May: The month of mothers, midwives and nurses

Throughout the month of May, we celebrate those who change lives through care. Only separated by a few short days on our calendars, we are called upon to celebrate the tremendous impacts of mothers, midwives and nurses.

Mount Royal University has a long and proud history of nursing education, with generations of students who grew into teachers, leaders and mothers. To explore the story of nursing and midwifery at MRU is to learn how each generation, through care, innovation and generosity raises the next.

Each May 4 is the International Day of the Midwife, International Nurses Day is celebrated every May 12 and, of course, Mother's Day is  held on the second Sunday in May and celebrates one of the first figures summoned to mind by the thought of comfort and care. For most, a mother is the first person to teach how to move through this world and to inspire growth into the people we dream of being.

The legacy of nurses

MRU’s nursing program launched in 1967 as a two-year diploma that challenged notions of what an education in nursing looked like. The program gradually gained respect and recognition, eventually growing to be considered one of the best programs for aspiring nurses across Alberta. Throughout the years, MRU’s program has grown and so has the Canadian understanding of the nursing field. MRU currently offers opportunities to delve into specialist branches of nursing. The Donna B. Hinde Memorial Scholarship in Gerontology is one of many awards designed to help students learn specialist facets of their chosen field. Hinde worked at MRU in a variety of major roles. Through her memorial award, she continues to teach and inspire students today.

Alongside MRU’s growing program, the idea of who a nurse can be has also expanded. In 2022, MRU’s President and Vice-Chancellor Tim Rahilly, PhD, created the Phyllis Rahilly Memorial Bursary in Nursing. This award honours the memory of his own mother who worked as a nurse and advocated for the inclusion of underrepresented groups.

Through awards like these, the work of innovation and expansion is continued at MRU. For Bridget Wireko, 2025 recipient of the Phyllis Rahilly Memorial Bursary in Nursing, this award meant much more than a monetary boost. “Knowing that someone believes in my potential inspires me to work even harder towards my goals and to one day give back to the community,” Wireko says. “From a truly grateful heart, thank you very much for investing in my education as a future nurse.”

Student awards make education accessible to more of those who feel the call to join the health care sector. This generosity allows demographics to broaden and Canadian health care to welcome qualified and dedicated nurses from all genders, cultures and backgrounds.

Mothers, midwives and mount royal

On May 5, the field of midwifery holds its own celebration. International Day of the Midwife recognizes the role this unique branch of healthcare plays in maternity and birth. MRU started to welcome midwives into nursing classes in 1998. Standards for qualification had just been established but a formal midwifery program was still years away. Only four years earlier midwifery was not considered legal practice by most Canadian medical associations. MRU’s current four-year Bachelor of Midwifery program launched in 2011 as the first of its kind in Alberta. In May of 2015 the first class of MRU midwives graduated. Since then, midwifery has continued to grow — breaking down social, political and logistical barriers that keep expectant mothers from receiving the care they choose.

Many of the student awards designed for the School of Nursing and Midwifery honour the memory of visionaries and trailblazers who helped to shape Canadian health care. The Sandra Botting Memorial Bursary in Midwifery celebrates the memory of a pioneer in establishing midwifery as a recognized profession in Alberta and beyond. Botting’s unflinching devotion to supporting women through maternity and childbirth saw more than 500 births over 25 years of advocacy. Mount Royal students who receive financial support through this award carry that legacy forward and continue to shape the field’s future.

Out of the classroom and into practice

Like any rigorous post-secondary program, the Bachelor of Midwifery challenges students to rise to their best academically but this can leave little time for students to work for a wage. That's where MRU’s generous philanthropic community comes in. Marly Hannah, recipient of the Calgary Centennial Bursary for Midwifery, can speak to the impact of these awards as not only a student, but also a mother. “This award feels like someone saying, ‘We see you.' Not just me, but all of us who are balancing debt, exhaustion, parenting, call shifts and an education that asks for our whole selves.”

Memorial scholarships and bursaries commemorate and immortalize the work of those who have gone before us. In this sense previous generations of nurses and midwives continue to provide care, to teach those eager to learn and to raise up the next generation. “I am about to step into practice carrying not just my education, but the imprint of every midwife who stood before me,” Hannah says. “I hope to practice in a way that honours that lineage, with skill, with courage, and with compassion.”

From mothers to midwives and nurses, May is filled with opportunities to celebrate the people who devote their lives to caring for others. In doing so, they transform not only the ones they help but the world around them too. So, this May, take a moment to celebrate those who give care and change lives.