1951 - 2003
 

Susan Lafae Painter Ferguson
 

     Susan Ferguson began her nursing career in California as a Nurse’s Aide at the age of 18.  This led to her entrance into the Hayward Adult Vocational program where she earned her certificate to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse. 

     In 1984 Susan earned her Associates Degree through a Weber State College outreach program.  Soon after she passed the Registered Nurse state exam.  Later she earned her Bachelors degree from Weber State University, and eventually she went on to earn a Masters degree from Brigham Young University as a Family Nurse Practitioner. 

SUSAN’S NURSING EXPERIENCE

     Susan first worked as a nurse at Levine Hospital in Hayward, California in 1970.  She was there for nearly four years.  Much of that time she worked alongside her mother who was also a nurse.

     Susan came to Utah in 1974.  She worked for the Intermountain Health Care network over the next 20+ years, serving in Provo, Mt. Pleasant, Fillmore and Richfield.  Most of her experience was in rural nursing care, which meant that she had to know something about every aspect of nursing.  Besides gaining superior knowledge and skills, always eager to learn of new methods and ideas to help her patients, Susan always went the extra mile to comfort her patients.  She made them laugh.  She helped them to smile.  She reached out to meet their every need.  She involved the patients’ families as well, providing information, education and comfort to them as needed. 

     In the mid-90s Susan began teaching nursing at the Sevier Valley Applied Technology Center (later known as Snow College South).  She spent the majority of those years as the director of the Allied Health Department.  She also served as the Richfield coordinator for the Weber State University outreach program, helping to train nursing students to become Registered Nurses.  Her emphasis was on teaching nurses to be true caregivers, reaching out to meet every patient’s needs.  Service was always at the core of her teaching, whether working with students in the RN or LPN program.  

     As the director of the Allied Health Department Susan established many additional health education programs including first aide and CPR courses, the pharmacy assistant program, and LPN outreach programs.  Students from Snow College South competed annually in the national HOSA competitions for future health care providers, and always scored well, often earning top awards for their categories.  Under Susan’s leadership the Allied Health Department thrived.  Students who graduated from Snow College South’s health care programs entered the workforce with a reputation of competence, reliability, and a strong orientation towards service.

SUSAN’S NURSING PHILOSOPHY

     The following quote is from Susan’s Masters thesis on the subject of service in the nursing profession:
 

"Service in nursing is both art and science.  The art component does not happen by chance or come automatically.  It comes by a personal decision and commitment to serve others.  Without this personal commitment the nurse may be competent and skilled, but nursing practice remains solely on a professional and vocational level.  It is a job.  Service, the art of nursing, is something much deeper, something which comes from within."
 

Both in her teaching and in her own personal approach to nursing, Susan always put service at the center of all she did.  Her patients always knew that she cared about them and their needs, and she instilled that same attitude in her students.

SUSAN’S BATTLE WITH CANCER

     Susan was diagnosed with breast cancer late in 1996.  Although she had had regular mammograms, the lump had gone undetected apparently masked by fiber cystic growths. 

     After her mastectomy Susan received chemotherapy.  She was then accepted into an experimental stem cell replacement program, a particularly horrific procedure that Susan endured courageously.  Following this Susan received radiation treatments, and then went for over a year with no signs of cancer.
 

     In the summer of 1999 the cancer returned, this time in the form of bone cancer.  Susan knew that she was now a terminal patient.  She continued to work as the director of Allied Health for another year-and-a-half, pushing herself to be there for her colleagues and students even when she felt weak and miserable.

     Susan continually received various chemotherapy treatments designed to keep the cancer at bay while helping her to be more comfortable, but always she was dealing with pain and the realization that she could no longer do many of the things she so loved to do.  Among these was her love of nursing.  More than the physical pain of the cancer, Susan suffered the pain of not being able to give service to others the way she had always done in the past.  Susan was a giver, not a taker.

     Susan bravely battled on, inspiring all who knew her with her will to overcome obstacles and make the most out of life no matter how hard things might be.  When she could no longer work she traveled the world, spent time with her children and grandchildren, and continued to serve as well as she could in her church.

     When the end finally came on May 14, 2003 at the age of 51, it was obvious that she had given everything she was capable of giving in this lifetime.

SUSAN’S FAMILY

     Susan was married in the Oakland LDS Temple to Charles Ferguson.  They were married for 33 years.  Susan was the mother of three daughters (Sandi, Suzette and Shauna) and two sons (Eldin and Spencer). She had five grandchildren when she passed away.

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