Southern Cross University is proud to announce ICU Nurse Manager Nikki Harrison as the 2025 recipient of the prestigious Bonnie Boezeman AO Leadership in Nursing Scholarship.
The scholarship, awarded in partnership with Chief Executive Women , enables one woman nurse to foster their leadership skills through the Southern Cross University Master of Healthcare Leadership .
Nikki leads a 26-bed Intensive Care Unit at Epworth Healthcare in Melbourne, where she manages a team of more than 140 staff. She has more than 13 years of nursing experience across Australia and the UK under her belt, where she has, among other things, led teams through one of the most challenging periods in modern healthcare during COVID-19, also mentoring other emerging women leaders through the ranks. Niki said receiving the scholarship was both humbling and empowering.
"Pursuing a Master of Healthcare Leadership has been a long-standing goal of mine, but financial barriers have made it challenging. This scholarship represents an incredible opportunity to grow, learn, and lead with purpose,".
Through the intensive Masters program, Nikki hopes to strengthen her leadership capabilities. She hopes this will improve patient experience, enhance staff engagement, and influence healthcare strategy beyond the ICU setting.
"Long term, my vision is to contribute to solving one of the most urgent national and global healthcare issues: the nursing workforce crisis. I hope to be in a leadership or advisory role focused on attracting people into the nursing profession and, more importantly, ensuring they are supported to stay.
"With projected global nursing shortages expected to worsen, we must act now to build sustainable, fulfilling, and resilient nursing careers. This program will equip me with the tools to help lead that transformation," she said.
Bonnie Boezeman AO, benefactor and namesake of the scholarship, said it was important talented nurses have the pathways they need to realise their leadership potential.
"This scholarship has represented a passion of mine over many years to offer higher education opportunities to Australian female nurses. Also, there are acute nurse shortages in many sectors, especially in full-time nurses and aged care. This scholarship aims to help women nurses develop the leadership skills to advance their own careers and to grow the nursing sector as a whole," she said.
About the Bonnie Boezeman AO Leadership in Nursing Scholarship
The Bonnie Boezeman AO Leadership in Nursing Scholarship is awarded to one registered woman nurse to undertake a Master of Healthcare Leadership with Southern Cross University. The successful recipient has a career plan that will take her into a leadership role within the healthcare sector.
More about Bonnie Boezeman AO and empowering women in leadership positions.
About Chief Executive Women
The scholarship is provided in partnership with Chief Executive Women (CEW) - a pre-eminent membership organasation made up of more than 1200 women leaders across diverse sectors in Australia, including government, business, sport, academia, the arts, and the not-for-profit sector – unified under the banner of "Women Leaders Empowering ALL Women Leaders".
Through advocacy , leadership development programs , scholarships , and bold leadership CEW works to remove systemic barriers and create pipelines that empower Australian women to rise to leadership positions in their communities. Thus, ensuring a diversity of women's voices are at every decision-making table to help accelerate gender equality in Australia, and enable everyone, both men and women, to thrive in their the workplace and at home.
