Local nurse wraps up 48-year career at Ross Memorial Hospital
The Ross Memorial Hospital had been serving the community for three quarters of a century when Wendy Kane began her nursing career 48 years ago. Still vivid in the minds of local residents were some of the 20th century’s most dramatic healthcare crises and breakthroughs. Septuagenarians entering the RMH for care in 1977 no doubt recalled with a shudder the influenza epidemic of 1918, while patients in their twenties and thirties might have had vague recollections of the much-anticipated polio vaccine that made headlines two decades before.
And the RMH itself was expanding: the old facility in which Kane had been born disappeared from the landscape not long before she donned her nurse’s uniform for the first time.
“My grandmother was a midwife in Bancroft, and later went to train as a nurse in Scotland,” Kane tells Kawartha Lakes Weekly. “I think she was my inspiration, because my dad always wanted me to become a nurse and follow in her footsteps.”
Over the years, Kane has witnessed a significant number of changes in the nursing profession – many for the good, and some that have posed challenges. One of the most notable has been in the field of technology. “I love computers and I love to learn,” she says. “Epic has opened the book for us,” Kane adds, referring to the electronic system adopted by the RMH in 2021 that transformed how clinical care is delivered in Kawartha Lakes. “It motivates you, it keeps you going, and it keeps you young to learn new things.” But not all of these changes have been for the better, and Kane laments the budgetary and funding issues that affect healthcare at all levels. “I hope we don’t lose the passion for patient care – the patient is our first priority,” she says. “We’re an old community here, and it means a lot to me to see us carry on that tradition of looking after people.”
And Kane has gotten to know many people over the years – an experience that has in some cases made her a link between generations: one of Kane’s younger colleagues is the granddaughter of a nurse with whom she worked over 30 years ago. “Wendy’s team was very passionate about ensuring that she gets recognized because she has had such a tremendous impact in our emergency department and throughout the hospital,” notes Ryan Young, the RMH’s communications and public affairs officer. “She has served as a mentor, and her presence will be missed among her colleagues.”
It will therefore be a bittersweet moment when Kane leaves the ER on the morning of May 14 after completing her last night shift – and sets her sights towards dabbling in volunteer work while also getting out more frequently for a round of golf. “I am happy to be able to be here in this department, to recognize a lot of the people in the community, and to be able to help them,” a reflective Kane says. “I love my job, I love nursing, and I love the hospital. It’s brought a lot of great joy in my life.”
