Jill M. Hayes 90N
In the late 1980’s I was fortunate enough to be chosen as one of two Woodruff fellows to attend the Emory School of Nursing. I was married and a mom of two kids, one of whom was a freshman in college and the other a freshman in high school. I am a nurse, originally with a diploma from a hospital-based school of nursing in Montreal, Canada, and had recently completed my RN-BSN program in the suburbs of Dallas, Texas. My husband was transferred to San Antonio at the time I graduated with the BSN, and I entered a masters in nursing education program in San Antonio only to have to withdraw one year later when we were again transferred, this time to Atlanta, in 1987.
My dream goal was to earn a masters in nursing education to enable me to teach in an undergraduate nursing program.
Once we were settled in Atlanta, I began to search for such a degree program, with little success – the one program in Atlanta did not meet my needs. I heard that Emory offered a masters in nursing administration, with an option to add a “minor” in nursing education but the cost of tuition was cost prohibitive with two children to educate. When I learned of the Woodruff fellowship program, I applied and sent it off with a “wing and a prayer”!
The excitement and gratitude I sensed when the notification letter arrived was immeasurable and I will be eternally grateful for that opportunity.
Having been involved in the Woodruff advisory board for the past three years, I have a sense that the fellowship and scholar program was in its initial stages. I remember a welcome reception the semester I enrolled and maybe one more such event but certainly not the plethora of activities we as a board offer the current scholars and fellows. However, the immense support, both financially and academically, was more than enough to launch my dream career of educating the nurses of the future. I was also given the opportunity to teach in the School of Nursing which indeed contributed significantly to my skill set as an educator. Since those days I have earned a Ph.D. in nursing administration and am able to reflect on a successful career in nursing education spanning 34 years, no doubt owed in large part to my “Woodruff experience”.