Looking back, Kathleen (Kathy) Murphy remembers joining a “Future Nurses Club” in high school, which led her to become a candy striper at the Castlegar Hospital, a small community hospital. But that’s not the only thing that inspired her to become a nurse. Born in Port Alberni and later raised in Vancouver and Castlegar, Kathy was the first born of four children so had some experience caring for others. Following graduation, Kathy explains, “nursing school provided a residence and an education” as well as many hours of nursing service.
The Lifelong Learning of Rhonda Wigglesworth-Fafard
As soon as thirteen-year-old Rhonda Wigglesworth started volunteering as a candy striper at Yorkton Regional Hospital, she knew she wanted to become a nurse. “I observed nurses first-hand working on the pediatrics unit and the power they had to create change and provide support for a family during a stressful time. I saw nurses take the time to answer the family’s questions and the care they demonstrated. The nurses were a catalyst for taking away the family’s fear.”
The Legacy of Mary Bernadet Ratsoy, 1936 – 2009
Bernadet loved her many roles in Health Care. She also loved music, history, the theatre, and playing tennis. But first and foremost, at heart, Bernadet was a Nurse and Educator. She made a tremendous positive impact on the nursing profession at both the provincial and national level. Of all her accomplishments during her distinguished career, she was most proud of her mentorship of other nurses. Throughout many years, she received cards from nurses who felt that she helped them in some very meaningful way in their working lives. All her work was directed toward supporting nurses so that they could be better at what they did: “nurses need to be supported and need to have control over the work they do because this has a critical effect on patient care.”
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