Area nurses celebrate in style

More than 500 nurses from Cape Girardeau, Dexter, Sikeston, Poplar Bluff and other regional hospitals and medical centers attended the "Celebration of Nurses" event Wednesday night at the Arena Building.

The event marked National Nurses Week.

The theme, "Celebrating Nursing, '50s style," meant the Arena Building was decked out in vinyl records, and sock hop dancers from Cape Girardeau Central High School grooved in the balconies while an Elvis impersonator roamed the room.

Barbara Bancroft, a registered nurse, published author and professional speaker, presented "Livin', Laughin' and Learnin' Through the Years," describing some of the myths her nursing career has debunked for her throughout her education.

If ulcers were actually brought on by stress, Bancroft pointed out, every student in the nursing program would have one.

Bancroft injected humor into the clinical information, dispersing tips for healthier and more stress-free living throughout her speech.

Bancroft was chosen as a speaker for the event to help nurses deal with their day-to-day stresses, said Mary Miller, co-coordinator of the event for Southeast Missouri Hospital Center for Nursing Excellence.

KIT DOYLE ~ kdoyle@semissourian.com Records decorated the buffet at the "Celebrating Nursing '50s Style" dinner Wednesday at the A.C. Brase Arena Building.

"Nurses deal with such difficult situations," Miller said.

Bancroft, a widely acclaimed national presenter, has authored several books on bridging the gap between the highly technical and the humorous, including "Medical Minutiae" and "Live a Little, Laugh a Lot."

Vernice Baumstark, a registered nurse who first began nursing in 1938, described her work in the 1940s training nurse's aides, and working with the American Red Cross, in days when the nursing profession wasn't as technologically capable as it is today.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 245

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