“Oriental Women Should Nurse Oriental Patients”: A History of Chinese Nurses and Segregated Health Care in British Columbia, 1929–1960

Abstract This article explores the experiences of the first Chinese graduate nurses in British Columbia, Canada, between 1929 and 1960. Drawing on newspaper articles (both mainstream and Chinese), professional nursing publications, available interviews and correspondence, we argue that racism posed a significant obstacle for the first generation of Chinese women who wished to enter nursing schools in the province. Chinese nurses were the first to racially integrate into the white Canadian nursing profession, but they were initially admitted into nursing schools so that they could support and maintain segregated health care in British Columbia. Despite the racism that Chinese nurses faced, they carved out successful professional nursing careers that extended far beyond Chinese communities in the province.