Nevitt, Joyce

Joyce Nevitt (1918-1998), nurse, educator, and writer, was born in Cranbrook, Kent, England on 18 November 1918. Nevitt spent her early years in Jamaica, but returned to England where she studied nursing at Fulham Hospital, London, and worked as a nurse at London's Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital.

Nevitt emigrated to Canada in June 1946 and completed a degree in nursing at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario. She also studied public health nursing at the University of Toronto. Nevitt worked in a variety of teaching and administrative nursing positions in Ontario during the period 1949-62, including Toronto Western Hospital (1949-51), Victorian Order of Nurses (Toronto, 1951) and Georgetown Department of Health. She established a rural public health service in Tarantorous, Ontario (1957) and taught public health nursing at the University of Western Ontario (1958-62). In 1962, she enrolled at Columbia University, New York, and completed a master's degree in nursing education. Newitt also began studies toward a PhD in nursing, but before completion she returned to teaching. She taught public health nursing at Wayne State University in Detroit (1963-65), becoming assistant head of the department.

In 1965 Joyce Nevitt was appointed to the faculty of Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) to establish a nursing program leading to a bachelor's degree, despite considerable local opposition. In 1966, 38 students were enrolled and Nevitt was the sole faculty member. The first class of the MUN School of Nursing graduated in 1971. Nevitt resigned as Director in 1973 by which time the School had eight faculty members.

In 1973, Nevitt took a sabbatical leave and, with the assistance of a Canada Council grant, began research on the history of nursing in Newfoundland. This resulted in the 1978 publication of White Caps and Black Bands: A History of Nursing in Newfoundland to 1934. Nevitt retired from teaching in August 1982, but continued to teach the history of nursing at the MUN School of Nursing. She also wrote a history of St. Michael and All Angels church in St. John's (1985).

Nevitt played a pivotal role in founding of the School of Nursing at MUN, particularly the nature and emphasis of the courses taught in the undergraduate program. In 1988 she was the recipient of a Canadian Volunteer Award for her work with the handicapped, the hearing impaired and the aged.

Created - May 7, 2013

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