Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

1956

Date Range To

1959

Materials

COTTON, VELVET, PLASTIC

No. Pieces

7

Height

0.9

Length

18.1

Width

36.5

Description

CAP WITH BLACK BAND ATTACHED BY TWO BLACK PINS WITH WHITE CLASPS, BOBBY PIN INSERTED THROUGH TWO HOLES AT CENTRE - 7 PIECES. 1. CAP, WHITE COTTON, HEAVY STARCH. FRONT FLAP IS FOLDED. YELLOW STAINS ALONG CREASE. BACK OF CAP HAS TWO ANGLED SIDES THAT COME TO A POINT, ABOVE THAT ARE TWO CURVED SIDES THAT REACH THE TOP STRAIGHT SIDE. REVERSE TOP OF CAP HAS TWO WHITE PEGS PIERCED THROUGH TWO HOLES, PEGS FASTEN AT TWO ADDITIONAL HOLES ON EITHER SIDE OF CAP. REVERSE MARKED, “THE CANADIAN NURSE’S… P.Q.” 36.5 CM WIDE BY 18.1 CM LONG BY 0.9 CM HIGH (LYING FLAT) 2. BOBBY PIN, WHITE. 5.0 CM LONG BY 0.1 CM WIDE BY 0.4 CM DEEP. 3. BAND, VELVET, BLACK, ENDS FOLDED OVER. 36.0 CM LONG BY 1.6 CM WIDE. 4. PINS, PAIR. BLACK PLASTIC AND METAL WITH WHITE PLASTIC CLOSURE. DEPICTS CADUCEUS IN GOLD. GOLD FADED AT TIPS OF WINGS AND BASE OF STAFF ON BOTH PINS. 0.9 CM IN DIAMETER BY 1.1 CM HIGH

Subjects

CLOTHING-HEADWEAR

Historical Association

EDUCATION

HEALTH SERVICES

History

ACCORDING TO THE DONOR PATRICIA SASSA (NEE OKUTAKE) AT THE TIME OF THE DONATION, SHE ATTENDED THE "GALT SCHOOL OF NURSING" IN LETHBRIDGE, AB FROM 1956-1959. AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF THEIR TRAINING, STUDENT NURSES WERE PLACED UNDER A PROBATIONARY PERIOD OF THREE MONTHS. "PROBIE" STUDENTS HAD FEWER PRIVILEGES THAN REGULAR NURSING STUDENTS, FOR EXAMPLE THEY DID NOT RECIEVE WAGES. SASSA SAID, THE PROBATIONARY PERIOD "ALLOWED US TO WEAR OUR BLUE DRESSES WITH DETACHED WHITE COLLAR AND CUFFS WITH OUR APRONS ONLY. OUR ACCESSORIES OF BLACK SHOES AND STOCKINGS HAD TO BE PURCHASED BY EACH STUDENT." AFTER THAT YOUNG NURSES HAD TO UNDERGO A SET OF PRELIMINARY EXAMS. AFTER THEY HAD PASSED THEIR EXAMS SHE SAID, "WE RECIEVED OUR BIBS AND CAP TO COMPLETE OUR STUDENT UNIFORMS AND WE HAD A CANDLE LIGHTING CEREMONY. THIS CEREMONY INDICATED OUR COMMITMENT FOR THE REMAINING YEARS UNTIL OUR GRADUATION. WE ALSO RECIEVED OUR FIRST PAIR OF BANDAGE SCISSORS." SASSA SAID "WE WORE OUR BLACK BAND (THE BLACK BAND ON THE CAP DESIGNATES THE NURSE AS AN R. N.) AND CAPS FOR MANY YEARS AFTER WE GRADUATED. THEY WERE PART OF OUR DRESS. IN THE RECENT YEARS WHEN THE NURSING PROGRAM BECAME COLLEGE BASED, THEIR GRADUATES DID NOT WEAR CAPS AND GRADUALLY THE YOUNGER NURSES OF OUR ERA PUT THEIR CAPS AWAY AS WELL. THAT WAS A SAD TRANSITION FOR US 'OLDIES.'" SEE P20090023001 FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE GALT SCHOOL OF NURSING. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR MORE INFORMATION. ________________________________________ UPDATE: THE RESEARCH BELOW WAS GENERATED IN CONSULTATION WITH GALT DONOR AND G.S.N. NURSE PAT SASSA AS PART OF A RECENT ACQUISITIONS EXHIBIT IN 2011. LAMPS WERE GIVEN TO THE SCHOOL’S NURSING STUDENTS AS PART OF ITS ANNUAL CANDLE LIGHTING CEREMONY. THE EVENT WAS HELD TO COMMEMORATE THE COMPLETION OF ITS FIRST YEAR STUDENTS’ PROBATIONARY PERIOD. IN ADDITION TO THE LAMP’S PRESENTATION, STUDENT NURSES EARNED THE RIGHT TO WEAR A CAP AND BIB AS PART OF THEIR UNIFORM UPON THE COMPLETION OF THEIR PROBATION.

Catalogue Number

P20090023015

Acquisition Date

2009-06

Collection

Museum

Less detail