It’s 1965. Hilarity and camaraderie ensues when the alphabetical order of assignments finds two young women, MARY LOU BIGGS (Biggsie), and BERNEDETTE BEST (Bernie) thrown together on their entry into the St Thomas-Elgin General School of Nursing. Their educational escapades at their home hospital and their attachments at Sick Kids in Toronto, the St Thomas Psychiatric Hospital and the Sir Adam Beck Sanatorium for tuberculosis in London Ontario are heart-warming, tragic and sometimes horrifying.The lively characters the girls encounter – such as Madame Blew-a-Fart, and the Hatter of the Mad Tea Party, – form an evocative look at the state and practice of nursing in the 1960s, as well as a snapshot of Southern Ontario that includes the famous Stork Club in Port Stanley.A compelling memoir, the book follows the journey as the naive and fun-loving class evolves over three years into confident and skilled Registered Nurses.
