It seems that not much has changed since I trained – and I graduated in 1977. When I was doing my rotation in OB, the nurse that I was teamed with was from one of the Caribbean islands. My instructor was from the same place and knew the nurse personally – this ended up being to my advantage. In those days I used to wear a very tiny gold Mogen Dovid around my neck. The first day I was on the ward, the nurse that I was teamed up with said “I didn’t know that any Jews were nurses. I thought that you all went to university for a year or so and then got married. I know that none of you have to work because you are all rich.” I was so stunned that I had no reply (which for me is highly unusual). Fortunately, my instructor was right around the corner and had heard all that had been said to me. She stepped over and asked me to leave for a few moments. She gave the nurse such a “what for” that it was impossible not to overhear her. She let her know that she had made a complete idiot of herself and that there had been Jewish students in every class since the nursing school had started – 10 years earlier. Then she really let her have it about the “all Jews are rich” line. Anyhow, when I came back the next day, I was paired up with someone else and I never again laid eyes on this woman.
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