Mrs. Hilda Bremner- Sept 27,1979-NursingQuestion: "when did you begin Nursing?"Answer: "Thirty-two years ago."Question: "Was that here in Digby?"Answer: "Oh, yes. In the old hospital."Question: "Do you know when that was first built?"Answer: "I can't remember, I'm sorry."Question: "Were you an R.N. when you first began?"Answer: "No, I Was a C.N.A."Question: "And what were your duties when you first started there?"Answer: "Maternity."Question: "Did you do any others or just maternity?"Answer: "No, wherever they placed me. You know, Medicine, Surgical."Question: "Did you have one shift a week?"Answer: "We took all shifts & at that time we worked 12 hours shifts."Question: "That must have been quite tiring, was it?"Answer: "Yes, it was & some of the nurses couldn't get in, therefore, I had taken the duty of 24 hours, before going off. And I walked. I had no car."Question: "and haw far was that?"Answer: "Three Miles."Question: "In the winter?"Answer: "Yes, in the winter, blizzards, storms, electrical storms."Question: "What education or training did you have?"Answer: "Grade nine. I went in Grade 10, but I didn't get it because I got sick & had to have surgery." Question: "So did you have to go in the hospital & say, do practice work first, before you began working?"Answer: "Oh, Yes.'Question: "How long was that?"Answer: "Two or three months, supervised by an R.N."Question: "By a Doctor too?"Answer: "Oh, Yes."Question: "What things did they usually look for? Did they pick up on how you were with patients, or what you knew or you personality?"Answer: "Oh, Yes. Beside manner portrayed an awful lot. I Always treated my patients the best."Question: "When you first started, do you know how many patients the hospital could hold?"Answer: "In the old hospital, it only held 24 beds."Question: "How many floors were there?"Answer: "Just the two & the X-Ray Dept, was down below."Question: "How many Doctors were there than?"Answer: "Oh, about five or six."Question: "Do you remember who they were?"Answer: "Well, at that time there was Dr.__________, who was a very old Doctor & Dr.________ from down in Weymouth. Then there was Dr.Malmors came in later & then there was Dr. McCleave of course. Dr. McCleave was the head of staff of the hospital."Question: "Were there any ambulance there when you first began Nursing?"Answer: "The odd one they could call in, you know."Question: "Was there & emergency centre than or & out-patients?"Answer: "No. You always take them in where X-ray was or something like that."Question: "What were of the major improvements in your duties in the hospital throughout the years?"Answer: "Well, I Had many improvements as far as things like medications & drugs that have come out since which is amazing to think what we use to have to do with, up to this time now, is really wonderful. It's hard to believe, the things they to today, the medications they give that can help people. I find it wonderful."Question: "What about the shifts? Did you ever get on the 8 hour shift?"Answer: "Oh, Yes. In the new hospital."Question: "Did you like them?"Answer: " They day we moved over form old hospital to new one, I helped move them. We moved the beds & everything & our patients right in the beds. Those who couldn't go in wheelchairs & those who could walk, and we took them through the old hospital, up the ramp, took them in the elevator & took them it to the new hospital. That was a very hard day. All our legs were some tried. When we moved into the new hospital we had a mother in labour & we tried to rush her up ramp, through the hospital, on the elevator to the case room, where she delivered & Mr.Warner was with us. He was the nurse, Dr.Lewis & myself, but we got her in there just in time when the baby was born."Question: "Why did they not leave her in the old hospital if she was in labour?"Answer: "Dr.Lewis wanted this first baby in the new hospital, and this is why we just ran."Question: "Do you remember when the new hospital was built?"Answer: "It must have been 14 or 15 year age."Question: "How many nurses would there be on the one shift?"Answer: "In the old hospital, there'd probably be two on each shift, especially night shift. You know, many times there were storms & no one could get in, & then there'd be one downstairs & one upstairs."Question: "Is there still a nurses' & Doctors' residence there?"Answer: "No, there isn't, not now.Question: "what were you're uniforms like in the beginning?"Answer: "They were just plain white uniforms."Question: "Did they have to be starched?"Answer: "Oh, Yes."Question: "Were the hats the same as they are now?"Answer: "No, they were different. They were little tiny ones. Of course, there'd be other hospitals with different caps."Question: "Now were the dresses always below the knee?"Answer: "Oh, Yes, absolutely."Question: "When did you become an R.N.?"Answer: "I didn't. No, I went & wrote my C.N.A.'S. It was during the was, when nurse's were very scarce because so many had signed up already. So they took us in & trained us & if anyone was smart you'd pick up very quickly. I had no problems at all."Question: "Did you have to write tests or exams?"Answer: "I did later."Question: "And that was your C.N.A.'S?"Answer: "Yes."Question: "Were they difficult?"Answer: "No, Just common sense. Not if you had been around the patients & the hospital."Question: "Do you think the hospital was large enough for the size of the population than? Did you find it over crowed?Answer: "We were over crowed. Oh, Yes. Especially if someone came in for an