baker: training was tough, but veteran nurses would do it all over again
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plummer hospital nursing graduates who recently reunited include: (seated on rock, left to right) arlene kent-wilkinson, (kent), shirley hale (cowan), lise hodges (lachance). standing (left to right) nancy mundell (fullerton), janice dool (smith), marlene nose’, (sheppard), janice love (watson), bonnie pellow, (cappellani), monica perugini, (ramsauer), barb agonis, (hellberg), greta bradley, (kerr), bonnie lyons (avery), jackie halford (woolridge).
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memories from hospital-based diploma schools of nursing, which had begun closing in the early 1970s to transition to colleges in ontario, remain vibrant in the lives and minds of their graduates.
they graduated, wrote their registration exams with the college of nurses of ontario and, once successful, became practising registered nurses.
their careers touched patients in all aspects of health care, as these grads inherently possessed the factual stories to back that up. these reflections opened windows of clarity into the training and careers they had signed up for to earn the privilege to practice.
they are both heartwarming and revealing. rewards for their patient care and skill were ongoing, but so were the challenges of time management and workload.
“to ensure we got exposed to a wide variety diagnosis and treatment protocols, we went to sick kids in toronto, north bay psychiatric hospital and toronto’s st. margarets cancer centre. we did two months on the wards there gaining a wider view of each of those specialties,” said barb agonis in an email.
but one aspect agonis finds concerning in health care today is the heavy use of disposable patient care supplies, which creates much waste.
“when we trained, and for many years after, most supplies were made of glass. intravenous bottles, glass syringes, chest tube and tur bottles were glass,” agonis said. “operating room sheets, dressing tray covers, operating room gowns and masks were made of cloth not paper.
all through training and well into her career equipment and instruments were stainless steel, not plastic. dishes and cutlery were glass, not plastic. hospitals were able to clean and sterilize everything because they had onsite kitchen, laundry and a central supply room or central sterile room (csr) to accommodate this, as well as the trained staff.
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the transition to disposable equipment and supplies was adapted over time possibly for economic or time. even so, there’s still a lot of expensive equipment that must be cleaned and maintained by trained staff. but the observation is not just isolated to health care. we live in a throw away society which was not the case when these young ladies entered nursing school in 1968.
agonis goes on to say that nurses training in that era was demanding and immersive. students studied rigorous courses in nursing theory, which referred to the foundational concepts and ethical principles of how and why nurses provide care in an array of complicated circumstances.
they had to travel for specialized placements and worked full-time rotations on all shifts throughout the hospital.
during the recent plummer memorial public hospital school of nursing’s 55th reunion and gathering, agonis said she and her classmates “reminisced about shared experiences, lifelong friendships and how the profession has evolved over the decades. conversations reflected on changes in health care, unionization, medical specialization and modern nursing education.”
so, when the ontario government mandated the move of hospital-based diploma schools of nursing to colleges of applied arts and technology in 1973, the responsibility for nursing education was transferred to the ontario ministry of colleges and universities.
the evolution in nursing education evolved from “changing technology; increased patient complexity and acuity; increased responsibility and accountability for rns; changes in scopes of practice; changes in health care delivery; and particular requirements for specialized care.” (health canada. office of nursing policy. november 2006).
by the late 1990s, most provinces had announced a four-year bachelor of science in nursing (bscn) would be the requirement for entry into the practice of nursing. (health canada. office of nursing policy. november 2006).
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these proud grads of the plummer memorial public hospital school of nursing worked their entire careers through the anticipated changes to their beloved profession.
they did this because the educational foundation they had built their careers on was a thorough, closely supervised, exciting and complete nursing education which continued for as long as they worked.
but every bit as important are the half-century relationships, which have grown for over 55 years, and janice watson love summed it up in an email.
“i just wanted to mention it is so wonderful that 55 years later we still have such a strong friendship. when we meet every few years, we carry on our conversations like there has been no time interruption.”
the one thing that was very evident throughout the reunion and gathering was the camaraderie.
they came, they gathered and they remembered, and were able to add more memories to their chapters of stories. these grads are acutely aware that as they age, future gatherings will become vital to their collective and individual identities.
then the inevitable question arises: “if we had the opportunity to do it all again would we have gone into nursing?”
arlene kent-wilkinson responded unequivocally; “yes, we all said that we would. those were a great three years together; we grew up in residence and that bond will last forever.”
she agrees that nursing has provided so many different opportunities for all of them as well as those many adventures. her memory recalls the summer of 1969 when some friends asked her if she wanted to accompany them to a music concert in upstate new york.
“i said no as i had an exam the following monday and had to study. the concert turned out to be woodstock. not sure if it was a missed opportunity or a blessing in disguise.”
it was both, as dr. arlene kent-wilkinson still works in health care as a professor at the college of nursing, university of saskatchewan, in saskatoon.
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the plummer memorial public hospital school of nursing trained students with classroom lectures followed by rotations of shifts on units throughout the hospital.
“it was intense training with accountability, critical thinking to make sound grounded decisions, to question and double check, acknowledge your mistakes, learn from them. always listen carefully to your patients and do what is morally and ethically right,” said marlene sheppard nose’ in an email.
nose’, another attendee of the gathering, worked a 45-year career that began in the hospital’s coronary care unit. this led to a role in community health nursing and administration, then on to health canada as a director of a national home and community care program for first nations and inuit.
“not only did we develop the technical skills to master tasks and procedures, but a holistic approach to patient care was also strongly emphasized. compassion, empathy, caring and ethical practices were key aspects of our nursing education.”
she describes this reunion as a testament to “our everlasting friendship and bonds as we easily picked up where we left off. our few days together brought laughter, fond memories and thoughts for those who are no longer with us.”
one reunion attendee, who did not wish to be named, expressed a profound sense of trust she had with her nursing classmates during training at the plummer.
she had soon realized the basic nursing skills they had learned taught her about the humanity of health care, while giving her the courage and confidence to make nursing her lifelong career for almost 40 years.
she and her classmates spent their third year working full-time on the wards and explained how they all had the same goal in mind; to treat their patients with respect and dignity.
“we also respected our mentors and managers as a team, while supporting each other through the good and difficult times. but over the years the humanity was taken out of nursing and health care overall.”
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she believes when you take that away, nursing and health care become an “industry” and patients become a “file” in a computer. although technology is the way of the world, that may be good in some ways.
“but technology can’t observe, give comfort or listen and the human aspect fades.”
patricia baker is a sault star district correspondent, columnist and retired sault area hospital nurse
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