ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hi! I’m Sandy Beattie-Stevens,
one of the golden girls. I’m a retired registered nurse and certified occupational health nurse.
What is my goal? To reach all nurses, especially the golden girls of nursing.
Then this story is for you! It is based on true events.
I write under the pseudonym J Ky Somerset as a loving tribute to my dear granddaughter, Ky, and my two beloved grandmothers.
Photograph by
Ky Ewart
“I have a dream…”
– Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
ABOUT THE BOOK
The Girl in the Blue Slippers
Remember the iconic years of the early 1960’s? The Kennedys lived in Camelot in the U.S.A., despite racial riots and inequality of blacks and whites.
The story unfolds in the sparkling city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the island of French and English living side by side, making each other diversified and better for the blending!
A black intern and a white blonde beauty student nurse meet in a unique way…..
DID YOU KNOW
0
registered nurses
Numbering almost 300,000, registered nurses are the largest group of health care providers in Canada.
0
percent
91.4 percent of Canadians agree or somewhat agree that registered nurses are adaptable professionals at the forefront of delivering complex care.
0
percent
In Canada, after registered nurses brought a quit-smoking program to the bedside of hospitalized smokers, more than 44 percent of participants remained smoke-free for at least six months.
0
weeks
A Canadian team led by a registered nurse helped reduce wound healing times by 8 weeks and treatment costs by about $18,000 per person.
The Canadian Nurses Association is a powerful, unified voice for Canada’s registered nurses that promotes the role of registered nurses, shapes healthy public policy, consults with registered nurses to ensure their voice is heard and fosters nursing excellence.
The American Nurses Association is a professional organization to advance and protect the profession of nursing. The headquarters are in Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.A.
Registered nurses comprise one of the largest segments of the S. workforce as a whole and are among the highest paying large occupations.
$
0
per year
In the U.S.A. registered nurses salaries average $66,700 per year.
0
million
In the U.S.A. there are more than 3.1 million registered nurses nationwide.
0
percent
More than 85 percent of Canada’s registered nurses provide direct patient care. Most work in hospitals, but they also practice in clinics, doctors’ offices, schools. hospices, prisons and many other locations, including research, teaching and administration.
0
day reduction
Having a registered nurse coordinate all aspects of care led to a 68-day reduction in wait times for lung cancer diagnosis in Canada.
0
national associations
There is a Canadian Network of Nursing Specialties consisting of 44 national associations that represent a committed group of nurses who are enhancing the breadth and depth of nursing knowledge and strengthening the links between nurses and the broader health-care community.
The Canadian Nurses Association is located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
0
million
In the U.S.A., of all licensed registered nurses 6 million or 84.8 percent are employed in nursing.
0
percent
Nearly 58 percent of U.S. registered nurses work in general medical and surgical hospitals.
Registered nurses in the U.S.A. comprise the largest single component of hospital staff and are the primary providers of hospital patient care. They also deliver most of the nation’s long term care.
My Experience
“Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith let us to the end dare to do our duty as we understand it”
– Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
Sandra Beattie-Stevens, R.N., C.O.H.N.(c)
EDUCATION
- Educated in Montreal, Quebec
- R.N. diploma from The Queen Elizabeth Hospital of Montreal 1963
- Recreation Leadership diploma from Canadore College, North Bay, Ontario 1991
- Certification as an occupational health nurse from St. Lawrence College, Brockville, Ontario 2002 with book award
WORK EXPERIENCE
- Occupational Health Nurse
North Bay General Hospital, North Bay, Ontario 1994-2004
- Nursing Administration
Part-time St. Joseph’s Hospital, North Bay, Ontario 1994-1995
- Health Nurse
Canadore College Health Centre, North Bay, Ontario 1992-1995
- Aquafitness Instructor
North Bay YMCA 1991-1995
- Program Co-ordinator
Calvin Presbyterian Church 1994
- Remedial Skills Instructor
Recreation Leadership Program Canadore College Oct.-Dec.1991 & 1992
- Recreational Therapist (student placement)
Geriatric Continuing Care, North Bay Civic Hospital, North Bay, Ontario 1990
- Public Health Nurse
Victorian Order of Nurses North Bay ON 1987-1989
- Art Teacher
Beginners Oil Painting Canadore College North Bay ON 1988
- Emergency Nurse
North Bay Civic Hospital North Bay ON 1967-1987
- Geriatric Nurse
Maimonides Hospital and Home for the Elderly Montreal PQ 1967
- Industrial Nurse
Dominion Engineering Lachine P.Q. 1966-1967
- Emergency Nurse
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital of Montreal Montreal P.Q. 1964-1966
- Surgical Ward Nurse
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital of Montreal Montreal P.Q. 1963-1964
OTHER
- Emergency First Aid Courses
The Canadian Red Cross Society
- Volunteer for The Canadian Red Cross Blood Donor Clinics
1967-1987
- BCLS
Basic Rescuer (c) certification ongoing
- Photography Canadore College North Bay ON 1978
- Coronary Care 1 Humber College Toronto ON 1984
- Emergency Nursing 1 Humber College Toronto ON 1986
- National Coaching Certificate Level 1 Theory 1989
- Social Welfare credit at Nipissing University North Bay ON 1989
- Fitness Instructor Certificate YMCA of North Bay and District July 5, 1991
- Presentation Techniques for Teaching Workshop, Canadore College 1992
- Volunteer at the Woodshop for Rehabilitation Resources on Jane Street for North Bay Psychiatric Hospital, 2003-2005
- Member of FWA, The Florida Writers’ Association since 2010
- Art- numerous drawing and painting courses from Barry Burniston, Dennis Geden, Meri Stewart, Bessie Down, Elsie Glass, Bev Carney, Lorrie Tunney, Arlie Hoffman and others 1970-2000. Watercolor classes in Dunedin, Florida 2016.
