As Queen's University constructed its own residence for nursing students, Waldron Tower, the original dormitory was vacated.

The home was completed in 1904 for students at the Kingston General Hospital nursing school, who cared for patients in the wards and operating rooms as part of their training.

Here as elsewhere, a place of their own helped nurses shape a professional role indispensable to health care within the hospital and the community.

One of the largest collections of medical and healthcare artefacts in Canada, the Museum of Health Care at Kingston is home to a wide range of artefacts and archival documents and photographs from surgical tools to laboratory instruments documenting how people have preserved health and managed disease, pain, and suffering from the late 18th century to the present day.

The Museum strives to connect visitors with the experience of people in past times and provide context and perspective on contemporary health issues.

The Museum serves the general public, practitioners, students, and historians through exhibitions, interpretive programs, and special events throughout the year.

Some of the larger collections feature artefacts from the areas of anesthesiology, renal dialysis, orthopaedics, cardiology, patent medicines, nursing, and X-ray.