Thena Palnick-Bamber

If it had not been for the Cadet program, I probably would not have been a nurse for 39 years, and I enjoyed all the years. I never retired but quit when I was 82. My years were all spent working at hospitals in a variety of units. In 1975 several nurses and myself were involved in bringing hospice to the USA. Hospice was started in England and then in '75 came to the state of Connecticut, and Oregon was the second state to have hospice. It was a struggle to orient doctors, nurses, and the public to what Hospice is. I used to say, "Doctors are not ordering it because they didn't even know how to spell it." 

Because my dad had colon cancer, I determined to go to Tucson, AZ, and learn how to care for patients who had their bowel or bladder diverted to an ostomy either temporarily or permanently. I was the first RN in 6 Northwest states to become an Ostomy and wound specialist. Now there probably is not a hospital that is without an ostomy tech.

Once a nurse and you will always be a nurse, so there is no such a thing "like a retired nurse."

If it had not been for the Cadet program in World War II, I wouldn't have ever been a nurse. Now I can say I loved every minute of my career.