cardiopulmonary resuscitation and how I, as a young nurse, had to make sense of the advancement of technology versus patient benefit. This…

  • Happy Lasagna Day

                My husband and I are spending Thanksgiving alone—by choice. We had been invited out but graciously declined. After having three sets of houseguests in six weeks, we are happy to be alone. By the way, the house has never been cleaner. And we broke from the traditional Thanksgiving dinner—we…

  • 80 year-old male model

    As a retired gerontological nurse practitioner and a woman dealing with my own aging, I am always happy to read about successful aging. This one comes all the way from China. I hope you enjoy 80 year-old Wang Deshun’s story as much as I did.   An 80-Year-Old Model Reshapes China’s Views on Aging  …