Malinda Miller, one of the first 1199SEIU members at Boston Medical Center to participate in the 1199SEIU Training and Upgrading Fund, is about to realize her goal of becoming a nurse. A CNA at the hospital for the last four years, MaLinda will receive her Associate Degree in Nursing from Roxbury Community College in December.
“Watching my sister-in-law, who is a nurse, inspired me,” explains MaLinda. “She and I would talk about her work and that made me decide it’s what I wanted to do. It’s been a challenge to do it on my own—going to school and working. I had to stay motivated. But I was happy to learn that I have the kind of perseverance it takes to get it done.”
MaLinda credits the Training Fund for helping her to accomplish her goal. “TUF supported me with tuition costs through the program. If they hadn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to carry it on.”
Even while finishing up her last semester, MaLinda is already starting to set her sights on the next goal: getting her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing. “That opens up a lot of doors of opportunity. Eventually, I’d like to teach nursing.”
MaLinda’s recent achievements are inspiring, and her long-term goals offer even more hope for the Massachusetts healthcare field, which is facing a major shortage in nurse educators.
