One Nurse’s Story
by USC CON Alumni Suzanne Dixson Thomas, PhD, APRN-BC, Nurse Scientist Owner, CSRA Nursing Associates, PC, Since 1993 Augusta, Georgia I grew up in the late fifties, early sixties. It was a time when women were limited to three occupations – secretary, teacher, or nurse – according to my mother. Daddy’s dream was that we three girls would all be engineers. In any case, I was determined to go to college. I wanted to be a scientist. At the last possible minute, I went to USC and registered for the fall semester of 1962 in the School of Nursing. After one year of school, mother decided that was enough. We never had much money and she had decided it was time for me to be on my own. I could take a clerical position at the telephone company where my father worked. So, I did not pre-register for the fall semester of 1963. Miss Amy Viglione was Dean of the School of Nursing. She called me to her office to inquire why I had not preregistered. When I explained mother’s view, she promptly called my mother and father to her office as well. We sat together in her office, staring in awe of this Yankee woman who was dressed in a beautiful suit, nails manicured, hair coiffed, and who was speaking to my parents in a businesslike tone. I don’t think she subscribed to the secretary--teacher--nurse notion. She was a professional nurse in a leadership role, an educator who saw a young student with potential. “No,” she said firmly and politely. “You cannot take her out of school.” “She can finish at the hospital if she wants to be a nurse,” my mother protested. “No. She needs to stay here and finish her degree. She is one of my best students!” I was astonished. It was true that I had exempted the first year of math and English, scored high in general chemistry, and was making a good average. As a freshman in a class of 125 students, I had not thought she knew I existed. But Miss Viglione was well informed about all her students. She proceeded to map out a plan with my parents. I was to stay at home, not in the dormitory; I would work all summer at the telephone company, save my earnings to pay tuition, and return in the Fall. I would ride the bus to work and school. My parents agreed to try it for another year. All that summer, I took dictation and tried to recall what those shorthand
characters meant when it came time to type the letters. I filed, read teletype tapes, filed, ran errands for others, and filed some more. That was the longest summer of my life. It ensured that I would work hard at Carolina the next year. I am grateful to Miss Viglione, now Mrs. Cockcroft, for her intervention. I graduated with my class in June of 1966 (USC, BS in Science). Later, I completed a Master of Nursing (Emory, 1972), a Family Nurse Practitioner Program (UT, Arlington, 1978), and a PhD in Nursing (TWU, 1984). I served as a faculty member in Texas, Tennessee, and Georgia for over 25 years. I never forgot the way Miss Viglione helped me. I took every opportunity to help my students to optimize their potential in Nursing. Sometimes nurses wonder whether or not they make a difference. We are the profession with the greatest degree of trust because of our ethical standards. Just by caring about and helping others, we make life better for those we serve, from the Dean of Nursing to the lowliest freshman. I am glad to be a nurse, a Carolina graduate.
All Gifts and Pledges to support Nursing can be sent to: USC College of Nursing 1600 Hampton Street, Suite 736 Columbia, SC 29208 Gift Processing Checks Made Payable to the USC Educational Foundation or at our website http://giving.sc.edu/ To learn how you can make a difference at USC College of Nursing contact the Development Office at 803-777-3468.