On the path to progress

Nurse Desgroseillers-Ménard, who graduated as a nurse in 1958, recalls that female students had two loyal companions: Oscar, the skeleton used for demonstrations of the bone system, and Philomène, the dummy sacrificed at the hands of students during practical courses.

In the 1950s, the hospital instituted a truly forward-looking policy, the gradual modernization of all its equipment and the transfer of care to health professionals, which was previously provided by nuns. When the Société médicale de Montréal chose Saint-Joseph Hospital as the venue for its 1955 annual meeting, this official recognition of Saint-Joseph’s high standards of scientific quality boosted the establishment to the ranks of major city hospitals. This standing was underscored by the many accreditations the hospital would subsequently receive.

A bedside nursing course.