Prepared to Care: Nurses and Nursing in Alberta, 1859-1996

Ian W. Toal is a registered nurse in Barrie, Ontario.

Prepared to Care is an exceptional overview of the history of nursing in
Canada. Meticulously researched, clearly written, and very readable, the
book looks at the origins of nursing in Alberta, considers the role of
nurses in the establishment of the hospital and public health-care
systems, and examines the history of nursing education and the union
movement. One of the study’s most persistent themes is the lack of
recognition accorded nurses. For many years, women were expected to
shoulder the burden of care for the public good (nursing students were
used by hospitals as unpaid labor for decades) without a guarantee of a
decent wage or standard of living. Given such a history, it is not
surprising that nurses today are being particularly hard hit by cutbacks
in the health-care system. Prepared to Care should be read by nurses and
laypersons alike.