With our healthcare system still under immense pressure, developing leadership in nursing has never been more important.

Looking to empower women to step into leadership and decision-making roles to drive progress and improve conditions for all workers in their industry, CEW founding member Bonnie Boezeman created the Bonnie Boezeman AO Leadership in Nursing Scholarship, which supports registered nurses to pursue a Master of Healthcare Leadership with Southern Cross University.

Bonnie recently shared her thoughts and passion for bridging the - often gendered - nursing leadership gap in an interview with the communications team.

Your resume boasts an impressive career spanning over 35 years across many highly recognisable companies. You've acted as Chair, director, and continue to serve on multiple boards, as well being highly active in your philanthropy in sport, particularly in golf – So how did you develop an interest in the nursing industry, and what led you to create the Nursing in Leadership scholarship?

My interest in the nursing industry started nearly 30 years ago when I read an eye-catching article in the press regarding the projected nursing shortage. It described the need for young women to apply to become nurses, as well as the challenges these women would eventually face, with pressure to accept low pay and terrible hours.

All these years later, Australia is still grappling with the projection of a massive nursing shortage.  By 2035, it is stated we will be over 70,000 to 79,000 short of nurses in Australia.  Globally, the demand for nurses in Aged Care, Acute Care, Primary health Care, and Mental Health is growing dramatically.

Six years ago in 2017, I began analysing what kind of higher education opportunities there were in the nursing industry, and I was shocked to learn there were very few scholarships available. 

So one of the gaps I hoped to fill through the scholarship, were two fold, firstly, I wanted to address the shortfall of nurses, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and secondly, I wanted to empower talented nurses with the opportunity for higher education and realise their leadership potential.

the Southern Cross University's Masters in Healthcare Leadership fits the brief as it develops a nurses leadership skills to advance their own careers, which in turn helps to grow the nursing sector as a whole.

The tools and techniques can be applied immediately to their real-world working experiences to meet the challenges of leadership and management in complex healthcare settings whether they are a Nurse Unit Manager, or running a specialised unit, like a Covid Ward.

I've also had the opportunity to meet and engage with a large number of nurses in hospitals throughout my own health circumstances and have always admired the skill and dedication to their work.

Can you speak to how you feel this scholarship aligns with the CEW mantra of "Women Leaders Empowering All Women”?

There is a total alignment with CEW values. In CEW, we don't just champion women from the typical corporate spaces - we strive to elevate women of many backgrounds, and careers. This is truly empowering women to strive for “Knowledge is Power”. The more they can learn, the more women they will mentor and lead.

Six years into the creation of the scholarship, do you feel that your original goals have been achieved?

In the past six years, this scholarship has not only changed the lives of six exceptional nurses, but has multiplied the reach of their learnings to hundreds of staff as they bring fellow nurses along with their newfound leadership and nurture their teams.

It has exposed these women to the fact that there are opportunities for advancement in their nursing careers that stretch beyond the ward. This is especially true if they have a passion and desire to serve more patients and lead more people.

All six scholarship recipients so far have reported they could immediately apply what they learned to their workplace and execute new skills for the betterment of their teams and the patients and began to interact with their direct reports with more confidence, and self-assurance.

Sophie Daniel, a Nurse Unit Manager at Liverpool Hospital and recipient of the scholarship in 2024, engaged her newly found confidence and leadership skills when she had the opportunity to walk the Minister of Health through her work environment and advocate for nursing staff and healthcare workers, by articulating the issues and concerns within the industry.

Some of our former scholars have gone on to join advisory boards of health care companies to suggest improvements in healthcare to politicians.

Do you have a certain woman in mind when you think about your ideal scholarship recipient , and what advice or encouragement do you have for women who are hesitant to apply?

The scholarship is national and has attracted nurses from all sectors of healthcare, which is of course very broad. They might come from emergency rooms, aged care facilities, mid-wives, IVF specialists,  children’s care etc -  We've even had a Lieutenant Colonel from the Army Med Corps, so we are open to all inspiring nurses regardless of what area within the industry they come from.

Higher learning opportunities for nurses is often prohibitive due to financial factors and challenging roster schedules, so I encourage potential applicants to take advantage of this opportunity to step outside the day-to-day challenges and  be energised by the opportunity of expanding their mind to new ways of working and leading others.

You have been known to attend the graduation ceremonies of scholars in the past – Was it always your intention to build a personal relationship with the scholars, or did this happen organically over the years?

Very good question - I don't place any pressure on any scholarship recipient to keep contact, but I enjoy attending the graduation ceremonies where possible, to show how proud I am of their achievements.

Getting to know the nurses is such a joy to me - they are, not just scholarship recipients, they are very special to me.  I admire them greatly, and I keep this happiness in my heart.

The skills of these nurses, are well beyond my scope, and I am in such incredible admiration not only of their capability to master various aspects of health and saving lives, but invariably, they all have this innate giving and caring capability which I feel one must be born with.

You can learn more about the

Bonnie Boezeman AO Leadership in Nursing Scholarship

HERE