Northwestern College names Dean of Nursing, Lauren B. Spraggins
Northwestern College recently named Lauren B. Spraggins as the Dean of Nursing for its Violet L. Schumacher School of Nursing, located at its Oak Lawn Campus. Spraggins first came to Northwestern College in January 2018 as a Nursing Professor and by September 2018, she was elevated to Lead Faculty. In June 2021 she was named the College’s Dean of Nursing.
Spraggins’ background in nursing transcends numerous facets of the medical field, including positions in hospitals, family care centers, and as a School Nurse.
She began her nursing career in 2009 at Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey, IL where she spent two and a half years as a Registered Nurse-Telemetry, working in a fast-paced 56-bed unit. She then transitioned to Ingalls Family Care Center in Flossmoor, IL where she worked for seven years as a Registered Nurse-Urgent Aid/ER. From August of 2013 to April 2015, Spraggins worked for the Chicago Public Schools as a School Nurse until her foray into higher education, when she joined Chamberlain College of Nursing in Tinley Park, IL as a Clinical Lab Specialist. Her next transition was to Northwestern College in January of 2018, where she was originally hired to serve as a Nursing Professor.
Spraggins earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Chicago State University in 2009. She went on to the University of St. Francis in Joliet, IL where she earned her Master of Science in Nursing-Nursing Education in 2017. She is currently working on her Doctor of Nursing Practice, also at the University of St. Francis, with an anticipated completion date of May 2022.
As a nursing educator, Spraggins has worked towards the creation of both a fun and informative learning environment, with a focus on keeping students engaged. She strongly believes in making use of innovative technology in order to ensure student success and both engages and collaborates with faculty and visiting professors. Her commitment to the nursing profession is evident in all that she does in and around the classroom.