We Are IH: RN “fell into nursing” 50 years ago

August 3, 2023

Name: Deborah (Deb) Loney (she/her/hers)
Job Title: Registered Nurse
Years of Service: 41
Worksite: Hillside Centre
Community: Kamloops
Ancestral Territory: Secwépemc
Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: “Be kind – you never know what battles others are fighting.” – Deb Loney

As a child, Deborah (Deb) Loney lived all over the world. The daughter of a Royal Canadian Air Force serviceman, she was born in London, Ontario, and lived in France, Belgium and Virginia. She calls Ottawa her hometown.

When she was 18 years old, Deb joined her girlfriend on a bus trip to Kingston to check out the nursing program. “I got into the program. She didn’t,” recalls Deb. “I was accepted into the accelerated program during a nursing shortage, and graduated at 20 years old. That was 50 years ago.”

In this Story…

Learn more about Deb’s journey with IH

A lifelong love for travel

Explore nursing Careers@IH

Learn more about Deb’s journey with IH

A person in a black t-shirt and blue jeans and sneakers with a white purse sits in an over-sized armwing chair set against a stone wall — Deb looking relaxed in the lobby of a Kananaskis hotel

“I fell into nursing not really knowing what it’s about, or what nurses actually did,” says Deb. “But I have always felt is was a lucky choice of an 18-year-old, and feel so happy about all the opportunities being a nurse has provided.”

As a young nurse in her 20s, Deb continued to move from town to town, and country to country. “My husband was in the Royal Canadian Air Force. We lived in Kingston, ON, Moosejaw, SK, Cold Lake, AB and Germany,” she explains.

When her marriage broke down, she moved to Kamloops. “I had a four-year-old and a baby. A doctor recommended I apply at Overlander as they had 8-hour shifts. Suddenly, I had been there five years,” says Deb. It was the longest time she had been in one place, and would go on to spend 24 years there.

“I loved the camaraderie of the staff at Overlander. I got to know the families well, and I really liked it.”

Seventeen years ago, Deb transferred roles to Hillside Centre acute tertiary mental health care. “A lot of people don’t know what nurses do,” Deb says. “I told my mom once ‘I bathed four men today’ and she was shocked. At Hillside, I wash, dress and feed people every day.”

In July 2022, Deb celebrated 40 years of service with Interior Health, a moment she’s proud of. “Fifty years is a long career!” she says.

At Hillside, we have a lot of new graduates. I have really loved being a preceptor to student nurses. Learning and working alongside students has enabled me to share my knowledge and experiences, and I feel needed.

-- Deb Loney, RN

A lifelong love for travel

A person with short brown hair in a teal blouse and shorts and sandals stands in front of a black railing at a beach with palm trees — Deb on holidays in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Deb attributes her love of travelling to her frequent moves while growing up. And not only does she travel, she also loves maps. She has contributed 940 photos and 100 reviews to Google Maps, which have been viewed 14 million times. Her contributions have earned her a Level 7 (out of 10) Local Guide status. A lover of reading, she will even search the Google Street View of the towns and cities depicted in books.

Outside of work, Deb says she’s happiest around water – rivers, lakes, oceans and pools are “all wonderful.” She even loves the frozen variety – snow. “I love to walk in the snow, and even shovel snow and clear it off my car,” she laughs.

When she retires, Deb is looking forward to more travelling and spending time with her grandchildren. “I love to show them places and introduce them to new experiences,” she says.