Always On Call: Adventures in Nursing, Ranching, and Rural Living

by Marion McKinnon Crook

It has been over a decade since Marion Crook arrived in the Cariboo for her first job out of nursing school. The vast rural territory that once left her awestruck now feels like home, as she embraces life on the ranch with her husband, Carl, three young children, and numerous farm animals. But things are far from idyllic. Overseeing a small staff of irrepressible nurses serving a public health district the size of a small country brings new challenges every day. From runaway patients and needle-phobic hockey players to cultural misunderstandings and heartbreaking cases of abuse and neglect, Marion never knows what is coming next. The 1970s bring signs of social progress as women gain more autonomy and the region grows more culturally diverse. Yet, old prejudices persist, and Marion must fight for her patients, as well as for her adopted son. Recounted with warmth, compassion, and riveting detail, Always On Call is a fascinating portrait of the hectic life of a rural nurse and highlights the importance of the helping professions.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Canada, Book Club

272 pages, Paperback

Published April 2, 2024

Reviews

[Cori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed hearing how Marion took on racism, prejudice, sexism, ignorance etc. head on and with no hesitation. She and her colleagues were intelligent, kind, professionals who exemplified why people become nurses.

[Katherine Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a refreshing and easy read. I loved hearing about the author’s experiences raising young children in Williams Lake during the 1970s and working as a nurse in the public sector. I also enjoyed reading about the rhythms of ranch family life during that era.

As a public sector worker and mother myself — though in a different era and in the outskirts of Vancouver — I found it fascinating to compare our lives. While some things have changed over time and place (and life is distinctly different in the Cariboo), it was comforting to see how much stays the same when it comes to motherhood and working within the community. It offered a wonderful glimpse into another part of BC and reminded me of the shared threads in all our stories.

[Vontel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in this series of "memoir" genre by author Crook, featuring her next 10 years of life as a rural public health nurse in the 70's in central BC, now along with her rancher/lawyer husband and 3 children. Many stories/parts of stories resonated with me, given exposure to some of the similar experiences early in my working life as a BSc/RN. The author will be a guest speaker at a History of Nursing meeting this fall & I hope to be 'zoomed in' for that session. I suspect there is another book being written at this time, given hints of some changes that may be coming in her & her family's life. I will look forward to reading that one as well.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book by Ms. Crook.
Her tales of nursing in rural Alberta were neatly interspersed with stories of her family, friends and ranch life. The care for her children goes beyond feeding, clothing and educating them. Two of her children are adopted and they are indigenous. Her worries about how they may be treated outside of their community (and sadly a couple of times in the community) are real. If people are cruel to the boys as children, how might they fare in the world as teens and adults?
But Ms. Crook's days aren't always fraught with worry. There are win/win days with family, friends, patients and colleagues.
I highly recommend this book!

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crook describes her life living on a small ranch in British Columbia's Cariboo region while being a public health nurse. While I thought it was going to be more about her experience as a nurse, it is probably more about her life in general on her ranch and community. It is about juggling home life with her family job. She has three children, however, more focus seems to be on her adopted indigenous three year old son. Perhaps too much is made of a few minor instances of perceived discrimination. I did enjoy the book. I found it interesting and relatable and look forward to read her first book.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this memoir almost as much as the author’s first one. I liked her honesty and candidness in describing her interactions with her coworkers and patients, as well as the challenges in her home life. I think it is a historically and culturally significant series of stories that accurately tells the way it was for community/public health nurses in the seventies. Having worked as a community nurse for 2 yrs myself, I so enjoyed the reminders of those close working relationships and the camaraderie that came with that branch of nursing. I really loved it and felt that this author did too! It was a great read!

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t able to locate a copy of her first book at the library but read this one and absolutely loved it. The medical aspects, the farm life, her children, her coworkers, etc. It was so fun and interesting. The only parts I did not like were the parts where she called her sheep stupid and when her young son was throwing rocks at squirrels.

[Rebecca Houle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading the earlier years a bit more, but I still was able to quickly read this book due to interest. The stories told were interesting and kept me reading. I do enjoy reading about Marion’s time in the Cariboo, and it makes me went to visit Williams Lake.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I enjoyed the first book better I was happy to follow up with Marion and her life 10 years after the first book. I found her recognition of inequalities within the system and her way of dealing with it very interesting.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story about the life of a pubic health nurse in rural northern BC. Enjoyed her first book more than this one but it does depict good descriptions of the beautiful remote communities in the north.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing to call home about but nothing terrible either. Just a meh read. Didn't get much excitement, just had me see what nursing is like traveling to rural areas for health assessments and such.

[Krisztina · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first book gripped me more. This one was more about ranching and family life, but there is something soothing in reading about the minutia of another person's daily life. Relaxing read.

[Mirjam Bos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Erg leuk om te lezen. Leuke vlotte schrijfstijl. Het helpt natuurlijk dat er is geschreven over een gebied waar ik vorige week was, dat maakt dat ik het levendig voor me zag ;)

[Jess T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a delightful read

[HelenJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great to read more of Marion’s story of nursing in the Caribou area of BC. Enjoyed meet her at local bookstore event.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. Good juxtaposition between keeping a farm going and public health