The Lamont School of Nursing and Japanese Canadian nursing, 1925-1950

While most Canadian nursing schools upheld exclusionary admissions policies well into the mid-twentieth century, the Lamont Public Hospital School of Nursing in Alberta graduated at least 16 Japanese Canadian nurses between 1925 and 1950. Helen’s project examines how Lamont became a rare site of (at least partial) inclusion during a period of widespread institutional exclusion. Drawing on archival records, school documents, and community histories, the study traces the educational experiences and career trajectories of these nurses. It also considers six non-Japanese graduates who maintained long-standing ties to Japanese Canadian peers. Attention is given to Lamont’s Methodist affiliations, missionary networks, and Social Gospel influences to better understand the institutional and ideological conditions that shaped this exception. By examining both opportunity and constraint, this research contributes to histories of nursing, racialization, and healthcare in Western Canada.