Margaret Dorthea Bennett

Margaret Bennett held many positions in nursing over her more than 20 year career in the profession. These positions included clinical nurse educator at the Mission Bay Educational Group in San Diego California, Assistant Head Nurse and Instructor at the Mercy Hospital and Mercy College of Nursing in San Diego, and instructor at the University of Hawaii between 1958-1971. She also held positions as a nursing instructor in Canada at the Hamilton Civic Hospital and at McMaster University and Saanich Mental health Centre between 1971 and 1978 during which time she received a National Institute of Mental Health Fellowship from Washington D.C. Between 1977 and 1981, Margaret was a Sessional Lecturer and Associate Professor in the School of Nursing, Faculty of Human and Social Development at the University of Victoria. 

Margaret’s focus in nursing and teaching centred on family care and mental health care and in 1970 The Double-Bind of Motherhood was published in Current Concepts in Clinical Nursing, Vol. III, C.V. Mosby Co. During her career at the University of Victoria School of Nursing, Margaret conducted many workshops for faculty on topics related to teaching nursing, for example Curriculum Evaluation – Plotting Our Course in 1975 and Feasibility Study for a Master’s Programme in Nursing in 1978. Between 1977-1981 at the SON in addition to teaching, Margaret’s administrative activities included curriculum development and membership on the ARPT committee, Nursing Extension committee, Curriculum committee and Post-basic Programme committee. Between 1978 – 1980 she was a consultant to the Victoria General Hospital Performance Appraisal committee and a consultant on psychiatric nursing practice.