As a graduate of McGill University’s first class of the B.Sc.N. program in the spring of 1961, I am sharing some of my life experiences. In the nineteen fifties, having a “good” undergraduate program in my home city of Montreal appeared to my parents and me, my best option after high school. So, at age 17 in 1956, I started in a general science program for my first year as the new five year nursing program was still in the planning stage with Dr. Rae Chittick and Ms. Moyra Allen in the helm. Later on it was Moyra Allen who taught us nursing throughout our program beginning in the summer of 1957 until we graduated in May of 1961. By graduation we were down to 5 young women students and immediately after our McGill exams that spring we wrote our “RN” exams enabling us to register and practice in the province of Quebec. I mention “women” as nurses, for at that time men were not allowed by law to practice as registered nurses, even if they were certified elsewhere.
The B.Sc.N. program at the time was 5 years long and for the first four years we had an intense practical experience from late May until late July. I vividly remember some of our experiences at the Montreal Children’s Hospital and the Verdun Psychiatric and Allen Memorial Hospitals during the summers.
The first class started off with 8 students but by 1961 we were 5. During the normal McGill school year much of the time we lived either at home or in residence. In our last year Eleanor, one of my classmates was president of the women’s residence; she lived there. As well as gaining a career, we each explored a wide variety of undergraduate courses. In many ways we were different from other hospital trained nursing students in Montreal. The University of Toronto had a B.Sc.N. program for years while McGill had the B.N. program long before our B.Sc.N. program. We also looked different in our royal blue uniform, brown oxfords and nylons and the white “cupcake” cap. The uniform was chosen as it could be used both inside health facilities as well in the community in public health settings. It was practical but not well liked by the students. In my last year, I became a member of the Red Wing Society.
Immediately after graduation I headed off to Sierra Leone in West Africa with 9 other Canadians as part of Operation Crossroads Africa returning that fall to work at the Montreal General Hospital where I stayed for 2 years. To get my British “SRN” designation I needed to make up some clinical hours in medicine, surgery and pediatrics after which I ventured off to work in University of the West Indies Hospital in Kingston, Jamaica. I stayed there a year, returning to Montreal and the position of Director of Nursing at the Julius Richardson Convalescent Hospital.
My career and in fact my whole life is greatly appreciative of my 5 years at McGill. It was then supplemented by experiences in Boston at Boston University’s Master’s program in Rehabilitation Nursing. It is interesting. My Father, Frederick Marshall, an osteopath in Montreal (who passed away suddenly in 1959 during my clinical experience at the Montreal Children’s Hospital) wanted me to go into physiotherapy. Instead I chose nursing and after working in long-term care in Montreal, I pursued further education in “rehab nursing” with preparation in both education and administration. Boston University had a close connection with Rancho Los Amigos in the Los Angeles area and they offered me work there. I looked at what they were doing but instead returned to Canada and the University of Toronto to teach rehabilitation nursing to all levels of students as well as in a month long post-grad rehab nursing program.
I stayed at the University of Toronto for 2 years and then was recruited by the Chedoke McMaster Centre’s Rehab Service. There, we specialized in the care of persons with spinal cord injury, cerebral vascular injuries, arthritis and psychiatric problems. It was after my first year in Hamilton I married Michael Straka and moved back to Toronto, commuting daily for another year. It was an exciting time as McMaster University was planning their new McMaster University Health Centre.
My next career move took me to what soon became the Ontario Ministry of Health where I stayed in total for 11 years in 2 different positions. For the first 5 years I was Senior Nursing Consultant in the area of “Chronic Care Program Development” helping most of the Ontario community hospitals care for their chronic care patients differently than they did their acute care patients. That position took me to most communities that had hospitals in Ontario. My second five years was as Senior Nursing Consultant in Primary Care responsible for the single nursing stations in the more remote (underserviced area) communities served by the Ontario Ministry of Health. To assume that role I upgraded through the University of Toronto as a Nurse Practitioner. In this role I was “on the road again” juggling schedules with my husband, as I visited places like Pickle Lake, Dubreuilville, Nakina and Beardmore. By 1981 my husband and I had 2 sons who needed me closer to home, so I left the Ministry for the 784 bed Riverdale Hospital in Toronto as Vice-President, Patient Care Services. I felt very much at home with our 19 nursing units and a staff of over 1000 persons. It was at The Riverdale that we sponsored a part-time course at the Hospital with George Brown Community College to upgrade all untrained nursing staff members to the Registered Nursing Assistant level.
Unfortunately for my 2 sons and myself, my husband passed away in 1986 after being ill for just 6 months with cancer. I loved my work at the Riverdale but felt that I wanted to move to a smaller community. After a search and about one year, I chose Peterborough, a community my father had grown up in and where I went as a child to camp. I did not have work but knew that with a hospital, a university and a community college, a position could be found. After 6 months and 3 interviews I ended up in long-term care as the Administrator (CEO) of Fairhaven Home, the 253 bed long-term care municipal facility. In my 8 years at Fairhaven we retrofitted the building for safety, established a second special care unit and overtime assumed care for heavier care patients. Being municipally owned by both Peterborough City and County, the Home’s pension plan offered an early retirement in 1995; I decided to take it.
Over the years, both in employment and now in retirement, many opportunities have presented themselves. In 1991 I joined Rotary International, a world-wide service club which has given me numerous near and far volunteer service opportunities. I have been on several wheelchair distributions and lead teams to Jamaica, El Salvador and Ecuador. I also went to India as part of a Polio Immunization team and to South Africa, Swaziland and Haiti where we assisted in the setting up of libraries, a water treatment system and distributed needed school supplies. Closer to home I have been Rotary District 7010 Governor, worked on a number of community projects and have chaired a number of health related Boards (including the board of the Peterborough Regional Health Centre). This summer Peterborough inducted me into the “Pathway of Fame”.
Much of what has now happened in my 80 years of life was developed, nurtured and supported by what I learned in my 5 years associated with McGill and in particular the faculty of Nursing at Beatty Hall. If you require any photos or some more detailed information, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me.
Most Sincerely,