With ties to IUPUI dating back to 1970, School of Nursing alumna Claudia Dille, MSN, coupled her love for science and her desire to give back to the community to create a distinguished career as a nurse, educator, mentor, and advocate. That year, she came to Indiana to work at IU Hospital after completing her nursing undergrad at Texas Woman's University in 1969.
Dille, who was still considering her long-term professional path, decided to pursue her master's degree in medical-surgical nursing at IUPUI with minors in teacher education and continuing education. During her graduate studies, she worked as a staff nurse in surgical ICU at IU Hospital, and also served as a resident lecturer in the Associate of the Arts Degree in Nursing program, where she supervised and evaluated clinical assignments and participated in curriculum development.
After she graduated from IUPUI in 1978, Dille joined the surgical and adult critical care nursing services division at the IU Medical Center where she stayed until 1995. Initially working as a staff development coordinator, she later became assistant to the associate director and eventually acting associate director. During her tenure, Dille led the planning, development, and implementation of the Continuing Education Program for Nursing Services.
"At the time, there were few hospitals with accredited continuing education programs for nurses, and I'm proud to have led our initiative and to have impacted education in that way," said Dille, a member of the American Nurses Association and the Indiana State Nurses Association since 1975.
That continuing education program, which received approval from the Indiana State Nurses Association and accreditation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), is still offered by the IU Health system. Dille eventually shared her expertise with the ANCC where she served as a site appraiser for more than a dozen years, evaluating other such programs seeking accreditation.
