Oakland, CA - A new generation of nursing students are learning everything from conflict resolution to values assessment at Mills College, preparing for new paths of leadership in their profession.

According to Shelagh Little, coordinator of Mills’ new Nursing Leadership Program, “Mills encourages nursing students to think beyond the bedside, beyond the Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing, to pursue careers in areas such as hospital administration, health care advocacy, and medical research.” She adds, “developing leadership acumen is just as important as gaining clinical skills for women who want to assume positions of greater authority in nursing.”

The approximately 22 current students bring diverse career interests and goals to the program, including disaster and international relief, labor and delivery, oncology and forensics, and mental health nursing. 

The Mills Nursing Leadership Program (NLP) builds on students’ course work in the College’s pre-nursing (“2+2”) program established in Fall 2005 as an intercollegiate Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Program with Samuel Merritt College. Students who satisfactorily complete two years of undergraduate science and liberal arts requirements in the pre-nursing program at Mills College (minimum 3.0 GPA) are guaranteed admission to Samuel Merritt College, where they then complete their hospital-based nursing education requirements toward the BSN.

The NLP is based on research that demonstrates the strong relationship between the leadership characteristics of nurse managers/executives and nurse career retention.

Every spring and fall, Mills will offer a series of experiential, interactive workshops and seminars designed to develop pre-nursing students’ full leadership potential. The series includes four areas:

1. Speaker/role models providing narratives of groundbreaking projects and distinguished nursing careers
2. Exploration of career options to give students a sense of the full range of possibilities
3. Self-reflective and problem solving aspects of leadership
4. Business and political skills such as negotiation, conflict resolution, mentoring, and self advocacy

The following is a selection of Spring 2006 offerings:

Nursing Careers Forum: An Introduction to the Roles of Nurses
Judy Martin-Holland, PhD, RN, CS, FNP, Assistant Dean, Academic Services and Diversity Enhancement, UCSF School of Nursing, Dean’s Office. 

Leadership Workshop 1: “Envision”
The first in a series of skill-building workshops, helps participants discern their values and passions. 

Nursing Careers Forum: Working Outside the Hospital
Mills alumna Linda Franks, MA, RN will discuss her work as a prison nurse, as an occupational health nurse, and as a pediatric diabetes nurse. 

Nursing Careers Forum:  Beyond the Bedside 
Mills alumna Janet Constantinou, PhD, of Stanford University, will talk about her career in medical research, building on her nursing experience and training.  

Nursing Careers Forum: Working with Infants and Children
Maureen Buick, MS, RN, Department of Nursing, UCSF Medical Center, and Roberta Williams, BSN, PHN, RN, credentialed school nurse, will discuss their careers serving infants and children.

Seminar on Mentoring 
A nurse will talk about the role of mentoring in her career and a representative from the Career Center will discuss how to work with a mentor. 

Summer Planning Workshop (focus on summer school and internships)

For further information about Mills’ 2+2 pre-nursing program, contact Joan Jaffe, Associate Dean of Admission, 510.430.2135 or joanj@mills.edu

Mills College is a nationally renowned, independent liberal arts college offering innovative degree programs for undergraduate women, and graduate degree and certificate programs for women and men. Consistently ranked among the top 75 liberal arts colleges in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Mills is also recognized as one of the country’s 20 most diverse liberal arts colleges. The Princeton Review selected Mills as one of 11 colleges for first-time inclusion in its Best 361 Colleges–2005. Nestled in the foothills of Oakland, California on 135 lush acres, Mills provides a dynamic liberal arts education fostering women’s leadership, social responsibility, and creativity.

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