Turner Selected to Lead Nursing
Program
at Southwestern College
Winfield, Kan., Dec. 5, 2023 — Southwestern College has announced the
selection of Shona Turner as the program director for the college’s nursing
program. Turner will lead the return of a bachelor-level nursing program to
Southwestern College, Cowley County, and South-Central Kansas. Her early work
will include working on accreditation, developing curriculum and courses,
securing partnerships with area healthcare providers, and hiring faculty to
teach in the division. She will also work to support and advise students
presently enrolled as pre-nursing majors. Her work will officially begin for
the college on January 2 as the spring semester begins.
Turner comes to the college with broad experience in the healthcare
industry, from direct patient care to administration to training and
consulting.
“Shona’s experience and passion stood out among an incredible group of
finalists for the position,” shared President Liz Frombgen. “She is uniquely
positioned to build a program that attracts and trains young people who are
empowered to offer outstanding care and leadership to the vocation of nursing
and to the communities that they will serve.”
Turner’s hire is the next step in Southwestern College’s effort to
relaunch a nursing program that was previously discontinued in 2011. Then, the
college cited several factors leading to the decision to discontinue the
clinical nursing program — notably, stiff competition for students from public
institutions in Kansas.
"While I certainly am understanding of the challenges that existed
in 2011 and the need at that time to make a difficult decision – the reality
now is that our community, region, and country has a critical need of
highly-trained and caring nurses," Frombgen said. “Southwestern stands out
for our ability to attract service-minded, high-character young people who are
driven to make a difference in the communities where they live – and to that
end, Shona will build a program that offers outstanding clinical preparation
with a clear focus on service and leadership.”
Turner earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Southwestern College.
Additionally, she holds a Master of Science in Nursing and a Master of Business
Administration, with an emphasis in health/healthcare/administration and
management from the University of Phoenix.
“We are fortunate to add Shona to our academic team at Southwestern; as
we confront the very real need for nurses in our community and beyond, Shona is
driven to build a program that offers responsive and comprehensive preparation
and sets our graduates up for success in all ways,” said J.K. Campbell, vice
president for academic affairs and academic dean of the college.
Most recently, Turner has served as Chief Operating Officer for SCK
Health in Arkansas City, Kan. She is experienced in managing hospital corporate
compliance and quality improvement initiatives. Before that, as a consultant
with Studer Group, she traveled to hospitals of varying sizes and designations
across the country to develop and operationalize multi-faceted quality
improvement initiatives, focused on the delivery of excellent care. Before
consulting, she worked in several capacities at William Newton Hospital
including Chief Operating Officer, Corporate Compliance Officer, Quality
Improvement Manager, and Emergency Preparedness Coordinator. Turner was also
pivotal in developing and leading the William Newton Healthcare Foundation as
the Foundation’s first director, a position she served the hospital and
community in for four years before focusing on hospital administration.
“I am excited to get to work building a program that highlights nursing
as not just a critically important profession, but as the admirable and
highly-valued vocation that it is – we will prepare nurses who will stand out
for the excellent care and leadership they offer,” said Turner.
