Inverary nurse recognised in People of KHSC series.

Kristin Lipscombe | Mar 17, 2021

The following was part of the People Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) series. It was written by Kristin Lipscombe of KSHC and is reprinted from their Facebook page)

Darlene Clement wears a silver necklace around her neck, a heart that weaves itself into a stethoscope.

It’s a special gift that the long-time registered nurse (RN) with Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) has just received from one of her Cardiac Care colleagues, the charge nurse on Davies 3, for her birthday, which happens to be the day that she gives this interview for our People of KHSC profile series.

Clement, who has spent almost 37 years as an RN at both KHSC’s Hotel Dieu Hospital (HDH) and Kingston General Hospital (KGH) sites, has offered to come into KGH on one of her days off to share a small part of her story both working in Kingston’s health care community and regularly volunteering her time outside of hospital walls, a true testament to her giving nature.

“I’ve always liked helping other people, so this is where I ended up,” Clement says of becoming a nurse, before heading off for her birthday brunch. As a young woman, she pondered whether to pursue teaching or nursing, but spending time with her grandfather while he was at St. Mary’s of the Lake Hospital sealed the deal for her. “I enjoyed visiting with the patients there at that time.”

Clement, who was born, raised and still lives in Inverary, even inspired her daughter to become a nurse. Jennifer Clement works in the Ophthalmology Clinic at Hotel Dieu. Meanwhile, son Kyle and husband David keeps busy working on the family farm, always supportive of her various professional and personal pursuits to help others.

“I love my job and I love making a difference in either my patients’ lives, or I’ve mentored lots of students,” Clement adds. “I got a birthday message today from one of my students … saying what a difference I had made in her life, so it was really nice.”

Clement’s natural tendencies towards kindness and generosity aren’t limited to her KHSC employment. When she’s off the clock, Clement keeps busy working as a 4-H Club leader, helping young people learn important life skills, and for the past eight years has been extremely involved in the Rotary Club of Kingston.

Her involvement with the Rotary Club includes ensuring everything runs smoothly at the COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic at the INVISTA Centre, which means she’s helping coordinate volunteers serving as ushers and screeners to help ensure community members are getting their shots.

“So it’s a pretty exciting time,” Clement says, adding she’s also helping with food deliveries for local families in need throughout the pandemic on behalf of the Rotary Club of Kingston, which has now been around for 100 years. “I’m so proud of being part of that group.”

Clement is not long off from retirement but knows she’ll likely still be keeping busy both inside and outside of KHSC’s walls.

“When you’ve given your whole life to nursing, it’s really hard to give up your career,” Clement says. “I’ll finish up my career in cardiology,” she says, but quickly adds, “I’m sure as soon as I retire, I’ll do a little bit of casual work.”

She also plans to volunteer within palliative care to help support families and people “through that final journey.”

“Even when I retire, I will always continue to do things in the community,” Clement says.

“There are a lot of people out there struggling. If everybody gave a little bit, the world would be a whole different place.”

It’s clear Clement wears her heart on her sleeve, or perhaps now, around her neck. Happy Birthday, Darlene, and thank you for all that you do.