Museum London has been hard at work on an exhibit set to be unveiled Feb. 1st.
“100 Years of Nursing Education in London” is an homage to Western University’s nursing program and its 100th anniversary.
Amber Lloydlangston is a curator at Museum London. She says she was able to work with Fanshawe, Western, and Victoria Hospital to put together a story of London’s intimate history with nursing education.
“It began all the way back in 1883. That’s when Victoria Hospital’s School of Nursing was established. It was followed in 1981 when St. Joseph’s Hospital established theirs. And then in 1902 actually, the London Insane Asylum established a nursing course as well, which was pretty cool.”
That’s when Western came in.
“After the first world war after Spanish influenza after a number of public health crises that were ongoing, the Canadian Red Cross agreed to fund programs in public health,” she told XFM News. “And so in 1920, Western actually launched its first certificate in public health nursing course. And that is, of course, the anniversary we’re celebrating this year.”
Lloydlangston also expressed to XFM News how important the public’s perception of nurses is.
“I can’t think of anybody who could possibly have gone through their life and never received care from a nurse,” she said. “Understanding the education that nurses have received in the past and are receiving now is bound to increase the respect that we already have for individuals in that profession.”
We LOVE nurses! We’re celebrating 100 years of nursing education at Western University with an exhibition #ldnont ! Join us for the free & public Opening Reception for this exhibition, “Realisms”, and “Dean Carson” this Sunday from 2 to 4pm https://t.co/o6OkLHDdfk pic.twitter.com/MfJ6EW6QUG
— Museum London (@MuseumLondon) January 31, 2020
She went on to explain that her appreciation for nurses has only grown thanks to the research she did to put the exhibit together.
“They are amazing and their dedication to their profession is absolutely astounding,” she said.
London’s history with nursing is more complex than meets the eye. Lloydlangston explained that, while the catalyst for curating the exhibition was 100 years of nursing at Western, she couldn’t have possibly focussed solely on Western.
Fanshawe and Western both have a place in the exhibit // Alessio Donnini, XFM News
“At one point, the Bachelor of Science and Nursing Education was a non-integrated program, which means student nurses attended Western for a certain period of time. And then went to Victoria Hospital’s nursing school.”
Even Fanshawe college is tightly woven into the intricate story.
“Western and Fanshawe offer a joint nursing program. Students can enroll at either Fanshawe or Western and get a Bachelor of Science in Nursing,” she said. “This program was really crucial to share if you’re going to talk about the history of nursing education in London.”
100 Years of Nursing in London opens to the public Feb. 1st, 2020. On Feb. 2, you can find Lloydlangston at the exhibit giving a guided tour.
