Ancker Nurses Alumni Association Oral History Project: Interview with Leona A. Schmidt

Titles: Ancker Nurses Alumni Association Oral History Project: Interview with Leona A. Schmidt (Supplied title)

Description: BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Leona Arndt Schmidt graduated from the Ancker School of Nursing, a three year nursing program, in 1931. She was an active member of the Ancker Nurses Alumni Association. She worked as a nurse until she retired. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: What attracted her to nursing and Ancker Hospital's program in particular, application procedure, tuition, uniform and shoes, laundry, capes, preliminary period - "probies", treats sent from home, tunnels, bedbugs and cockroaches. Interns as teachers, Nellie LaPham, nursing procedures - catherization, hypodermatoclysis, enemas, and hot packs. Sleeping accommodations in the nursing residence, schedule, working and attending school concurrently, pay. Ancker as public institution and the patients accepted, lack of work for graduates during Depression, problems with hospital being close to railroad tracks. Education as preparation for nursing school, learning to give injections, typical day, behavior around supervisors, rotations, capping, Big Sister program, pins. Impressions of Dr. Carter, Dr. Broadie, Miss Reynolds, Miss Hines, Miss Sands, Birgit Tofte. Changes in nursing over the years, HMOs, insurance, shorter stays, medications, care plans. Caring for patients during polio epidemics. Special school events - father-daughter banquet, junior-senior prom, class picnic, graduation. Other fun - people watching, skating, dancing. Work after graduation, health care for nurses, changes under civil service, PERA retirement fund, activities with Alumni Association, impact of technology on nursing, rewards of nursing.

Dates

• 08/23/2000 (Creation)

Creation

• interviewee: Schmidt, Leona Arndt
• interviewer: Sommer, Barbara W.

Identifiers

• Library Call Number: OH 83
• Accession Number: AV2001.102.4

Holding Type: Oral History - Interview

Project

• Oral History - Project, MHS Collection, project: 'Ancker Nurses Alumni Association Oral History Project' <OH 83>

Quantity: 3 hours sound cassette 49 pages transcript

Format

• Content Category: sound recordings
• Content Category: text

Measurements

• 02:23:41 running time

Subjects

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