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At the 2024 Nursing Scholarship Reception, Sara Foster, the inaugural recipient of the Irene Dempster Award, was delighted to have a chance to meet and thank the family who supported the award.

“This award means the world to me, and I cannot express my gratitude to the Dempster family enough,” she says. “I am honoured to receive recognition for the dedication I have invested into nursing school to reach this point. Speaking to Irene’s family and learning about her story truly inspired me and I aspire to be as wonderful of a nurse as she was.”

A passion for nursing

Irene Dempster (BN’78, MEd’80) was a dedicated mother, educator, and care provider with a deep passion for nursing. Originally from Ireland, Irene worked in nursing for more than 50 years and began her career in Nova Scotia at the Grace Maternity Hospital in the 1960s. 

A trailblazer in her field, Irene spearheaded the development of the “rooming-in” standard, where the newborn infant is kept at the mother’s bedside rather than taken to a nursery, at the then-new . In the 1990s, Irene was seconded to the Colchester Regional Hospital in Truro where she assisted with the improvement and development of the OBGYN unit.

In addition to an illustrious career as a nurse, Irene was a passionate educator. She was an instructor at the Victoria General School of Nursing throughout the 1970s, and later worked as a professor in the ������Ƶ School of Nursing. After a brief retirement, Irene continued her career as a nurse educator with Nova Scotia Palliative Care, Alzheimer’s, and continuing care programs.

Honouring a legacy

When Irene passed away in May 2020, her daughter, Pam Dempster (BScOT’94), began searching for a way to honour her mother’s memory and legacy.

“I wanted an opportunity to have my mom's name continue within the profession of nursing because it was an extremely passionate part of her life.” says Pam. “I thought it was only right to try to keep her name alive within the profession, especially for the younger generations coming up at least to get an understanding of who she was, and how much she enjoyed the field of nursing.”

After consulting her family, Pam approached the School of Nursing about honouring her mother’s memory through the establishment of the Irene Dempster Award.

Irene’s granddaughter, Emily Dempster, is following in her footsteps as a nurse, and recalls the incredible influence her grandmother had in her life and decision to pursue a career in nursing.

“Growing up, she helped raise me and I was with her all the time,” says Emily. “She inspired me — she was very much an educator and when I started getting into healthcare, science, and medicine she would always talk to me about it.” 

Indeed, Irene’s legacy of helping people will live on through the inspiration she provided to her family, and through the award that bears her name that will help to support nursing students for many years to come.