Name: Dr. Jeri Ann (Boylan) Milstead
Year of graduation from Mount Carmel School of Nursing: 1957
Current hometown: Dublin, Ohio
Professional highlights: PhD in Pol. Sc. (health policy) from U. of Georgia; Board of Nursing of South Carolina (4 years - 2 as president, 1 as VP); dean of College of Nursing, University of Toledo for 10 years; Distinguished Alumnus, Mount Carmel College of Nursing; Board of Trustees, Mount Carmel College of Nursing; Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing; taught nursing in every type of program from PhD/DNP to LPN; editor/senior author of leading textbook on nurses and health policy.
When did you first feel the call to be a nurse? I never had a "calling" as such. I was hospitalized at Mount Carmel as a 9-year-old with appendicitis. My family lived more than an hour away so I was alone a large part of the day. The RN who took care of me was wonderful -- she supplied more than wound care -- I remember her as supplying lots of TLC! As a student, I applied only to Mount Carmel.
What television show do you have to DVR every week? Downton Abbey!
What is your favorite memory of Mount Carmel? Living in the dorm (boot camp that melded the students into a single group).
How has your Mount Carmel network helped you in your life, personally or professionally or both? 12 to 20 of us in the Columbus area still meet for lunch every 2-3 months! We have become better friends as the years have passed -- we are "there" for each other in times of sadness and joy.
What book is currently on your nightstand (or at the top of your Kindle favorites)? My Kindle is full of WWII books (Allen Furst's many books about the chaos in Poland before and during German invasion); books about women in France who fought in the resistance; books about nurses in the Pacific Theater and their heroism; Insurgents (a book I haven't started yet that deals with the evolution of how wars are fought); Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books (great characters, lots of laughter).
What advice would you like to share with other nurses as they move from students to alumni of Mount Carmel? Work hard but learn the joy of nursing. If you don't enjoy what you are doing, change your focus -- there is so much variety in our profession! Definitely get that master's degree and then, definitely, earn your PhD or DNP. You have many years to work and you will have more opportunity with each additional level of education. Dream what you'd really like to do and then make it happen.
