INDIANAPOLIS — After five decades, Cheryl Hansell says nursing is "light years different," but one thing has stayed the same — the letter she wrote as a graduating senior in the 1972 IU School of Nursing Class.
On Friday, IU nursing faculty, staff, students and alumni unveiled what was inside the 1972 time capsule, which was located in the entryway of the School of Nursing Building at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis.
Included in the time capsule was Hansell's letter projecting what IU nursing would be like in 2022.
"I think the technology has changed everything. It's gone from handwritten paper, if you copied it it was carbon paper. There were no Xerox machines," Hansell said. "The whole concept of the nurse has changed ... nurses have so much more involvement in patient care now."
Hansell says when she started, nurses didn't have stethoscopes and couldn't draw blood or start IVs. She went on to have a 30 year nursing career before retiring.
Other items in the time capsule included:
- A nursing cap and pin
- Newspaper clippings about the school
- Photographs of nursing students in their uniforms
- School newsletters and other announcements
"I think over the next 50 years we are going to see some remarkable things that create an impact to patients, to populations [and] to healthcare," Robin Newhouse, dean of the IU School of Nursing, said. "Nurses are important to the community because they are really the backbone of the healthcare system."
Contents of the time capsule will be managed and preserved by IU archivists.
-
Beech Grove Middle School business prepares students for future careers
Seventh and eighth graders get to participate in a student-run business called WeB4Me Enterprises. The business focuses on banner printing, t-shirts and signs.Hoosier Homebuyer update: Rates decreasing, inventory increasing
Mortgage rates are dropping from record highs and more homes are on the market. Experts weigh in on how Hoosiers can benefit from a slight shift in the market.Indiana candidates for lieutenant governor debate rural issues at State Fair
What is the best plan for the future of farmers and small-town Hoosiers? Indiana's candidates for lieutenant governor discussed their visions before a full house of fair attendees.Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum to auction off 11 cars to support endowment
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum is selling off some legendary and prized automobiles as a way to help finance the future.