Jessie Mantle Fellowship in Nursing
Biography of Jessie Mantle
Over a 40-year nursing career, Jessie Mantle championed high standards for nursing practice, research, education and mentorship. She responded to community needs and made a difference to those around her.
At the core of her contributions as a staff nurse in Nanaimo, Victoria and Vancouver she quickly showed her leadership qualities becoming a head nurse in 1963-1965 at St. Paul’s Hospital. She joined academia as a teacher and graduate chairman at the University of Western Ontario (1969-1981) and then moved to the University of Victoria (1981-1994). Here she was a clinical nurse specialist, and member-at-large for the CNA Board (1987) continuing with her consistent drive to be engaging, influencing, and mentoring.
Through a joint appointment between the University of Victoria and a long-term care setting at the Juan de Fuca Hospitals, Jessie spearheaded an evidence-based approach to gerontology nursing which has had a major impact on how care is delivered to older adults, locally, provincially and nationally. Research on elder bed care, skin and bowel problems were researched thoroughly to determine best practices in a clinical setting. Her research, teaching, and leadership skills fostered the development of resident-centered policies and philosophies of care that have now been adopted throughout Canada. Her scholarship involves hundreds of book chapters, articles, conference monographs and research papers.
An early proponent of distance education Jessie adapted her teaching style to use video and early web-based distance learning techniques in the classroom and in the hospital. Never afraid to take on a new challenge she embraced change and made the best of it for her students and their patients. She was instrumental in establishing the Canadian Gerontological Nursing Association and served as the first president.
Jessie gave innumerable presentations and publications on nursing innovations, and received a Canadian Nurses Foundation Scholarship (1968); the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations Teaching Award (1975); a World Health Fellowship (1975); the College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia Award of Excellence in Nursing Practice (1992) and the Canadian Nurses Association Centennial Award (2008).
As a retired nurse Jessie never stopped working for the community. From 1999 to 2006 she was the Site Coordinator for the Out of the Rain Night Shelter for the Church of St. John the Divine and also served as Co-Chair on the Task Force on Parish Health which led to her role in the Parish Nursing Project. In all things Jessie led by example and mentored the next generation. She will continue to support students interested in gerontological clinical nursing practice through the Jessie Mantle Fellowship, created by Jessie in 2013.