Eve Larsen (BS ‘56) is a member of the first graduating class from the BYU College of Nursing. Her legacy has inspired dozens of her family members to join the nursing profession: her younger sister Arlene, her son and daughter-in-law, her nieces and nephews, and grandchildren. At almost 91 years old, Eve is a light and inspiration for her posterity and all who know her.
We sat down with Eve and asked her some questions about her time at BYU and her nursing career to capture her memories for the generations to come! And for those who are graduating, these insights could help you in your future career.
Q: Why did you choose to attend BYU?
A: I chose it because it was church school, and I got a scholarship. I didn't know about the nursing program when I applied to BYU, and I planned to go just one year there, and then transfer to the University of Utah. But when I got down here in the middle of class one day, someone said, “How come you're not in our nursing class?” And I said, “What nursing class?” Then they told me what nursing class was about, since I didn’t know about it. So anyway, I got registered then and went to class. However, I couldn't make any sense of what they were talking about. I thought “I am the dumbest creature. I can't believe I can't even understand what they're doing there.” So anyway, come to find out I didn't get in the right class, but eventually I did and could understand it.
Q: What was your favorite class?
A: Anatomy class. I liked when we got to see where we could put the pins and tell what and where the organs were. I prided myself on knowing it for the test and I may have forgotten the next day, but I remember for a while. I was very smart and was in the top of my class.
Q: What are some of your favorite experiences you had in your classes?
A: One of the funniest things was at the state hospital we had a patient run away. She kicked my uniform and broke all the buttons. This patient was pulling my hair and wouldn’t let go. It was terrible. She ran away from me. Dean Vivian Hansen called everyone in and couldn’t believe we didn’t have more classes on how to get away from patients. We needed self-defense classes.
Q: How did learning nursing at BYU impact you spiritually?
A: I don’t think it was just nursing alone that impacted me spiritually. The programs that you could listen to, they impact you if you listen to them. The weekly devotionals can impact you besides going to the classes.
Q: Who made a strong impact on you when you were at BYU?
A: The dean, Dean Hansen. She was really good. She told me some things that no one had ever told me before, that you didn’t have to believe everything that people told you. I guess I thought everybody was right. She knew etiquette very well and I came from the farm where we didn’t have very strict etiquette.
Q: What was your first job after graduation?
A: I went to the Budge clinic in Logan. [At the time], a Dr. Warner was a surgeon that just came from medical school wanted to practice, and so they had him practice so many days a week. So I got hired to be his nurse those two days a week he was there. That worked better for me.
Q: What did you do in your career?
A: I loved nursing all the time. I hated to leave my kids to go to work, but I was in heaven. You can make it work. People I’ve met have said that they went to nursing schools and took nursing classes and they didn’t finish. They regret it. It’s just sad they couldn’t figure something out.
Q: What was a hard part of your career?
A: When you are assigned to work in the surgical facility and don’t get the patient’s background or can’t look at the charts. You’ve got to hop to it. You’ve got to do it or you are going to be way late getting to work. That was the biggest adjustment for me. Not having the time to study the chart before I saw the patient and not being able to talk to the doctor. As a nurse, you had to be on your feet a lot. I did 12-18 hours in the operating room.
Q: What do you miss from your time at BYU?
A: I miss the ball games. I watch them on the TV now, but it’s not the same. The music doesn’t sound as good. It was fun when I had a brother-in-law on the team. Herschel Pedersen was an awesome player. We had the biggest cheering section. We had the whole nursing class down there cheering him on.
Q: What do you hope BYU students now take advantage of?
A: Students should take advantage of everything you’ve got. Just try it. You’ll like it or else you will hate it.
Q: What advice would you give to nursing students now?
A: I tell them not to decide what they want to do so fast, because when you get to the end, you get so many opportunities. If you study a little bit, then you'll be able to answer better to know if you even want to try.
Q: Was there a time or a certain person that you helped as a nurse that really weighed on you or made you sad? That's one thing that we see nurses struggle with right now: the emotional toll of nursing.
A: That’s one of the hardest parts for me. I didn’t get to see too many of them have a good outcome. But every day is not like that. The good outweighs the bad, so it’s worth it.
Q: What was your favorite place that you worked?
A: I liked Primary Children’s Hospital. One of my nieces had a kidney transplant while I was there. It was fun to see her and what she went through. She had to have her kidney removed. So I told her she had to take some deep breaths. Boy, she didn't want to take those deep breaths when she had that surgery. She was a feisty one. And I said, “Well, you got to figure out a way to do this. Is there any way we can figure it out?” “No.” I said, “Well, we're going to have to tell your mother when she comes.” “Why” “Cause mothers need to know.” “Why?” Anyway, she was so funny. I did get her to agree, and she got out of bed and walked around.
Q: How did you meet your husband?
A: I met my husband Larry Larsen when I was in high school. He liked to come out to Logan and he liked to ride his bike out to the sloughs to fish. He loved BYU as much as I did. We would drive from Brigham City as ticket holders to the ball games.