*The following guest blog was written by Maddi McKay, 2012 Curatorial Assistant at the Museum of Health Care. Our thanks to the Young Canada Works in Heritage Organizations program (Canadian Museums Association) for their support in the creation of Maddi’s position!
When I was seven years old, my grandmother brought me to visit the Museum of Health Care. I was working on a school project that required me to visit all the Kingston-area museums, and in the conclusion of this project I clearly stated that the museum I’m now fortunate enough to work for was my favourite.
Working at the Museum of Health Care became, and continues to be, my dream job. I can scarcely believe that someone actually pays me to read and write about topics I find interesting, as well as gain absolutely invaluable experience in artefact handling and exhibit development. From researching the basics of respiration and vaccination for an upcoming exhibit, to creating a “Twitter”-themed pamphlet on the medical history of the First World War, the amount of knowledge I have gained here is absolutely staggering. Beyond the job itself, however, the people who work tirelessly to maintain this establishment have proven to be the best coworkers I could have hoped for. In particular, the curator (and my supervisor) Pamela Peacock has been far and away the best boss, teacher, and co-worker I have ever reported to, and I don’t hesitate to say that I learned more about researching, writing, museum work, history, and life from her than any university course could possibly have taught me.
There aren’t enough ways for me to express my gratitude to the people I worked with here, or to explain to you the multitude of things I learned and adventures I embarked on during my time at the Museum of Health Care. Suffice it to say, I can’t imagine a better place to learn, and to feel welcome while doing so, whether you come as a seven-year-old patron or as a nineteen-year-old summer employee.
great descriptions..important topic.. thank you