Author delves into evolution of nursing in Medicine Hat
It’s a book that registers the pulse of nurses training in the 1960s, and how those skills were applied and adapted in Medicine Hat to a career spanning several decades.
Nurse’s Notes of Then and Now, by local author Pat Ferguson Meek, revisits an era when registered nurses were paid $15 a month and they did not discuss the patient’s medical status with them. Today there is an obligation to be more open with patients, empowering them to participate in their own treatment and care, said Meek.
There used to be a fearsome hierarchy with doctors at the very top. Nurses were expected to stand up when a physician entered the room, said Meek.
Nurse’s Notes of Then and Now is written in the present tense. Meek says that was not a deliberate strategy it just happens to be the tense she prefers. The feedback she’s received is that it puts the reader in the moment too — reliving events.
Personal challenges such as giving birth to a family and raising children, some of the time as a single parent, shows a somewhat rigid profession that created challenges but has evolved over time.
Some of her final years at Medicine Hat Regional Hospital were in the Dan McCharles Auxiliary wing, which was demolished to make way for the recent expansion of the hospital. It was home to many seniors with considerable health challenges. It was a department where being familiar with a patient’s background played a very important part in understanding their care needs.
“I’m proud of what we did there,” said Meek.
She had not aspired to be a nursing instructor but when the circumstances were right and there was an opening at Medicine Hat College, she reached for it. She was asked during an interview for the job why she thought she could teach. There was no lofty promise, just a wealth of practical experience she would be able to impart to students. It took her career full circle.
Ultimately, Meek returned to the classroom to upgrade her qualifications.
A glimpse into the future role of RNs has Meek suggesting they will fulfil a role of skilled community nurses in home care and as nurse practitioners in doctors’ offices.
Nurse’s Notes of Then and Now can be purchased locally for $20 at MacKenzie Drugs on North Railway Street, the gift shop in Medicine Hat Regional Hospital, and the book store at Medicine Hat College.