Posted: 11/13/2009
Under the mentorship of high-level business executives, several students from the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (JHUSON) Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program are learning to combine the best practices of business management, nursing leadership, and executive effectiveness.
This year, Erin Turner and Andrea Parsons Schram have been chosen to participate in the Executive Mentorship Program, which offers exceptional DNP students financial support aimed at building a year-long relationship with an executive mentor. Established through a gift from JHUSON Professor Maryann F. Fralic, DrPH, RN, FAAN, the program links students with mentors from a variety of non-health care disciplines and industries, including the worlds of business, finance, entertainment, media, politics and government, science, and technology.
For the past nine years, DNP student Erin Turner, MSN, RN, has been a Nurse Manger at the Clinical Research Unit of the Institute for Clinical and Translational Research at Johns Hopkins. “I want to develop my career in nursing administration,” says Turner, who will be mentored by Gail McGovern, President and CEO of the American Red Cross. Recognized by Fortune magazine in 2000 and 2001 as one of the top 50 most powerful women in corporate America, McGovern has held top management positions at AT&T Corporation and Fidelity Investments. She has experience running large organizations in competitive industries and a track record for improving business performance and service delivery to the public.
Andrea Parsons Schram, MS, RN, FNP-BC, who works as a family nurse practitioner in primary care as well as Clinical Instructor at the University of Texas at Arlington, says she is “passionate about nurse practitioners and the important role we play in the delivery of health care.” With the goal of learning more about how nurses can advocate for national health care policies, Parsons Schram will be mentored by Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association. Brown, the first female CEO in the history of the association, has worked with the American Heart Association since 1986, serving in a variety of roles including Chief Operating Officer. “I believe the knowledge, insight, and skills I’ll acquire in this program will strengthen my ability to act as an advocate and leader on a national level,” says Parsons Schram.
According to Fralic, “The Executive Mentorship Program offers today’s leaders avenues not only to share expertise, but most importantly to engage and positively influence the professional health care leaders of tomorrow. The mentor relationship will guide these emerging nurse leaders in the development of their own executive leadership skills and their future career endeavors.”