a degree for tomorrow’s
nurse leaders by Nathaniel Moore
The Connell School of Nursing offers Greater Boston’s only advanced generalist master’s degree (AGM) in nursing. With a focus on leadership, administration, and systems change, this rigorous program prepares students from diverse backgrounds and experience levels to serve as compassionate, evidence-based nurse leaders with the skills needed to advance patient care. Hear from a faculty member and three students about the program’s unique strengths.
PATRICIA REID PONTE
BRIAN EAGAN
Clinical Associate Professor
M.S. ’21
Thanks to a career in leadership at some of the nation’s most prestigious health care facilities, including Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Patricia Reid Ponte knows what it takes for nurses to succeed in elite institutions. “To coordinate, manage, lead, and educate in this complex health care system,” she explains, “you really need a master of science in nursing that’s specially designed to give nurses the skills they need.”
Before entering the AGM program, Brian Eagan was a teacher assistant at BC’s Campus School, which serves students with extensive support needs, including complex health care needs. “I felt like I could better serve this population and others by shifting into nursing,” he says.
To prepare nurses for these diverse roles, Reid Ponte helped develop the curriculum of the AGM program, ensuring that it would effectively serve both students without undergraduate degrees in nursing and those with experience in the field. “This coursework prepares students to lead, assure quality and safety, and think creatively about innovation and the complex situations that arise when we care for people,” Reid Ponte says. “Our graduates are a good fit for any complex health care organization.”
16 voice | spring 2022
Eagan found his primary opportunity for hands-on learning through clinical rotations at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Arbour Hospital, and Boston Children’s Hospital. “Each of these rotations focused on a different type of nursing, taught a different skill set, and served a different patient population,” he explains, “so they complemented each other well.” Today, Eagan works as a registered nurse in the infant-toddler surgical unit at Boston Children’s Hospital, where he completed his Child Health rotation. “My experiences at BC and in clinical rotations have definitely helped strengthen my understanding of what I can do to support children and their families. I love my job.”
