Joan Godfrey had numerous memorable experiences during clinical practice whilst in training and thereafter. Her experience led to a concern for the welfare and status of nurses. All her professional life she worked with others to achieve professional status for nurses and improved educational and working conditions. She turned to education as the means to bring about change for nurses and taught at pre registration and post registration levels.
She developed considerable expertise in the field of nursing education gaining a high reputation amongst the nursing profession, in Queensland and beyond, as an educator. In 1960 when the then College of Nursing, Australia, expanded its operations to include a Queensland branch, Dr Godfrey was appointed as Staff Tutor. At this time she was also involved in the recruitment for enrolment in both short and long courses at the Branch, and conducting short courses in country areas throughout the State. She worked closely with the then Director of the College, Patricia Chomley, a leading pioneer in the cause of post basic education for nurses, to introduce "post graduate" studies in Queensland. Dr Godfrey was a major contributor in the development of College model for delivering post basic education to nurses.
Within five years Dr Godfrey was the appointed Principal of the Queensland branch of the College and took the opportunity to increase the number of graduates from Queensland and to assist others trying to improve the standards of nurse education. These activities were to culminate in the incorporation of the Queensland Branch of the College of Nursing, Australia into the Queensland Institute of Technology (QIT), later to become the Queensland University of Technology. Dr Godfrey became the Foundation Head of Nursing Studies in QIT and laid the foundations in post basic studies for nurses for others to build on.
A believer in life long learning she commenced university studies at the age of 40 as a part time student at the University of Queensland and then subsequently utilized her studies for the benefit of nurses.
Dr Godfrey was active in the life of the nursing profession and "made significant contributions to nursing education as a member of many statutory authorities and committees. She was involved at both State and national level with the concerns of major nursing organisations" such as the Florence Nightingale Committee, the Royal Australian Nursing Federation (now the Australian Nursing Federation) and the Royal College of Nursing, Australia. She served as President of the then College of Nursing, Australia in 1982-83 and served in the role of Censor-in-Chief for the 13 years from 1979-1992. At the College's invitation she gave the twenty fifth Patricia Chomley oration titled Nursing's Heritage: Chains to Loosen in 1991 at the annual meeting of RCNA in Brisbane. In recognition of her contribution to the life of the College she was awarded its highest honour, an Honorary Fellowship of the College, in 1993.
In retirement she was able to give more time to developing her interest in nursing history and collaborated with Bartz Schultz in 15 years of meticulous research and writing the seminal history of nursing in Australia in two volumes titled A Tapestry of Service - The Evolution of Nursing in Australia volumes one and two. Her contribution to the discipline of nursing was recognised with an honorary doctorate conferred by the Queensland University of Technology in 1994. Her service to nursing was recognised by the Queen with the award of Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1984.
| 1943 - 1946 | Army service in the Australian Army Medical Women's Service (AAMWS), Australian Imperial Force |
| 1947 | General Nursing Certificate completed at the Greenslopes Military Hospital/Cairns Base Hospital |
| 1947 - 1988 | Member of the Royal Australian Nursing Federation |
| 1948 | Midwifery Certificate completed at the Ryde District Soldiers' Memorial Hospital, Sydney |
| 1949 | Mothercraft and Infant Welfare Certificate completed in Karitane, Sydney |
| 1949 - 1951 | Sister Tutor at Brisbane Hospital |
| 1951 - 1953 | Sister-in-charge of the Orthopaedic Ward at Brisbane Hospital |
| 1955 - 955 | Diploma in Nursing Education completed at the College of Nursing, Australia |
| 1955 | Florence Nightingale Scholarship received |
| 1956 - 1959 | Council member at the Royal Australian Nursing Federation, Queensland branch |
| 1956 - 1960 | Honorary Secretary of the Queensland State Committee (Queensland Chapter) of the Royal College of Nursing, Australia |
| 1956 - 1960 | Nurse Educator at Brisbane Hospital |
| 1956 - 1960 | Committee member on the Florence Nightingale Committee of Australia, Queensland branch |
| 1956 - 1976 | Member of the Florence Nightingale International Nurses' Association |
| 1956 - 1986 | Committee member of the Queensland State Committee of the Royal College of Nursing, Australia |
| 1957 - 1960 | Honorary Secretary of Nurse Educators' Section at the Royal Australian Nursing Federation, Queensland branch |
