A Life OF Service By Lisa Sydnor
In 1955, joining the military was not the usual path chosen by an 18-year-old woman, particularly, a black woman. But, then, Kem King Cain isn’t at all usual. Kem has broken many barriers and accomplished much in her life journey. She has experienced support and encouragement in some unexpected places and maintains that the positives always outweighed the negatives. Her journey of service and caregiving spans over seven decades. Kem was raised in South Bend, IN. In high school, track was her sport; the long jump her specialty. She worked toward qualifying for the Olympics training program. During her senior year, a training accident ended her dream of becoming a part of the Olympics team. Upon graduating from high school, she enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. According to the Defense Manpower Data Center (www.dmdc.osd.mil), in 1955, there were 2,935,107 enlisted military personnel and black women accounted for less than .032%. After basic training at Lackland Air Force Base (AFB) in San Antonio, Kem’s first duty assignment, as an administrative secretary, was at F. E. Warren, AFB, Cheyenne, WY. Later, she was assigned to March AFB, Riverside, CA., where she served until she was honorably discharged from the USAF.
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CAREGIVER Magazine
She Believed She Could, So She Did Kem’s professional caregiver career began as an operating room scrub tech at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, MO. Her outstanding work and commitment as a scrub tech lead the doctors to recommend her for nursing school. In 1967, with the support and encouragement of the hospital staff and her family, the 32-year-old mother of five entered nursing school (utilizing VA Preference and American Legion scholarships). Upon graduation in 1970, Kem returned to St. Luke’s as a Registered Nurse. According to the 1970 census, only 5% of RNs were black, marking this achievement as a groundbreaking milestone. Then in 1975, prompted again by the recommendation of the doctors at St. Luke’s Hospital, Kem went to Milwaukee, WI, to complete a degree program for Nurse Practitioner, specializing in Family Planning. A Nurse Practitioner is an advanced practice registered nurse. Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are trained to access needs, order and interpret diagnostic and laboratory tests, diagnose, formulate and prescribe treatment plans. Included in this degree program are disease prevention, coordination of care and promoting wellness. According to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, NPs are educated at the graduate level to provide primary, acute, chronic and specialty care for patients of all ages. Kem and family moved to Oklahoma City in 1978. From 1978 until joining Griffin Memorial Hospital in 1984, she worked with five nurse-staffing agencies. As a private duty nurse, she has cared for two former governors and other Oklahoma dignitaries. Kem has worked in hospice care, geriatrics, home health, private duty, in medical clinics and hospitals.
As a member of the Oklahoma State First Responders team, Kem was called to the Murrah Building on April 19, 1995. Issue 11
CaregiverOklahoma.com
