She earned a master's degree in nursing education from Teachers College, Columbia University.

In 1950, she went to Liberia as superintendent of nursing education at St. Timothy's Hospital in Robertsport,[5] sponsored by the Episcopal Church.

[6] She also taught nursing classes in other African countries, and in Pakistan,[7] Lebanon, Vietnam,[8] Burma,[9] and Barbados.

She was a member of the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses, the NAACP, the League of Women Voters, and other civic and professional organizations.

[1] Yergan was recognized as an outstanding volunteer by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) in 1994,[17] after she organized Senior Showcase events in Charlottesville, Virginia, as resource fairs to help older residents and community programs find each other.