SGTC LPN alumni will be spotlighted in Worldwide Leaders in Healthcare

A South Georgia Technical College licensed practical nursing graduate, Shirley M. Kisor, who went on to complete her RN degree at Georgia Southwestern State University, was recognized recently as a member of the prestigious International Nurses Association organization and will be spotlighted in their upcoming publication “Worldwide Leaders in Healthcare.”

Shirley McNiel Kisor of Preston is working as a registered nurse with Advance MED and the Aureus Group in the Columbus, Georgia area. She has over 38 years of experience and specializes in travel nursing. She is also a Certified Georgia Paramedic. She has been honored as a ‘Nurse of the Year’ and, in addition to assisting patients, provides training for other nurses.

“At the age of 13, I made a decision that I wanted to be a ‘somebody’ rather than a ‘nobody,’” said Kisor, who came from a broken home and spent several of her teenage years at the Masonic Home for Children in Macon. “I grew up very poor and had a bad childhood, but I believe that you turn out to be what you want to be.”

“At 13, I actually drew a line on a piece of paper and wrote my good habits on one side and my bad habits on the other side. Then I began to weed out those bad habits and set my goals to help me become a ‘somebody,’” explained Kisor.

Two people helped mold her decision to become a nurse and enter the medical field. “First was my mother. She worked as a nurse aid in Texas and I can remember going to her work when I was only six years old. I think that is what inspired me to want to help people and become a nurse.”

The other major influencer was a teacher. “I had a teacher tell me once that nobody can ever take your education away from you. That made a big impact on my life as well.”

Shirley was able to rejoin her mother in Preston as a junior in high school. She went on to graduate from Tri-County High School in 1976 as a member of their first graduating class. Knowing that she wanted to pursue a nursing career, one of her counselors at Tri-County encouraged her to attend South Georgia Tech to earn her licensed practical nursing degree.

“Sara Matkowsky and Joyce Dunmon were the best teachers ever,” said Shirley. “They believed in me and Sara Matkowsky actually became more like a mother figure to me. They encouraged me to keep going and I did.”

Shirley gave birth to her first child before she could complete her LPN course work at South Georgia Tech, but her instructors worked with her and allowed her to sit in with the next class group and finish up her work.

After graduation, Kisor also went on to become an EMT and worked on an ambulance with the Webster County and Stewart County EMS. She also worked as an LPN at Stewart Webster Hospital. Eighteen years after earning her LPN certification at South Georgia Tech, Kisor was able to earn her RN degree from Georgia Southwestern in Americus.

When she decided to go back to school, she was working full-time and raising four children with her husband, Tim Kisor, who traveled as a commercial truck driver. “I had a full plate. It took me longer to get through college but I made it.”

Shirley and Tim have four grown children and 11 grandchildren. “God has blessed me very much in my life. I have Jesus in my life, and I am a wife, a mother, and a grandmother. I am also a nurse and a paramedic and I get to help people. That’s quite an accomplishment and I think I did become a ‘somebody.’”

One of the things that kept her going when times would get tough was a commercial and a song that went something like this, “If that old friend of mine could only see me now.”

“I would go back to the Children’s Home for homecoming and I heard that commercial or song and it made me press on to become ‘somebody,’” said Kisor.

South Georgia Technical College President Dr. John Watford pointed to Kisor as a great example of how South Georgia Tech can have a positive influence on the lives of individuals by providing them with the skills and education needed to earn a rewarding career.

“Mrs. Kisor is a great example of our ‘Two Great Choices – One Great Community’ efforts that we have through a partnership with Georgia Southwestern State University,” said SGTC President Dr. John Watford. “She was able to start her education at South Georgia Tech and earn a living. But she also took advantage of the higher education opportunities available at Georgia Southwestern. She is a true success story for both of our institutions and for our area.”

Shirley Kisor has over 38 years in the nursing field and has been working as a travel nurse since 2008. In her free time, she enjoys sewing, making earrings, and reading the American Journal of Nursing.

Learn more about Shirley here: http://inanurse.org/network/index.php?do=/4133592/info/ and be sure to read her upcoming publication in the Worldwide Leaders in Healthcare.

Shirley Kisor is shown above center (with ball cap) with her husband and some of your children and grandchildren at the Perry Fair.