Date: 2007
Location: Edmonton
Profile: Arlene Moreside, RN, graduated from nursing school in 1962, and was employed in hospital centres large and small, unionized and non-unionized. She specialized in both acute care and public health. Moreside describes vast changes within the profession during her career, and speaks to the importance of continuing education for nurses, especially due to technological advances in healthcare. As Moreside witnessed the evolution of the nursing profession, her belief that the healthcare system needed to remain public was reinforced. Focused on occupational health and safety, she argued in her interview that the union has played a key role in creating a safer workplace, particularly by fighting for adequate nursing staffing. Recalling her experience as a strike participant at Red Deer Hospital, Moreside viewed the 1988 provincial nursing strike as a pivotal event in achieving gains for Alberta nurses in many areas, including occupational health and safety.
Keywords: Nurse shortage; Nursing education; Nursing strike, 1988; Occupational health and safety; Public healthcare; Technology in healthcare; Workplace safety
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See also: Occupational Health and Safety in Alberta; United Nurses of Alberta; Women and Work in Alberta