emergency. There were people in the corridor, but it couldn't be helped."Question: "What about the maternity? Was that usually pretty well full?"Answer: "Oh, Yes. Because, when I first nursed many of the mothers had their babies in the home, you see, then of course it came to the time when the Doctors would them to come to the hospital to have their babies, which was much nicer."Question: "Did you ever deliver a baby outside the hospital?"Answer: "Yes, I did. In a car. The Doctor called & he said, is Bremner on duty, and could I speak to her?" He said, I'm coming in with a maternity case but there's no hurry." Her husband brought her in & when I got down to the hospital doors there was no time to get her on a stretcher & up to the case room, therefore, I had other nurses that were standing, but it was such a little car the big nurse couldn't get in, so I had to get in & get warm & deliver the baby in the back seat."Question: "You must have been proud though, to deliver a baby in the back seat?"Answer: "Oh, Yes. We sat there & wrapped the baby up & listened to it cry."Question: "Then I suppose they were rushed up to maternity?"Answer: "yes, they brought a stretcher down & we got her up to the Case room to do the rst of the work." Question: "Were there any common illnesses than? What seemed to be the most common illness than?"Answer: "No, well, there was a lot of pneumonia in these days, which are treated today with penicillin & antibiotics which subsides it, but we didn't have these. Accidents were very common."Question: "Can you think of any special machines that you would have used when you first started nursing? What about an incubator?"Answer: "Well, this man. People would probably laugh if they heard this, but this man, Paul Vidito, who was our janitor in the old hospital. We had no incubator in those days, & he made a long box & it was slanted like, and he out glass in the top of it& I think it was a 60 watt bulb stuck in the bottom of it & that's how we'd keep our premature babies, in that." Question: "Did you have oxygen hooked up to it?"Answer: "No, But there'd be a way if you needed it, that you could use it. They use wheel around the oxygen tanks, & all had to do was plug it in & turn it on, either by mask or whatever, of course the babies, you would get the tanks to the nursery, wheel them in & you could give oxygen to the babies. You could pipe it in to the box. That was a real old handmade one. It was the first start of an incubator. Now we have incubators, nice big ones with oxygen, all well equipped."Question: "Do you remember any other instruments that really seemed to stand out? The stretchers, were they always the same?"Answer: "Yes, they were too bug really but some were smaller."Question: "What about the Doctors?"Answer: "The poor Doctors. They were going night & day. When we called them in, they never ever let us down. They were wonderful. They'd always help us & tell us what to do, what would be the best way for the patients sake, they were all very lovely Dr.__________. He was the surgeon, you see."Question: "Was he the only surgeon?"Answer: "He was the only surgeon than, yes."Question: "What floor of the hospital did you like the most?"Answer: "Oh, maternity. I loved the case room. I loved to watch the mothers, I watched them in labour, I'd take them to the case room & be with them while the babies were being born, & I loved the nursery too. I loved the little babies."Question: "Did you ever get to go in to the operating room?"Answer: "Oh, Yes. They'd come & ask me if I'd go in, when there was an emergency or they were short & I would circulate around the hospital. Float they called it."Question: "And what did you do in there?"Answer: They'd ask for different things, instruments and so on. Then if there was mother having a section when I was on duty, I'd go in to the O.R. I'd have to watch the baby very closely. Make sure that pink colour came in his face, put drops in it's eyes right away to prevent blindness."Question: "How many patients would the new hospital hold?"Answer: "Well. it's suppose to be a 95 bed hospital.'Question: "It has, what, four floor."Answer: "Well, if you count from the X-ray Dept. up. Yes it would be four I guess. They also have the lad & the morgue on what they call the ground floor."Question: "Now I suppose, back than, they didn't have such things as physiotherapists & so on?"Answer: "No."Question: "Well, I can't think of any other questions. Is there anything that you can think of that might have happened?"Answer: One time I was needed very much on the maternity floor & the roads were all blocked & I couldn't get there, but I said if there was a way, I would get there. Then I thought of Herbie Deley & he had his ski-doo & he took me all the way to the hospital, through fields & everything. I've never been so scared in all my life. I was scared to death. First ski-doo ride I've ever had, but I hung on with tears running down my face & the wind was blowing. It was a blizzard, but Herbie got me there safe & sound. I guess you've got to be on your toes & you don't dare say no if there is any way you can get there. One time I was called out & the snowplow had take me in to a house which would be Mrs. Wongs & the snowplow was ahead of us plowing & I Took her in to the hospital. We were only there ½ hour before her baby was born. I've had an awful lot of experiences. Then there were some cases that were sad & would make you cry but I'd keep up. These are some of the things you have to expect when you chose a nursing career.