07/13/2026
How I Became A Psychiatric Norse.
By
(Mrs.) Dorothy Calvert
Dad didn't want to spend another winter on the farm. He want to live in town and curl all winter like the other fellows. That meant disposing of the cattle. Since I was the one who did all the shoveling it was necessary for me to find a job commensurate with my talents. Thus I decided to apply at the Saskatchewan Hospital.
The family bowed to the inevitable. Father went to town with his broom and I to North Battleford with my shovel. In North Battleford I was directed to a bowling alley and told to watch for the bus. I stood on the west side and was nearly blown across the street. So I moved to the north side and in moving knocked down four high school girls loaded with school books, two old ladies with shopping bags and one very angry Mountie with an armful of parking ticket stubs before I tumbled to a stop in front of a taxi. I must add that as time went on I was able to withstand the buffetings of the windy corner.
I arrived at the Saskatchewan Hospital on a clear spring morning. The breeze blowing off the mighty Saskatchewan River was cool and bracing. The trees waved their newly grown, green fingers in the soft currents of air myriad bird's song. In a pleasant dream I floated up the stair, down a rather dark, many doored corridor, where heels briskly tapped and white-gowned ladies opened doors and with grim faces passed through another dark door. At the end of the hall was a little cubicle marked INFORMATION. I stretched up and looked in (now, I'm not exactly a little girl and was well known for my long-handed abilities in our district, but even for me it was quite a stretch). A pleasant faced woman busily working a switchboard paused long enough to say that I was expected, that someone would come for me, and that I should be seated.
As I had already corresponded with Personnel the next stop was taking the physical examination. A rather harried looking nurse came out of the door on my right and called my name. I shouldered my shovel and followed her bravely down the corridor, the final click of the locked door still ringing in my ears.
I was very fortunate to have this particular nurse as my guide as she threw out interesting bits of information over her shoulder as we walked. "These are the head-nurses' offices; never pass here unless absolutely necessary. If no other way is open tip-toe through as quickly and quietly as possible". "This is 1A, Admission, -- busy place - I should be writing progress notes". By then we were at a door to a small room (locked, of course), "always lock every door behind you. Take your clothes off and put on this gown - sorry, short of laundry, no gown -- oh well, you'll only have to take it off anyway; just lie under the sheet". With a final, "The Doctor will be right in", she left me. I disrobed quickly and slipped onto the bed under the seemingly inadequate sheet. It became very warm. I decided to open the window. Suddenly, just as I was draped in the sheet and stumbling across to the window, a deep male voice sounded at the door. It opened to let in the Doctor. "Lie down please", came a deep voice with a pleasing accent. Blushing all over, I complied. T.P.R., blood pressure, height, weight, and coloring taken and noted in triplicate. Then the questions: "mumps?, measles?, insanity in the family?, hear voices?" The nurse broke in, "This is a new staff member. Doctor". He glanced at his watch, "must go, be back in a few minutes". The harried nurse changed the forms on the table and
passed out more information. "You'll be taking lectures, only one thing to remember in nursing, close the window, screen the patient, explain the procedure". "Only one thing to remeber in Psychiatry - everything is s*x". "The Doctors are all pretty good, head nurses are O.K., keep out from under their feet, don't ask questions, by busy when they come around. The supervisors are too busy to do more than tell you what to do; the ones to watch out for are those in your class that are senior to you, they'll ride H ... out of you"
Just then another Doctor entered and began the same procedure as the first; "stand on the scales". I stumbled over with my draped sheet clutched under my arms for anchorage. "Raise your arms while I test your reflexes." (Dropped sheet - blushed all over i looked frantically for a means of escape. Neither the Doctor or the nurse are interested in my shape - which isn't that bad. End of that ordeal then to get fitted for uniforms. My harried nurse again was my guide through miles of corridor. My feet ached. "You'll get used to it. By the way, the Big Shots have heard of your prowess. You are being sent directly to Irrigation C. You won't even know you left home".
I was forced into a prison-stripe blue sack which didn't meet in front. "Bib and apron will cover it - economy, you know." The collars were rough. "You'll get. used to it. You'll get your cap anywhere from 4 months to a year. For the capping ceremony you enter the basement office, dig in the box on your left; your name will be on it. Send it to the laundry three or four times and then you’ll feel you're really IN" Then keys. "Don't forget your number, don't lose them. The white Buddha's collect them and dispense them at the beginning and end of the shifts.
Then to the pay office. Sign the Master's and Servant's Act. "You can't quit without notice, but they can fire you. If you obey all the rules, take time off for celebration, but not on sick leave, don't gossip, keep your room tidy, act independent always act busy when the Big Shots are around, smile at all the Senior Staff (I was getting used to the Staff being spoken of in capital letters) you will get an advance cheque in from two to six months".
Well other than not being able to locate the "pole" the patients climbed up, I got through the preliminaries and was ready to start my career as a Psychiatric nurse.
