What has changed?

That was the question posed to Keith and me by a college student working in the pharmacy with us last week. What has changed since I started in nursing? Since Keith started as a pharmacist?

Wow – what a great question. Keith and I both started down memory lane. I remember mixing chemo on the unit – no gloves, no gown, and no ventilation hood. No gloves ever – for anything. I have never started an IV wearing gloves – that era began after HIV/AIDS. I remember seeing the first AIDS patient on our unit the same week that Newsweek came out with a cover story naming AIDS for the first time.

No DRG’s (Diagnosis Related Groups) – hospital stays were often weeks, if not months, for those newly diagnosed with leukemia. Antibiotics have improved; chemo has improved – the side effects can be so much better managed with medications today.

We talked about all the medications that were not available when Keith and I started. It was interesting to talk about – so many changes happen so gradually that you soon forget it hasn’t always been that way.

I guess that is true of most things in life.

I’m glad she asked the question – I will continue to think about the answer.