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duke univcusitij mcdicM ccnteR
VOLUME 21, NUMBER 40
OCTOBER 25,1974
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA
!
EXTRA HOUR—Dont forget to set
your clocks back before you go to bed
Saturday night. The nation is reverting
to standard time.
^ Man Among Women:
By Margaret Howell
Tm never referred to as a nurse. Its
either orderly' or doctor. It got to me
fora while, but 1 laugh about it now.'
That's the way Gilmer "Bernie"
Stewart describes his entry into
nursing. And. being the first full-time
male RN EVER to work in the medical
center's emergency room hasn't made
things any less confusing.
Stewart has worked at Duke for the
last year and a half since his graduation
from Rockingham Community College
with an RN degree. He points out
incredulously that "there's even one
school in Virginia that won't accept
men for their nursing curriculum."
United Fund
Gifts Lag
“We need help. "
That's what William Haas, director
and material support at Duke and
chairman of the university's 1974
United Fund Drive, said after reviewing
contribution totals to date.
With only two weeks remaining in the
annual giving campaign, the medical
center is still 35.2 per cent below its
projected goal, Haas said, and unless
people start returning their pledge
cards soon, the UF campaign at Duke is
going to fall short of the $89,050 total
for this year.
. So far, the medical center staff has
contributed $27,218 of it's $42,000
goal. The university-wide campaign
now stands at $67,777.
There are still 75 per cent of the
payroll points still unreported, and in
Haas' words, "That gives us some
cause for concern."
The Business and Finance division
on the campus is leading the university
on a percentage basis. It has already
exceeded it's goal by 17 per cent. It has
contributed $9,128, and it’s goal was
$7,800. Totals for medical center
faculty stand at $23,874, and biweekly
employees have given $3,344 as of
Oct. 21.
Haas repeated his request of last
week that all pacesetters please return
their pledge cards as soon as possible,
and he again reminds payroll clerks
that the donations they have collected
can be taken to Paul Vick's office at 03
Allen BIdg. or to his own office at the
Central Warehouse, 117 South
Buchanan Blvd.
Duke was receptive to his working
here, according to Stewart. "They
made me feel at home and they're
doing a lot to get more male nurses
here.
"Since the Vietnam war, there have
been a.lot of men coming back trained
for medical care." he said. "So they're
going to be stuck with us and they
might as well use us. I think it's a good
thing ... I think we need both sexes in
the profession.
"I think there are a lot of challenges
in nursing. One of them is being
accepted and proving we can function
in a woman's profession," he added.
After four years' experience as a
dental technician in the Navy ("the
government training v^as good"),
Stewart says his sister talked him into
going to nursing school. "She had just
graduated from nursing school when I
got out of the Navy. So, while I was on
inactive duty for the next three and a
half years. 1 went to nursing school. "
His work at the medical center
started on Long Ward, a 31-bed section
for men. Stewart worked there for a
year receiving what he calls "good
experience.' He added, "There was
one male LPN there before me. so the
way had already been paved.
"You wouldn t think men would be
modest, but a lot of them are. The
patients seemed to open up more to
me since l "m a man. "
Suggesting that " ward work is more
like women s work," Stewart said that
he had received emergency training in
the service and "1 thmk it's more
exciting and there is more
responsibility. That's one reason I
transferred to ER. "
The reactions he"s noticed in his six
months in ER have been a little
different from those on Long Ward. In
many instances, he has had to stand up
for his rights as a nurse with patients,
doctors and even his fellow nurses. He
quotes patier,. reaction at "90 per cent
good."
There"s no written rule about it or
anything, " he said, "but the only thing I
can't assist in is a pelvic examination.
"Of course, " he continued, "some
women don t like to have me around
period. One woman came into the
emergency room and, when I walked
in. said she warited a nurse. I said. "I am
a nurse. So she said, "a female nurse "
With that 1 just said. Alright. I 'll get you
one.'
'My training was no different from
the training the women receive. When I
was in school studying obstetrics," he
recalled. " I stayed with a woman having
a natural childbirth from 7:30 one
morning to 4;30 the next morning. It
was one of the most rewarding parts of
nursing l"ve seen yet.
"1 guess," he continued, one of the
main differences is that I have more
physical work than the female nurses.
Whenever a patient care assistant is
not available, they call me. All in all. it s
pretty equal down here. The female
(Continued on page 2)
A Male RN Looks
At His Profession
*■
\
• -WWVWSjr'X
A MAN AMONG WO/WE/V—Though his job may confuse many others. Bernie
Stewart has found " a lot of challenges in nursing. " including "proving we can
function in a woman s profession." (Photo by Margaret Howell)
In Parking Garage, Lots
“Don’t Get Ripped Off”
The Department of Public Safety is
warning employees and others who
use the Parking Garage or the parking
lots against leaving valuables in their
cars.
Lt. Tim Wheatley, head of the
medical center detachment of Public
Safety, said that between $5,000 and
$6,000 in valuables were reported
stolen within one week recently in the
Parking Garage alone.
Two arrests have been made,
Wheatley said, and officers are
increasing their security measures in
the parking areas.
But the lieutenant emphasized that
the first step in defense against thefts
must come from the vehicle owner.
Wheatley made these points:
--When you park and leave your car,
make sure your windows are rolled up
completely and the doors are locked.
—Do not leave valuables lying out in
the car. Even if a car is locked, thieves
can break into it.
—If you have valuables or equipment
that cannot be taken with you, lock
them in your trunk.
—If you see anyone around the
Parking Garage or the lots who appears
to be loitering or in any other way looks
suspicious, immediately contact the
Public Safety officer in front of the
hospital or call the Public Safety Office
in the medical center at Ext. 5263, or
on the main campus at Ext. 2444.
—Hospital and clinic personnel
should pass these suggestions along to
patients as well.
"People should never hesitate to call
Public Safety as quickly as possible."
Wheatley said. “The security of the
medical center is our service, and we
must rely on the eyes and the ears of
observant medical center personnel to
help us perform that service best.”