Hello,
As Program Coordinator for the Nursing Executive and Innovative Leadership program (NEIL) at Governors State University, I want to provide you with some insight into what it’s like being a student in the NEIL program.
The instructors in the program use active learning strategies to teach a variety of learners: visual learners, auditory learners, tactile learners, and yes, even those learners who have difficulty remaining seated. Nursing students learn in a way that most closely simulates real, on-the-job nursing situations, making for a more seamless transition into the workforce.
Your experience at Governors State will be student-centered from the very beginning when you enroll into your program of choice. You’ll have one-to-one meetings with the academic program advisors—who create student plans tailored for each student’s needs—and receive academic guidance by program coordinators in each specialty (like myself!), as well as a comprehensive orientation offered during initial admission and prior to initiation of specialty practicum courses. The most unique element of the program rests in the hands of the nurse educators who empower nursing students by offering fully online courses, hybrid courses, group projects, unfolding case studies, role play, concept maps, nursing simulation activities, and comparison studies. The goal of the program is to help students think critically, as opposed to a “content dump.”
GovState is home to a diverse group of students that range in age, culture, and background, with the same expectation in class: that a learning partnership is a concerted effort whereby both Professors and students invest time into their education. In order to master the knowledge, skills, and judgement needed to be a successful nurse leader, you must invest and commit to your future and we’ll be there with you, supporting you as you reach your goals.
My strong thirty-two years of background in nursing practice, leadership, and client care management has enabled me to be well prepared for contemporary and future nursing practice. Nursing leadership and management are crucial skills and abilities for complex and integrated community/regional networks that employ and deploy nurses to provide health care services to clients and communities. My vast experience in the healthcare industry helps guide the upcoming future nurse leaders in their enhancement in nursing leadership knowledge, skills, and innovative ideas.
We look forward to meeting you, one of the next leaders in healthcare.
Best,
Somi Nagaraj, DNP, MSN, RN, CSSGB, CONTL
(Pronoun: She/her/hers)
Assistant Professor
Department of Nursing
College of Health & Human Services