A NURSE FOR ALL SEASONS…

Vernice D. Ferguson is recognized by the international nursing profession as a “living legend.” The American Academy of Nursing honored Ms. Ferguson as a “Nurse for all seasons, all people and all times.” She has accomplished so many “firsts” as an African American, as a woman, and as a nurse that she stands in a league of her very own.

Vernice Ferguson is Senior Fellow Emeritus in the School of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania where she held the Fagin Family Chair in Cultural Diversity from 1993-1996. Prior to this position she served for 12 years as the Assistant Chief Medical Director for Nursing Programs in the Department of Veterans Affairs and is the recipient of eight honorary doctorates and two fellowships.

Ms. Ferguson is a Fellow and past president of the American Academy of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International, and the International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care. She serves on the Board of Overseers at the School of Nursing, the University of Pennsylvania, the Advisory Committee for the Nurse Managed Initiative of the Independence Foundation, the National Advisory committee for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Executive Nurse Fellows Program, the Bon Secours Health System’s Quality Committee, Catholic University’s School of Nursing Advisory Board, and Trinity University’s Advisory Council for the Nursing Program.

For more than twenty years Vernice Ferguson served as a top nurse executive in federal service and was the Chief Nurse at two VA Medical Centers affiliated with academic health science. For twelve years she was the nurse leader for the Department of Veterans Affairs, the largest organized nursing service in the world with more than 60,000 nursing personnel. Ms. Ferguson is an honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing of the United Kingdom, the second American nurse so honored.

Vernice Ferguson learned valuable lessons early in her life that would serve her well on the journey to becoming one of the most prominent leaders in nursing. She believed that “if one gets a good education and becomes excellent in what he or she does, it will be recognized and speak for itself.” Indeed, Vernice Ferguson’s contributions to global healthcare services for nearly 60 years continue to make an impact on world health today and into the future.

To this day Vernice Ferguson walks the walk and never lets imposed limitations slow her down or keep her from achieving her goals. “I always thought that today takes care of itself, but leaders should be looking at tomorrow.”