Interview Question #6

Q: What were your limitations as a scientist or even as a person?

A: My one limitation was my gender. Very few people believed in what I was doing. Most people believed that my career should be left to men and men only. Women were already looked down upon before the Civil War. A lot of people objected to women being nurses because they should not aid to men or even see them without clothing on. Of course, women became nurses anyway. There were several occasions when people would actually say something to me about being a female nurse. I would ignore the rude comments and let the positive ones keep me going. I never let those rude comments get to me and I never let them affect my work. I kept caring for the soldiers and I watched them get better with pride. I soon realized that it doesn’t matter what gender you are but the effort you put into your work. I put in every ounce of effort I had and it paid off. I couldn’t even imagine what would’ve happened if I would have let those negative comments get to me. I know that lives would be lost and I am so glad I did what I did.