PERSONAL INTERESTS and SKILL AREAS
- Maintain current membership in CNO (College of Nurses of Ontario)
- Maintain current membership in OOHNA (Ontario Occupational Health Nurses Association)
- Painting, photography, gardening, music, choir, reading, nurses, my 10 precious grandchildren and 1 precious great-grandchild
Elephant
Magnificent bull elephant with ears out-stretched menacingly warning us alway from his herd of females and babies behind him.
We are in a boat in the water too close to him for safety!
Water Safari
Boat with roof that we boarded on the Shire River at Mvuu Lodge, Liwonde National Park in Lilongwe, Africa, for a water safari.
Gazelles
Gazelles on the land safari at Mvuu lodge. Graceful leaping gazelles that are as captivating as ballet dancers.
Hippos
Deadly hippos in a lagoon on the Shire River in Liwonde National Park. We are in a boat but they are known to kill many people.
PHOTOS FROM MY TIME IN MALAWI, AFRICA 2004
Take a look at photos from my journey.
TESTIMONIALS
Reviews and feedback
Dr. Donald Stemp
MDCM
Finished the book – bravo, I was in med school from 1961 to 1967 so found the timing very topical for the medical sequences, the nursing school scene and the world history which was very familiar, I was dissecting a cadaver in anatomy lab when the news of Kennedy’s assassination was announced so we packed up our cadavers floated them back in formalin and packed it in – smelled like formalin for the whole year! We had a Tiki restaurant in Toronto too.Lived through most of the same medical emergencies as well. Nursing residence rules were a bummer.Found one possible error in the hypoglycaemia episode. I carried a 50cc syringe of 50% dextrose in water in my black bag which I used on several occasions during house calls.In the emerg we used to follow up with a 5% drip if necessary.If my feeble brain is still working you might double check if the bolus was actually a 50% solution. I am no literary critic so will not deign to critique the fine art of novel writing. I congratulate you on a job well done and expect your book will do well.
Dr. Michael Leckie
MDCM
An easy read love story intertwined with historic topics like the cold war, the vietnam war, jfk, thalidomide babies and racism in both canada and the usa. As a graduate of mcgills faculty of medicine in 1982 “The girl in the blue slippers” took me on a very sentimental journey of both my time in montreal and in the many hospitals associated with mcgill university.
Ms somerset vividly painted a beautiful picture of montreal and her famous landmarks. She accurately reminded me of the pain and strain of medical internship and how we relieved some of the pressure with some questionable antics.
‘the girl in the blue slippers” reminded me of another germane book for anyone in the medical profession. “The house of god” is a fun read that recalls both doctors and nurses struggle through gruelling hours of training and on call. Ms somerset obviously has some first hand medical knowledge as she guides olga through nursing school. She shows how a good nurse will save a doctors butt on many occasions but often do not receive the accolades they deserve. I know….I married one!!
Congrats on a well written story that I could not put down until done.
Claire (Christie) Barrett
R.N.
As a Nurse who graduated from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, School of Nursing in Montreal, I thoroughly enjoyed the novel ‘The Girl in the Blue Slippers’ which describes a beautiful love story which has significance for our society today.
It is also a story of a Student Nurse’s journey through training describing her many successes and challenges. The time period is set in the 1960’s in which the author relates to the reader many of the news occurrences of the day, such as the death of President J.F.Kennedy and the civil rights unrest in the United States. When I finished reading the book I wanted more of the engaging and well researched story during this time period. A lovely read.
Ann Burns
B.A. M.Ed.
I have always said that I am “not medical” and that is by choice. After reading “Blue Slippers”, I realize I certainly made the right choice.
The author’s description of “becoming medical” makes one wonder how they survived the process.
A very detailed description of a nurse’s survival intertwined with her personal adventures made for compelling reading