Bernadet passed away peacefully in the Palliative Care Department of St. Paul’s Hospital on October 2nd, 2009. She will be dearly missed by her husband of 51 years, Edward, her brother Robert Kiss (Nancy), sister-in-Law Evelyn Hall, brother-in-law Roger Ratsoy; nephews Morgan Ratsoy (Barbara Dawson), Travis Ratsoy (Cheri), Scott Kiss (Beatrice) and nieces Jennifer Tettamente (Luke), Laura Smith (Merlin), and her dear friends Stephany Grasset, Nancy Garret, and Anna and Stan Richter.

A Funeral Mass will be held in her honour at 11:00 AM Tuesday, October 13th in St. Augustine’s Parish, at 2028 W. 7th Avenue, in Vancouver B.C. Father Gordon Cook, OMI, Celebrant.

Bernadet was born and grew up in Edmonton, Alberta. She graduated from the Edmonton General Hospital School of Nursing in 1957. After graduating, she and three classmates moved to Spokane, Washington, where she worked in the Emergency Department of the Sacred Heart Hospital. In 1958, she returned to Edmonton to marry Edward Ratsoy. While in Edmonton, she worked in various positions in Obstetrics, from Staff Nurse to Supervisor. In 1960 she and her husband moved to Vancouver so that Edward could attend the UBC School of Architecture.

Bernadet began her Vancouver Nursing career at St. Paul’s Hospital. She was a staff Nurse in the Obstetrics Department, then Head Nurse in the New Born Nursery in 1963, then Clinical Instructor in Obstetrics in 1966, then Clinical Co-Ordinator responsible for Infection control, Ambulatory Care Services and Obstetrics from 1968 to 1979. Also, during this time she was enrolled in the BSN program at UBC receiving her Baccalaureate Degree in 1968. Wanting to have a more effective impact on B.C. Nursing Practice, Bernadet enrolled in the Master of Science Degree Program in Health Science Planning and Administration at UBC, graduating in 1981. In 1972, she initiated and was responsible for developing the Family Centred Maternity Care Program, including the space renovations required to implement it. This new service was one of the first in Canada and was designated by the Provincial Government as the only alternate to that at the Grace Maternity Hospital in Vancouver.

Bernadet was made Director of Nursing (later Vice �" President Nursing) in 1979, a position she held until 1989. During her tenure, her Nursing Department became nationally recognized for the quality of its health care, new and innovative approaches to that care and unfailing support of staff nurses. She was instrumental in extending orientations for newly graduated Nurse Practitioners and led in a rapid and effective response to the AIDS epidemic in Vancouver. She initiated a Staff Nurses Journal Club for the recognition and Professional development of Senior Nurses that celebrated its 20th Anniversary in 2001. In 2002 it was renamed the Bernadet Ratsoy Journal Club. The members, including Bernadet, still meet.

In 1989 to 1990 Bernadet spent a year as the Executive Director of the Alberta Association of Registered Nurses. In 1991 she returned to British Columbia to become Associate Dean in the School of Health Sciences at B.C.I.T. She held this position until 2002 when she retired. In this position she was responsible for the Administration and Educational leadership of the Nursing and Specialty Nursing programs, the Biomedical Engineering technology programs, the Prosthetics and Orthotics and the Occupational Health and Safety programs. Exhibiting her interest in innovation in Nursing, she introduced Specialty Nursing courses that have become part of BCIT’s Specialty Nursing Program. It was also at this time that she was instrumental in introducing the Baccalaureate Program in Nursing.

Throughout her many years Bernadet has been very involved in professional Nursing activities. In addition to serving on several RNABC, now CRNBC committees, she was the President of the RNABC from 1983 to 1985. She was active in the Canadian Nurses Association, the Nurse Administrators Association of B.C., the Canadian College of Health Services Executives, as well as on several Hospital, University and Community Committees. She was on the Boards of BCIT, MDS Metro (now Life Lines) and on many Regional Health Board Committees.

After her retirement in 2002, she wrote a history of the Nursing Education Council of B.C. 1972-2000, wrote a brief Biography of Dr. C. E. McDonnell and was a Board Member and Chair of the Care and Support Services Committee of Yaletown House.

In 2002, Bernadet received her recognition Award for her valuable contributions to the Nursing Profession in B.C. and in 2003 she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Health Care Leaders Association of B.C.

Bernadet is most proud of her mentorship of other Nurses throughout her career. To this day she receives cards from Nurses who have felt that she helped them in some meaningful way in their working lives. All of her work has been directed toward supporting Nurses so that they could become better Nurses. It was Bernadet’s induring belief that well trained Nurses are the critical element in providing effective patient care.

In lieu of flowers donations will be gratefully acknowledged towards a Bursary for young students in M. Bernadet Ratsoy’s name;
C/O The Registered Nurses Foundation of B.C.
P.O. Box 3397, St. D
2405 Pine Street
Vancouver B.C. V6J 4L7