‘Chips’ hanging up her scrubs after 50 years
Theatre nurse Barbara Chippendale remembers when she had to wash swabs so they could be reused by surgeons.
The Nelson woman began her working life in the ward at Manuka Street Hospital in 1968. She was 15, and her uniform consisted of a crisp white shirt and shorts set.
Chippendale, who is affectionately called ‘‘Chips’’ or ‘‘Chippie’’ by her colleagues, is retiring from Manuka Street Hospital next month after a 50-year nursing career.
‘‘I just love looking after people, and I made the right choice by coming here and working as a nurse,’’ she said.
After starting out at Manuka Street Hospital, Chippendale did a stint at Nelson Public Hospital, as it was then known, in the early 1970s. She took a break from work to have her two children, and in the 1980s returned to work at Manuka Street, where she has remained ever since.
‘‘I have noticed big changes,’’ she said. ‘‘When I first started working here, we used to wash the swabs and reuse them, and I used to clean the surgeon’s shoes, which doesn’t happen any more.
‘‘The surgeons in those days had to pay for their own gloves, so we used to mend them.’’
When Chippendale started in medicine, it was all open surgery, but much of that work was now done laparoscopically, she said.
Surgery had also become more complex, and the work that was once done by GPs was now delivered by anaesthetists.
She recalled that hernia patients would stay in hospital for a week to recover from surgery, but now they are gone in a couple of hours.
Chippendale said she enjoyed the diversity of theatre nursing. She has done orthopedic surgeries, ear, nose and throat surgery, and eye surgery.
She has been well known for bringing a sense of style into the hospital. An effort was always made to match her lipstick to her floral surgical scrub hat.
Making the decision to retire wasn’t easy, and Chippendale said a few tears would be shed on her last day, but she felt the time was right.
‘‘It’s a huge decision, especially when you have enjoyed your job.’’
As for retirement plans, Chippendale said she planned to spend more time with her granddaughters and had a few overseas trips planned, including a cruise in Alaska.
Manuka Street Hospital general manager Margaret Gibbs said Chippendale had been a ‘‘fantastic’’ staff member, and she wished her all the best in her retirement.
‘‘She has been a trouper, she is very reliable, and she always has a smiley face, so we have been very privileged.’’