<Begin Segment 15>

[Ed. note: This transcript has been edited by the narrator]

TI: So we're talking, so when you were still going to school, you were doing, sort of, this part-time work in Community Activities?

SA: I think it was part-time. I have to check with (Irene), but because I know when (...) I graduated, (...) in that short time when I was still (in camp), that's when I (became) a nurse's aide, and that was a full-time (job), evidently, according to that pay form I received, it said full-time (for) sixteen dollars (a month), that's pretty good.

TI: So how did you get involved being a nurse's aide? What made you decide to do that?

SA: Well, I think (...) because Irene always wanted to be a nurse, that was fine, but I never did. As I said, I wanted to go in art and I knew I could never get there, art school (tuition) being what it is. But (nursing), it's a practical skill, and since Father Tibesar said, "There's this cadet nursing (school) that's free tuition, and it'll give you a little allowance," it sounded great to me. But again, I'm going ahead of myself, but it was a good experience for me, I know, going (to) work in the camp hospital, because I saw my first delivery. And when I talk about the (medicine) trays, that's how we were giving out meds, but we didn't do it. There were two nurses, Caucasian, and they passed (out the medication). And I think maybe Teru Uno was the main (Nisei) nurse. She was excellent, when I think of all the things she did, she helped with the surgeries, and she's the one asked me if I wanted to see this autopsy. It was really something that I was amazed at because it was hot in the room, of course you know it's not the best smell in the world, but I'm glad I saw it because I could never have seen it in a nursing school 'cause they don't show you that part. So I was glad I had seen one, now I know what they're talking about (when they say autopsies).

TI: And I think you said earlier you thought the medical care was quite good?

SA: I thought for the (time)-- well, of course, it's not excellent because, well, there just wasn't the materials, they didn't get, I'm sure the doctors didn't get the medication they wanted. And I know they (didn't have surgical rooms like they needed) -- I shouldn't even talk about this part -- but there was a circumcision done in one of the (wards), on an adult. So then they had these little curtains around, well, not curtains, it was these movable things because you can put (them) around the bed. And they did it there. Of course, the doctor, whoever it was, did it there. And then we had an isolation ward, and again, it's hard to isolate in a place like that, but we did have an isolation ward. So we must have had some tubercular cases and things of (other diseases).

<End Segment 15> - Copyright © 2008 Densho. All Rights Reserved.