My Medical Career

From: Colleen Stout <colleenestout@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Mar 30, 2017 at 3:14 PM
Subject: Colleen's personal history
To: Colleen Stout <colleenestout@gmail.com>

 MY MEDICAL CAREER 

It was not my idea to go into medicine, but this is how it worked:

I was16 years old, living in California, I just graduated from San Pedro High School, and was working at my folk's Flower shop. World War 2 was still on, although Germany had just been defeated a month before this. 

One day my Bishop called me with an offer for a job. Dr. Harold L. Snow was also our friend and doctor. (Dr. Snow was an EENT and FACS.) We had other help at the Floral, and business was a little slow too. I talked with my parents, and they could see it might work, at least on a part time basis. 

Since it was hard to get good medical help during the war, as most nurses and many doctors were called on to serve the military. That is why Owen Stout, my future husband, had been working at two different hospitals in Salt Lake City. 

I showed up at work at a clinic on 9th St. , wondering what Dr. Snow had in mind for me to do-- clean, organize, or answer phones?  It soon became evident that it was none of those- primarily. I was to be put in charge of the Lab, and do blood work!

Dr. Snow gave me some  technical books to read, and I was to stay there and read them. I did, and reported back.Then he told me to read them again and take notes. I did that. Then he introduced me to the lab, the microscope, and centrifuge,chemicals, and outlines to be followed.

Then he showed me how to prick fingers and draw blood in pipettes, and make smears, counting the blood cells. I had learned how each blood cell looked under the microscope. Then I filled out squares or notes on what I had seen. I learned to count a representative number of cells. 

 After a couple of days, I had my first patient and pricked his finger. I was a lab technician--  I guess:)

When I wasn't doing that, I gave simple hearing tests with an audio meter, made swabs or cotton packs,made up beds, and anything else that they needed me to do. 

I worked with two nurses and one dietitian, and the Doctor himself.

I tried to pay attention and do my best to learn and do my job well. Dr Snow gave me other work too, like stool specimens to label and mail, and also help with the Dietitian, who worked part time. 

When I was not at the clinic, I was making sprays, bouquets, corsages and arrangements at the Floral shop.

I was finally earning real money too, $45.00 a month!! To me, that  was lot, as I only earned 5.00 a week at the family Floral.

Dr. Snow hired a man from NYC to come and do more technical blood work etc.. An arrogant, short Jewish fellow arrived, and he immediately resented me. He was a professional, and did not like me doing work there. That was  OK, so I set out to befriend him. It did take awhile, but I let him take the lead and show me what he knew. I learned some more. I don't know how long he stayed, as I left first and went away to college.

I never went back after college and marriage, but I was always grateful for what I had learned. Actually, Dr. Snow wanted me to come and bring my new baby and work there, but it was too hard. I especially enjoyed learning about diet, wholesome foods and an introduction to Yogurt-- for the first time. I made my own for years. 

Not only that, but Owen and I had a lot in common, and we had a great time talking medicine, and his duties, which were short of amazing the more I  think about it. He  too was called to do some very important things as the SL County Hospital or LDS Hospital. We all look back at the era of WW2 with awe at what we did then. It was a growing time for all of us, and we were old for our ages. 

Over the years Dr. Snow commented on how intelligent I was, and how I did so well. We all can do what we have to-- and grow with the experience.  We just need the challenge, and faith. 

 Colleen Engh Stout-- now age 87