Huge congratulations to our Bachelor of Science in Nursing instructor, Melodie Hull, who was recently recognized for a lifetime of work in the field of psychiatric nursing.
Melodie was presented with an Award of Excellence for Lifetime Achievement in Psychiatric Nursing presented by the Association of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of British Columbia. This is the Association’s highest award and is considered very prestigious.
She was nominated for the award by other health professionals who have known her and supported her throughout her career. Melodie received this award in recognition of her numerous accomplishments, including:
- being the first Registered Psychiatric Nurse (RPN) to have written textbooks (with F A Davis and Elsevier, USA) – the only RPN to have achieved this in Canada;
- editing and reviewing a number of nursing/medical textbooks;
- being published in a number of peer reviewed journals;
- editing and reviewing article submissions for 2 peer-reviewed journals – the only Registered Psychiatric Nurse in BC to have accomplished this;
- advocating for the profession of Registered Psychiatric Nurses, including being politically active for many years;
- being a member of the Board of Directors of the College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses three times in her career;
- having built an international reputation as a psychiatric/mental health nurse and as a nurse-educator via conference presentation around the world. Often she is the only Canadian RPN to present there or, sometimes, the only Canadian nurse altogether;
- being the first nurse to have successfully published in Medical English/Nursing English and building an international reputation for her publications on the topic of Medical Language. Melodie has presented at international conferences and consulted worldwide;
- being a philanthropist with her own endowment fund in the field she loves, mental health: Melodie Hull Mental Health and Addictions Fund (Cranbrook Community Foundation);
- being committed to service, having volunteered not only in her own community in multiple ways, but overseas as well, in Bangladesh and Mexico;
- being a Nurse Educator for all three types of nursing since 1991;
- having two graduate degrees;
- having clinical nursing experience in acute psychiatry, acute forensic psychiatry, community mental health, correctional services (jails and remand centres), being a psychiatric nurse-therapist for Corrections Canada (federal penitentiary programs) and a Psychiatric Nurse Clinician in an Emergency Department at the Coast;
- being one of the first RPNs in BC to have her own private counselling practice, which she ran for seven years. She also was one of the original members of the Private Practice Committee of the College of RPNs of BC. At the same time, she was one of the first Regional Vice-Presidents of the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors and the only Registered Psychiatric Nurse (or nurse) on the Board.
That’s quite the list of accomplishments for one lifetime! This is not the first award Melodie has received – in 2008 she was the recipient of the Awards of Psychiatric Nursing Excellence in Education, Leadership and Administration by the College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of BC.
Congratulations on your award and on an amazing lifetime of accomplishments in your field, Melodie. Our students surely benefit from your wealth of experience.
PHOTO (l-r): The Honourable Judy Darcy, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Melodie Hull, Dr. Jacqollyne Keath, President of the Association of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of BC