School of Nursing Celebrates 120 years of Nursing in Houston

The City of Houston's first School of Nursing, now the University of St. Thomas Carol & Odis Peavy School of Nursing, celebrates 120 years on Oct. 1. The mission and legacy of this incredible history continues to thrive in the education received by UST nurses.

"For 120 years, the Carol & Odis Peavy School of Nursing has carried forward the sacred mission first embraced by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word - to see Christ in every patient and to bring healing, compassion and hope to those most in need," said Dr. Sinda K. Vanderpool, President of University of St. Thomas. "This milestone celebrates our past and leans into a bright future, one that celebrates whole person care based on our core belief that each person, created in the image of God, has inherent dignity."

In the Beginning … There was a Call

The University of St. Thomas Carol & Odis Peavy School of Nursing traces its roots to 1866, when the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, (CCVI) Houston heeded a call from Bishop Claude M. Dubuis, the second Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Galveston, Texas which at the time encompassed the whole state. Riding long journeys on horseback, he witnessed the overwhelming sickness, disease and poverty of the people. Seeking help for those who were suffering, he issued a call to his native France for women religious to come to Texas to help care for the sick and infirm.

He implored the order he helped create: "Our Lord Jesus Christ, suffering in the persons of a multitude of sick and infirm of every kind, seeks relief at your hands. The Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, Houston is a community of women religious serving within the Church as signs of God's presence in the world. The Sisters are entrusted with the mission of embodying the love of the Incarnate Word, bearing in mind that, whatever the form of ministry; it is by means of their lives that they witness most convincingly to the presence of Jesus Christ."

School of Nursing History

The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word established Houston's first nursing school at St. Joseph's Infirmary on Oct. 1, 1905. The school was formally incorporated with the State of Texas a year later, on Nov. 23, 1906, as St. Joseph's Training School for Nurses. The Sisters' charism is to serve God's people and promote wellness, especially for those who are economically disadvantaged, and they provided all the instructions to a small group of initial students.

Dr. Michael Sullivan, DBe, HEC-C, LFACHE, Interim Divisional Dean for the UST Center for Science and Health Professions and Program Director for the Cameron School of Business Healthcare Administration Graduate Program, said the Catholic Nursing Legacy is an enduring ministry born out of caring for all God's people, regardless of race, religion, economic means or personal circumstance.

"Nursing is a sacred vocation, which embodies a commitment to provide holistic, compassionate, quality care to all those in need," he said. "This ethos of nursing is grounded in the understanding that each person is a treasure, each life a sacred gift, and each human being a unity of body, mind and spirit. Often unspoken, the profession of nursing has the honor and privilege to witness, assist and support another human being during life's most challenging moments. Nursing indeed provides an up-close view of one of the sacred mysteries of God."

During the years, students who traversed through the schools' hallowed halls culminate in excess of 5,000 graduates from St. Joseph School of Nursing, and its successors, Sacred Heart Dominican College, the UST School of Nursing and the UST Peavy School of Nursing. They have served on the front lines in war, peace, mission fields and whenever a disaster strikes. They can be found in hospitals, free clinics, classrooms, armed services, prisons, behavioral health, mobile health vans, operating rooms, emergency centers, neonatal ICUs, home health, rehabilitation centers, retirement communities and more.

"Throughout life's journey, in sickness and in health, within local communities and beyond, countless individuals have benefited from the high quality, compassionate care of our nurses; the hallmark of the Catholic nursing legacy," Dr. Sullivan said.

Sister Mary Martina Casey, CCVI

Sister Mary Martina Casey served as the Director of the St. Joseph School of Nursing beginning in 1943 and continued to serve the school in various leadership roles for the next 43 years. Recognizing that major changes needed to be made in the ways nurses were educated, she led changes that helped evolve the role of nurses and health care in Texas, and the nation.

In June 1947, St. Joseph's School of Nursing affiliated with Sacred Heart Dominican College, becoming the first nursing school in Houston to change to an integrated four-year collegiate course leading to the Bachelor of Science degree in nursing, instead of the three-year nursing diploma previously offered. This visionary initiative was approved by the Texas State Board of Nursing and accredited by the National League of Nursing.

Sister Mary Martina served as Director of the Sacred Heart Dominican College Department of Nursing for the next 25 years, pursuing a curriculum that transformed the concept of nursing from focusing only on the clinical aspects of medical care, to emphasizing the dignity of each patient and care of the whole person.

In 1972, Sacred Heart Dominican College transferred the school's affiliation to University of St. Thomas. The School of Nursing has a reputation for high quality in the Houston medical community. The program is fully accredited by both the State of Texas Board of Nursing and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

Sister Celeste Trahan CCVI, Congregational Leader for the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, mentions how Sister Martina was a wonderful leader.

"Due to the gentle influence of this dedicated nun, women and men learned and honed their skills, excelled clinically and committed themselves professionally, to care for patients of all ages, whether at the bedside, through research, education or policymaking," she said. "The undeniable legacy of Sister Mary Martina Casey lives on today ‒ a woman of rare vision and calm hope who gently stepped into our lives and showed us the way to draw closer to Christ."

The University of St. Thomas Carol & Odis Peavy School of Nursing

With the support of the nursing alumni, in 2012 the School of Nursing was named in honor of Carol and Odis Peavy, who were philanthropic catalysts on behalf of the school. In gratitude to the former dean, the alumni established the Sister Mary Martina Casey Endowed Chair in Nursing.

Dr. Claudine Dufrene PhD, RN-BC, GNP-BC, CNE, UST Executive Dean and Associate Professor in the School of Nursing and who holds the Sr. Mary Martina Casey Endowed Chair in Nursing, agrees on the influence of Sister Martina Casey.

"Affirming the vision of Sister Martina Casey and guided by the human capacities for compassion, justice, tolerance, reflection, creativity and moral choice, the University of St. Thomas Peavy School of Nursing Programs currently include - Bachelor of Science in Nursing (traditional & accelerated programs), Master of Science in Nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and Post-Master's Certificate in Psychiatric Mental Health," she said.

The Mission Continues

In honor of the 120th anniversary of the School of Nursing's initial founding at St. Joseph Infirmary on Oct. 1, 1905, the University of St. Thomas Peavy School Nursing prides itself in educating nurses to integrate scientific knowledge, spiritual certitude, and clinical skills by providing holistic and compassionate care to patients throughout the world. UST nurses provide new and advanced methods to enhance well-being by effectively addressing health conditions to improve the overall health of those entrusted to their care.

Fr. Eduaro Rivera, UST Campus Chaplain, will celebrate this esteem legacy with Mass on Oct. 1 in the Chapel of St. Basil.

"The Catholic nursing legacy embodied within the Peavy School of Nursing continues to weave the mission of the Sisters of Charity as articulated by the University's core values - goodness, discipline, knowledge and community," he said. Grateful to embrace the foundational call of the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, Houston, our highly skilled nurses avow to serve by offering comfort, hope, healing and peace to a multitude of sick and infirm of every kind."