| 1957 - 1977 | Member of the Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps Reserve of Officers |
| 1959 | Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing, Australia |
| 1960 - 1964 | Staff Tutor at College of Nursing, Australia, Queensland branch |
| 1960 - 1966 | Examiner on the Nurses Registration Board |
| 1961 - 1963 | Chairman of the Nurse Educators' Section at the Royal Australian Nursing Federation, Queensland branch |
| 1965 - 1977 | Branch Principal of the College of Nursing, Australia, Queensland branch |
| 1966 - 1977 | Member of the Education Committee of the Royal College of Nursing, Australia |
| 1967 - 1969 | Member of the Expert Advisory Panel on Nursing Education at the International Council of Nurses |
| 1969 - 1971 | Member of the Committee of Inquiry into Nurse Education in Queensland at the Royal Australian Nursing Federation, Queensland branch |
| 1970 - 1971 | Vice-President of the Royal Australian Nursing Federation, Queensland branch |
| 1970 - 1976 | Federal Councillor at the Royal Australian Nursing Federation (now Australian Nursing Federation) |
| 1971 | Charter Member of the Zonta Club of Brisbane |
| 1971 - 1972 | Chairman of the Queensland State Committee of the Royal College of Nursing, Australia |
| 1971 - 1976 | President of the Royal Australian Nursing Federation - Queensland branch |
| 1971 - 1989 | Member of the Australian College of Education |
| 1972 - 1977 | Member of the Professional Development Committee at the Royal Australian Nursing Federation (now Australian Nursing Federation) |
| 1973 - 1974 | Chairman of the Working Party on Nursing Education in Queensland of the Royal College of Nursing, Australia |
| 1974 - 1977 | Faculty Representative on the Council of the Royal College of Nursing, Australia |
| 1975 - 1976 | Member of the Curriculum Advisory Committee at the Nurses' Board of Queensland |
| 1975 - 1976 | Member of the Nursing Advisory Committee to the Board of Advanced Education |
| 1977 - 1981 | Chairman of the Queensland Task Force on Goals in Nursing Education at the Royal Australian Nursing Federation, Queensland branch |
| 1977 - 1984 | Member of the Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration |
| 1977 - 1986 | Member of the Board of Nursing Studies |
| 1978 | Fellow of the New South Wales College of Nursing |
| 1978 | Member of the Health Education Sub Committee of the Social Science Course Assessment Committee of the Board of Advanced Education |
| 1978 - 1979 | Member of the Censors Board at the Royal College of Nursing, Australia |
| 1978 - 1979 | Member of the Curriculum Steering Committee of the Board of Nursing Studies |
| 1978 - 1979 | Chairman of the Nursing Research Committee at the Board of Nursing Studies |
| 1978 - 1980 | Elected member of the Council of the Royal College of Nursing, Australia |
| 1978 - 1982 | Member of the Academic Assembly at Queensland Institute of Technology |
| 1978 - 1983 | Chairman of the Nursing Studies Advisory Committee at Queensland Institute of Technology |
| 1978 - 1984 | Member of the Health Science Academic Board at Queensland Institute of Technology |
| 1978 - 1984 | Foundation Head of the Department of Nursing Studies at Queensland Institute of Technology |
| 1979 | Member of the working group appointed by the Minister for Health to report on the Sax Committee Report on Nurse Education and Training |
| 1979 - 1981 | Advisor to National Steering Committee on Goals in Nursing Education at the Royal Australian Nursing Federation (now Australian Nursing Federation) |
| 1979 - 1986 | Member of the Executive Committee of the Royal College of Nursing, Australia Queensland State Committee (Queensland Chapter) |
| 1979 - 1992 | Member of the Council Executive Committee of the Royal College of Nursing, Australia |
| 1980 - 1981 | Charter Member of the Zonta Club of Brisbane |
| 1980 - 1985 | Member of the Alpha Delta Kappa Sorority |
| 1980 - 1986 | Chairman of the Education Committee at the Board of Nursing Studies |
| 1981 | Member of the Course Assessment Committee for Nursing Courses with the Tertiary Education Authority of South Australia |
| 1981 - 1982 | Vice-President of the Royal College of Nursing, Australia |
| 1982 - 1983 | President of the Royal College of Nursing, Australia |
| 1982 - 1983 | Chairman of the Council Executive Committee of the Royal College of Nursing, Australia |
| 1984 | Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) |
| 1984 | Member of the joint working party of Board of Advanced Education and Board of Nursing Studies on Future Developments on Nurse Education in Queensland |
| 1984 - 1985 | President of Alpha Delta Kappa (Alpha Chapter) in Brisbane |
| 1984 - 1985 | Treasurer of the Zonta Club of Brisbane |
| 1984 - 1987 | Consultant on Nursing Education |
| 1986 | Distinguished Nursing Service Award received |
| 1993 | Honorary Fellowship received from the Royal College of Nursing, Australia |
| 1994 | Doctor of the University received from Queensland University of Technology |
| 1994 | Clarice Mary Gately Mater Distinguished Nursing Award received |
