Eighty-year-old Dr. Juanita Guishard has seen it all — from the introduction of integration in the workplace — to the introduction of illicit drugs to the Island more than 25 years ago.

To some, she embodies the struggles for equal opportunity for blacks as well as women's rights. And after 50 years as a professional nurse, her contributions remain robust.

After celebrating her 80th birthday on Sunday, Dr. Guishard plans to retire from nursing, but will continue her work in the community and doing what she loves most — making people happy.

Her early education started at Temperance Hall School in Hamilton Parish, where she has always lived. Then onto the Berkeley Institute, where she completed her secondary education.

In 1947, she was awarded a Government scholarship to study nursing in England, where she earned a diploma as a state registered nurse; completed her first part midwifery and later became a registered mental health nurse.

Some years later while working in Bermuda, she completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology through the extension programme of Queens University, then studied for her diploma in Supervisory Management from Bermuda College.

Dr. Guishard earned her Master of Science degree in Counselling through the extension programme of Indiana University. Finally, she earned her Doctoral degree in Mental Health Counselling Administration from Columbia Pacific University in California.

During the past 50 years she has worked mainly as a nurse in a variety of settings in Bermuda; public health, private duty at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH), Prospect Geriatric and St. Brendan's Hospital, now known as Mid Atlantic Wellness Institute.

At one point she even taught Premier Ewart Brown at the Berkeley Institute, where she taught Religious Knowledge and Health Science for five years.

She described Dr. Brown as "very serious and very intelligent".

Now, Dr. Guishard works as a nurse at the Devonshire Elder Home Care, where she has a full daily schedule. From liaising with patients' families whenever there is a problem, to ensuring medication is properly distributed, she does it all. And, if you are lucky, you'll find her playing the piano — her way of uplifting others as well as herself, with music.

Dr. Guishard has authored two books; 'The Legend of St. Brendan's' and 'Getting Back to Christian Basics', which she co-authored with Dr. Edna Vivian Fordbey-Smith. In 'The Legend of St. Brendan's' she chronicles the historical focus on mental illness in Bermuda from its discovery and early forms of treatment, up until 1987.

In addition, the publication focuses on individuals who sought to establish guidelines and a solid foundation in mental health care and on those who sought to introduce beneficial changes in patient care in treatment centres and society.

In 'Getting back to Christian Basics', a humanistic philosophy is presented as well as spiritual obstacles Dr. Guishard had to overcome. Speaking on her first job at KEMH as a private duty nurse, Dr. Guishard said: "I think I need to clarify that. "Based on one research that was conducted earlier, this is published in the book 'The Legend of St. Brendan's', I was the first black nurse at KEMH — based on that.

"However, subsequently there was another study conducted by Mr. Randolph Williams in the publication 'Care: 100 years of hospital care in Bermuda'.

"And based on that study, there appears to have been another black nurse before me at KEMH, who had done private duty nursing, a couple of years before I went there, which I didn't know about. "When I first started I remember dealing with a white patient and I was never told about the dining room. I knew that I had to bring my lunch to work though.

"I was told this by the sister of that ward. She told me on the first day I was there that I could eat my sandwich in a little room not far from her office, that's where I ate my lunch.

"I did not mingle with any of the staff as I didn't believe we were allowed to. I just didn't see coloured nurses there and I guess I was looked at as a stranger.

"But I believe my presence there was an indicator that barriers were being broken down. It was through the late Dr. Henry Wilkinson, a white doctor, who was the one that suggested I work at KEMH.

"I had previously worked under him at the health department during my summer break and he initiated me going to KEMH.

"It was difficult because I went there with trepidation and a bit of fear. However I just went about my duties.

"I got involved in dealing with the business of nursing and the cases of patients. The patient was very nice to me. All of the doctors at the time seemed to be white."

One practice she came upon in that environment left her somewhat bemused and depressed and for her, highlighted the reality of racism in Bermuda.

"Whenever the doctor would come into the patient's room," she added, "while I was there, he never seemed to take note of me even though I was standing there.

"He would walk in with the sister of the ward who was also white and I stood there because I was her private duty nurse. I just stood there and that's it, until the doctor came and he dealt with only the sister of the ward before leaving.

"I would write my report on the patient inside a book and there was very little verbal communication with anybody.

"It was a rather lonely experience but the patients were always nice and that is what I will always remember."

Things have changed over the years but there is always room for more progress and Dr. Guishard wishes more people would consider the nursing profession.

"I am delighted to see the advancement at KEMH," she explained, "and the opportunities nurses have, they make good money now and they get to eat anywhere they want to eat.

"I don't think that there's discrimination there like it was in the past, although I've heard some things about discrimination recently from certain people.

"But in general I think that those early barriers have been broken down and I am happy about that.

"Older people like myself realise that there are many opportunities present for people of colour now to what it was years ago. There are still are areas where prejudices should have broken down but I believe in general, Government has seen that we come a long way — both previous Governments and current.

"I think that in our community today, too many people complain so much without realising that they are blessed in this Island.

"I encourage more Bermudians to enter nursing — we need them — it's a rewarding career. And we need more men to enter the field too."

Dr. Guishard is also well known for the 15 years she spent at St. Brendan's, where she worked as a Psychiatric Counsellor. She remembers when cocaine was introduced to Bermuda around the late 1970s to the early 1980s.

At that time, Dr. Guishard said, there were only six people on the Island that were known to be addicted to the substance.

Since then, she continued, the problem has spiralled out of control as its use is widespread, which has destroyed many lives and families.

"Mental illness is definitely a serious condition that's present in Bermuda — there's no doubt about it. I remember when the smoking of marijuana became popular — those that smoked it were sent to us at St. Brendan's and they came talking gibberish.

"Our understanding of the substance at the time was somewhat in its infancy, so we had to treat marijuana addicts the same as we would for those suffering from schizophrenia."

Dr. Guishard was the first Psychiatric nurse to represent Bermuda Counselling and has served as a member of the Bermuda Mental Health Tribunal.

As a nurse, she is required to maintain her certifications yearly, which she has done without a hitch. More than anything, she credits God for blessing her with all of her successes and for serving as her ultimate saviour.