Old photos

We've been looking through old pictures at my house this week, looking for pictures of my mother in law. Old pictures bring back so many memories. Everyone is so young, so skinny. Some of those in the pictures are no longer living. Some who were being married are no longer together, some are, after all these years. Children have grown up and now have children of their own. There are pictures of holidays and vacations. So many memories.
I guess that's why we take photos, to remember people and events. It helps to know where we've been when we're trying to figure out where we're going.
I've been at Backus 17 years. So much has changed. The ED has grown so much. When I arrived we had just expanded to 17 beds, now we have 43+ when you include convenient care. Back then when we saw 100 patients in 24 hours it was a big event, now we regularly see 200. The medical interventions we carry out now would have been science fiction back then. The nursing protocols enable RNs to carry out what doctors did back then.
The number of staff who have come and gone and in some cases returned blows me away. Many working in other departments now started in the ED, others have moved on to other hospitals or other states. I keep up on the lives of friends who have left for such far away places as Hawaii through Facebook.
Oh yes, computers! They have become a part of our work and personal lives, definitely a love/hate relationship. They cause more work but we complain when they go down.
So many memories.
So much change.
One thing that has not changed in all these years is a desire of all Backus employees, regardless of department or position, to give the best possible care to our patients and support to each other.
It is the hallmark of our hospital.