Wilmington University’s MSN Leadership Program grows as nurses prepare for essential roles in the rapidly expanding health care realm. In the fall semester, 50 new students joined the program nationwide.
Dr. Lisa Drews
“Nurses are recognizing that having a graduate degree can really advance their careers,” says Dr. Lisa Drews, who chairs the MSN Leadership Program in the College of Health Professions and Natural Sciences.
The new students in the online program are from Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia. Many are taking advantage of Gild partnerships in which nurses receive tuition reimbursement.
WilmU offers four MSN Leadership areas of concentration: Educator, Executive, Legal Nurse Consultant, and Public Health. The degrees can be paired with an MBA or an MS in Management.
“There’s been an increase in interest in Executive and Public Health tracks in a post-COVID world,” Dr. Drews says. “It’s learning to manage a budget and understanding that health care is a business.”
“Nurses are recognizing that having a graduate degree can really advance their careers.”
— Dr. Lisa Drews
WilmU worked with Christiana Care Health System, Nemours Children’s Health, and Beebe Healthcare to identify areas of professional development, including job satisfaction for healthcare providers. As they progress through the program, students create portfolios of their work to share with peers and current and future employers.
An innovative healthy habit track helps students maintain a positive work-life balance. “We talk about self-care so they can manage the demands of work and school,” Dr. Drews says.