Oakland, CA - Jessica Embree could have entered nearly any college of her choice, having graduated first in her class of 358 students at San Jose’s Abraham Lincoln High School with a 4.0 grade point average and a 1420 SAT score. This fall, she will be among the first women to attend Mills College’s new Pre-nursing Program, as she pursues her love of science and working with people in Mills’ dynamic, liberal arts environment. 

Jessica will study science and liberal arts courses for two years at Mills, and earn her bachelor of science degree in nursing following two years of nursing theory and clinical work at nearby Samuel Merritt College.  Samuel Merritt guarantees her admission upon completion of the Nursing Entrance Test and achievement of a 3.0 grade point average at Mills.

“Nursing combines medical scientific practice with helping people day-to-day,” says Jessica.  “There are so many different career paths to choose from: you can become an occupational therapist, a surgical nurse, a nurse practitioner…I look forward to finding my own niche.”

Jessica realized she wanted to pursue a career in the medical field after volunteering for two years with the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley where she took care of baby birds, squirrels and possums. “I knew I wanted to help care for people directly,” she says.

When she completes her degree, she will have national and international job opportunities, as there is currently a shortage of skilled nurses to respond to the health care needs of the aging baby boomer population. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported nursing to be one of ten occupations projected to have the largest number of new jobs available in the coming years.

“The Mills/Samuel Merritt program will create the best nurses in the Bay Area,” says Kate Wilson who earned her bachelor’s degree in liberal studies at Mills and is completing her master’s degree in nursing and case management at Samuel Merritt.  She says “Pre-nursing students will be super-prepared for the holistic field of nursing because Mills’ liberal arts and science curriculum will give them an awareness of people from biochemical, cultural and psychological perspectives. The whole world opened up to me at Mills.”

Mills’ Pre-nursing Program is now accepting applications for fall enrollment.  A free Nursing Information Session will be held at Mills on Wednesday, June 22 at 6:30 pm. The campus is located at 5000 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland 94613. For more information, call (510) 430-2135, visit the Mills website: www.mills.edu or email admission@mills.edu.

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Deborah Dallinger
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