Career
She specialised in spinal nursing and rehabilitation at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and the Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre annex of Royal Adelaide Hospital, throughout the forty three years of her nursing career. Her love of nursing began at the Resuscitation Clinic (the Blood Bank) of Royal Adelaide Hospital in 1951. The completion of Tyler"s formal nursing education at Royal Adelaide Hospital from 1952 to 1955, led to her involvement in establishing the acute and rehabilitation Spinal Cord Injury Service in South Australia in 1958, now known as the South Australian Spinal Cord Injury Service (SASCIS).
Responsible for setting up the (acute) phase 1, the 10 bed spinal unit for patients in Grey Ward of Royal Adelaide Hospital in 1961, Sister Tyler later commissioned the first spinal injury rehabilitation ward, phase 2 (long-term rehabilitation) in the Morris Wards at the Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre, sanctioned by the Director General of Medical Services Doctor J.W. Rollinson in 1962.
She officially closed the Morris Wards when the long awaited new Spinal Injury Unit and new Hydrotherapy Pool opened within the new Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre in 1994. Not supported by theory, nursing practice was gained by unique practical experience in special units of the hospital Tyler"s initial experience was obtained over a two-year period at the Department of Paraplegia, Royal Perth Hospital, Western Australia in 1961 This unit was pioneered by Australian Orthopaedic Surgeon Sir George Bedbrook, where sport played an important role in rehabilitation
Tyler was instrumental in gaining financial support for the construction of the first Hydrotherapy Pool at the Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre from Dame Ruby Litchfield of the Telethon Charities in 1972.
This was granted and the pool opened in 1973. She was Senior Nurse and Assistant Manager for the Inaugural South Australian National Spinal Games held at the Hampstead Centre in 1964, Senior Nurse at the Asia Pacific Games Tokyo, 1972, and organised the National Paralympic Games, interstate, every two years.
This was the first team to include South Australia athletes at the Paralympic Games which, at that time, only catered for wheelchair athletes.
Tyler"s "boys and girls" include Australian Paralympians Kevin Munro, Richard Oliver, Troy Andrews, Neil Lillecrapp, Kevin Bawden, Libby Kosmala.
