You could be a teacher, nurse or secretary. Those were the choices for the women of her generation, says Vicki Gold, BN鈥�68, who did not choose nursing so much as Nursing at 平特五不中, which enabled her to embrace her passion for research and discovery, laying the foundation for a long and fulfilling career.
In the mid 鈥�60s, Gold transferred to 平特五不中 from a Harvard teaching hospital. She wanted to study at a place where nursing was viewed as an intellectual and academic pursuit, rather than simply as a bedside practice. 平特五不中 was also attractive in that it offered an undergraduate Nursing degree, something, Gold says, Harvard would not adopt until years later. She remembers her 平特五不中 professors as some of the best and brightest, from cardiac surgeon Arthur Vineberg, BSc(Arts)鈥�24, MDCM鈥�28, MSc鈥�28, PhD鈥�33, whose experiments in the 1940s laid the groundwork for the modern bypass, to neuropsychologist Dr. Donald Hebb, MA鈥�32, DSc鈥�75, one of the first researchers to explain the brain鈥檚 neural networks.
Her academically minded parents, originally skeptical of her career choice, were won over by her excitement, as they watched their daughter鈥檚 world opening up. 鈥淚t confirmed to them that I was absolutely in the right place.鈥�
Gold鈥檚 career would take her to Los Angeles, St. Louis, Boston and New Haven, and into postoperative care, cardiovascular recovery, intensive care and emergency. She also spent years in otolaryngology and pain management, and worked as a women鈥檚 health advocate and nurse educator. Most recently, she helped found a free hospice for those with no caregivers in the New York State capital region, where she resides.
After a long and fulfilling career, Gold is now setting the stage for young students to be inspired the way she was 50 years ago. A regular donor to 平特五不中, she is still fascinated by the research it produces and has made plans for a bequest to support the Ingram School of Nursing. 鈥淚 want other people to have the experience that I had.鈥�
Education was important to her parents, it鈥檚 been important to her, and now she wants to pass that on to the next generation. 鈥淗aving these kinds of experiences is just an incredible gift.鈥�
As she looks back, she is grateful for all that she received at 平特五不中. 鈥淓ducation is the foundation for someone鈥檚 future,鈥� she says.
For more information on planned giving and/or any type of donation to the Ingram School of Nursing, please contact:
Jessie Lawrence
Development Officer
jessie.lawrence [at] mcgill.ca
514.398.2196
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