Welcome to An Apple a Day

Welcome to my first blog post at An Apple a Day. Mrs. J.S Beatty, RN and I are happy that you dropped by. Mrs. Beatty was the Educational Director of Bradford Hospital School of Nursing back in 1929. I love this picture. It’s a classic. It’s simple, artistic, and it’s steeped in nursing tradition.

Nursing tradition isn’t just about a white uniform, a cap, and a cape. It’s about caring for others. I can only imagine all the things that Mrs. Beatty witnessed during her nursing career. She saw wounded soldiers returning from Europe during World War I, and she practiced nursing before the advent of antibiotics. She held the hands of the dying during the great influenza pandemic of 1918, and cared for patients during the early days of the Great Depression. Look into this woman’s face. She was strong, compassionate, and confident. She exemplified the nursing profession. Mrs. Beatty was a role model for her students and for all future generations of nurses.

I’m going to talk about nursing culture, traditions, and trends at An Apple a Day. Like Mrs. Beatty, I’ve seen a lot during my long nursing career. I have a lot on my mind and I’m not afraid to say it. I’m also going to start an advice column called Go Ask Mother. That’s right, Mother Jones, RN will answer your questions relating to nursing issues. I’ve been told that I’m very opinionated, so I might as well put that trait to good use.

I want to start a conversation with nurses. Tell me if you don’t share my point of view. Leave a comment. We can’t grow as a profession unless we communicate with each other, so let’s start talking. Please remember to be polite. I know that nurses can be very nasty with each other, I’ve seen cat fights at the nurses station, so only civil comments will appear on the end of each post.

Let’s get this party started. Write to me if you have a question at motherjonesrn AT gmail Dot com.