Memories of the College of Nursing

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Joan Schanilec, '76	"As a transfer student, Dean Heyse told me that I would have to prove myself at UND before I could be considered for the nursing program. She also requested (expected) me to write letters to our US Congressmen from North Dakota telling them that additional funding was needed to expand the College of Nursing so more students could be educated as nurses. For a woman of her short stature, Dean Heyse sure packed a lot of authority and had a very large "presence"!"
Joan Schanilec, '76	"Remember med-surg nursing? That THIRTEEN credit course! Yes, 13 credits for one grade. The pressure was on. The demands were high."
Joan Schanilec, '76	"After 34 years, I think of my two demanding clinical instructors in med-surg nursing with gratitude in my heart. They instilled a work ethic in me and a joy of learning. They taught me how to care for my patients with compassion while using my critical thinking skills to provide the best nursing care that I can."
Joan Schanilec, '76	"Ah, Ruth Burrage! Who could ever forget her? We were all deathly afraid of her! I never was sure if she had been a military nurse, but she sure came across as one - erect posture, stern demeanor, piercing eye contact, and her 'whites' were as white as the driven snow."
Sandra Opdahl, '76	Community Health Nursing was done at the Kayenta Indian Reservation in Arizona, a great experience as an undergraduate and quite brave of three girls that left the comfort of UND. We did home visits in hogans or hut homes on the reservation. We lived in their subsidized housing and had an oven that blew up in our faces."
Sandra Opdahl, '76	"I realized that there was so much to know in nursing and so throughout my career I have tried so many fields of nursing from long term care, clinical, labor and delivery, women's health, ICF-MR, rural health nursing at hospitals, nursing professor, lobbyist, administration, school nursing, holistic health educator and yoga instructor/healing touch therapy currently. My education has provided me with so many wonderful opportunities in nursing."
Sandra Opdahl, '76	"My memories of being a UND student in the 70s include eating in Wilkerson Hall and gaining 15 lbs my first year in college (I lived in Selke Hall), going to the Sioux hockey games and having so much fun and going to the frat parties (I wasn't a sorority chick so didn't get invited to those parties)."
Sandra Opdahl, '76	"One of the biggest changes in nursing is all of the simulations used for education. We learned the hard way on those CPR mannequins that we wiped off with alcohol and thought were so sterile. Do you still do care plans? I thought I would never make it through med-surg with those grueling care plans that were due the next morning."
Dede Meidinger, '72	"Ruth Burrage had the most commanding but reassuring presence about her. When she walked into a room or walked onto our hospital floor I always felt like everything was, or would soon be, under control. She just had that aura about her --- tall and straight, in control awareness, firm jaw with slight smile, and looking you in the eye when talking to you. She was the perfect role model model to take us beyond the tasks of nursing, and to recognize theory application in professional nursing."
Eileen Lepisto, '65	"I wasn't out of school very long before I realized the changes in nursing. For example, nurses quit wearing their caps; symbols, nursing school pins became nonexistent on uniforms, etc. I actually rejoiced when we no longer wore caps as mine would continually get caught in IV lines etc., especially working in CCU/ ICU. Trends in Nursing by Dean Heyse was my favorite class as it opened my mind to all the possibilities that lay before us in nursing and encouraged us to go on for higher learning. Though I didn't attain a PhD, I never lost my thirst for more knowledge. Lavonne Russell challenged me on the floor in med surg. With those big blue eyes, she would ask pertinent questions of why we did a certain technique. I probably just stared back with blank eyes. I have memories of getting up super early in the morning and trying to cram into a taxi with 8 other nurses for early morning Deaconess duty. I also remember rotation in the cities, not so much for nursing, but that it was the Beattles first arrival and performance in the States. I also remember one of my early patients was a young man who just had a circumcision. I had much to learn... Joining a sorority was discouraged ... at least that is what I seem to remember. But Delta Gamma called out. Some of the Monday night sorority meetings made me realize it was hard to do care plans and go to house meetings the same night. Don't you wish computers would have been in use when we had to do the patient care plans? Just think - we could have copied and pasted for all the repetitive 'rationals'. Then there was the walk across campus and it being so cold, your eyelids would freeze shut. I didn't appreciate or realize how superior our education at UND nursing school was until I was out in the world working. The challenge to think and question was naturally there. This need was evident early in my practice & became more essential when I worked as a Medical Coder in Saudi Arabia. When I took a nursing refresher course there, I realized the nurses from the Phillipines never questioned doctor's orders .... just expected to carry the orders out. I again realized the value of questioning for the patients health care."
Cheryl Schmidt, '88	"I taught Community Health Nursing at UND from 1983-1988, and loved it! I have many fond memories of my days at UND, and miss it! I hope to attend the Gala!"
Cheryl Stauffenecker, '92	"I made a very large paper mache tooth and used men's red underwear for the gums. The tooth fit perfectly with the supersized toothbrush."
Twyla Hilscher, '78	"When I graduated from high school in 1973, I was bound and determined to go to college. I had no idea what I wanted to do, just that I wanted to experience college life. My Mother said, 'Why don't you be a nurse'. I said, 'Ok', not having any idea what a nurse really did, but if it was a way for me to go to college so be it. I enrolled at UND in the fall of 1973 with a major in nursing. At that time the freshman year was general classes and nursing classes began the fall semester of the sophomore year. I was accepted in the college of nursing for my sophomore year, but took that year off to work while my husband finished school. I was hired as a nurse's aide in a nursing home. I was excited; this was going to be my first real exposure to 'nursing'. After my first day on the job, I hated it, and was absolutely positive I could never be a nurse. I told my husband it was a good thing I found that out now, rather than going through 3 more years of college with a major I knew I would hate. Unfortunately, this job was the only source of income for my husband and me, so I couldn't just quit. Well to make a long story short, after a couple of weeks, it wasn't so bad, and by the end of the year, I absolutely loved it, and knew nursing was going to be my profession. I went back to UND in the fall of 1975 as a sophomore in the nursing program. I am so proud of my UND education. It was top notch. The instructors were professionals and wonderful role models. Each clinical I went through was my favorite. I must admit the care plans were nasty, but they really taught me those critical thinking skills that are so important in the nursing profession. Two instructors stick out in my mind: Cec Volden was my Med/Surg instructor. She was kind and caring and treated students with utmost respect. I thought of her often when I had the opportunity to work with students. Another instructor that sticks out was Carol Hill, my Pediatric instructor. She expected great detail on homework, but boy did I learn." I graduated from UND CoN on May 14, 1978. I went on to work at MeritCare (St. Luke's at the time), where I have been a nurse for 31 years. I started out as a Medical/Surgical float, and after two years transferred to the Emergency Department, where I spent 28 years. Last year I transferred to the PACU. I miss ER nursing, but love the challengeds of Post Anesthesia Care, and fewer weekends and less holiday work. My daughter Tara Decker went on to follow in my footsteps and graduated from the UND CoN on May 14, 2000. She worked at Mayo in Rochester in the transplant unit before attending Mayo Anesthesia School. She graduated from there in 2006 and now works as a CRNA at MeritCare. Tara's husband Jason Decker also graduated from UND CoN May 14, 2000. He worked at Mayo in the transplant unit for 8 years, and now works at MeritCare in Endoscopy."
Carma Hanson, '88	"How I recall traveling to the State Hospital in Jamestown for our psych clinicals. Shortly after getting there and checking into the on-site dorms, there were alarms and room checks by the guards as one of the 'residents' had escaped. Wow, we were off to a wild two weeks at THAT site!"