At my interview with Matron, I was informed that I could join the orientation group starting the following week - I was too stunned to refuse! I raced around to have a medical examination, chest X-ray, Mantoux test, etc., and then ordered my uniform, as we have to provide our own here. Also it was essential to organise myself and my family for the two-week orientation programme on day-duty.

On March 8th, 1971, I was seated in the lecture room with 30 other sisters who were returning to the fold - at least all of us were scared together! For those two weeks we worked 8.30 a.m. -5.30 p.m. and learnt a tremendous amount in that time. We discussed administration of drugs, and we were shown how to do dressings - Royal Adelaide style - and as everything is now disposable, that was quite an eye opener! It was arranged for us to visit the Intensive Care ward to learn about respirators, monitors and tracheostomies, and the "puriton" apparatus attached to the latter. "Redivac" and "portavac" drainage was new to most of us, and we were taught how to recharge these appliances. Wanganstein's apparatus - which is continuous naso-gastric suction - was another invention introduced to us. Sisters here have to take intravenous blood, so we had to learn this technique. The most dramatic of our lectures was given by the senior anaesthetist and this was on resuscitation for cardiac arrest, and we were taught how to use the complicated equipment in the "resuscitation basket". For weeks after this I prayed that no one would have a cardiac arrest when I was around - but of course we coped when it occurred. In the surgical ward the only things that seemed really familiar were the under-water-seal-drains for chest surgery, and the way they nursed prostatectomies.

We had to learn the inevitable paper warfare which seems the "lot" of every sister - duplicates for this, and triplicates for that - not my idea of nursing at all!

Talks by Matron, Physiotherapists and Medico-Social Workers, and conducted tours of this enormous hospital helped to comprise our orientation.

We found the orientation exacting and exhausting, but very stimulating and educational. Following these two weeks we had a week free to recuperate.

We tried to absorb so much in such a short period of time, that I began to regret my decision to return to nursing! As always, things fell into place in due course, and now, two years later, I wonder why I ever panicked!

Anyone who had been out of the nursing world for 5 years or more had to do 3 months full time orientation  working in the wards all the time as a junior sister (i.e. equivalent to the staff-nurse in Britain). Consequently they felt really competent after completion of this experience.

I had worked in Geriatric Hospitals, or radiological departments where we assisted with aortograms, arteriograms, bronchograms, etc., I had kept up with some of the advances in the ever changing medical field.

I had agreed to work three nights a week and spent the first nights working with another sister in a men's surgical ward. We have only 12 patients, and at night I have three nurses on duty with me. Each nurse is responsible for the patients in a bay of four beds as we have total patient care here, and I am there to help and supervise as necessary. Four beds are for neurosurgery, four for urology, and four for major abdominal surgery. We have a very high proportion of road traffic accidents admitted and these patients require intensive nursing care and observations.

It is now two years since I started working here, and I find it hard to believe how much I have learnt in that time, and how much confidence I have gained. The hospital is the largest teaching hospital in the State, and it is very modern. My working hours are 9.00 p.m. to 7.30 a.m. with a half hour meal break, i.e.  30 hours in 3 nights. Full time night-duty is four nights, so this means that the other sister and I arrange our nights to the convenience of both of us. At 8.30 p.m. I leave home when my two sons aged 9 and 7 are in bed, and then I am back home by 8.00 a.m. to get them off to school. I sleep all day and the boys awaken me at 4.00 p.m. when they return from school. During the holidays I arrange to work at week-ends, so that my husband looks after the boys then, and our family life is not disrupted. I agree that married nurses have the best of both worlds, satisfaction in my family and my career.

Finally, I must record my grateful appreciation for the first class training which I received at "The London", and it has stood me in very good stead. Imagine my pride and humility when one night recently, one of the surgeons came into the ward late, to visit one of his very ill patients. As he was giving specific orders to the R.M.O. he suddenly saw my badge and he said, "we have no worries here, doctor, this Sister trained at The London" - I was more determined than ever to nurse that patient back to health, and could not possibly let down my training school.