INSIDE DOUGLAS COLLEGE /JULY 25, 1989

 

 

 

New Director of College’s Department of
Social Services and Allied Health

Human services is a rapidly
growing field, and Douglas
College’s Beverley Miller plans to
be a key player in the continued
development of the College as a
major training centre for human ser-
vice workers.

Miller was recently appointed
Director of the Department of So-
cial Services and Allied Health.
She was Acting Director for one
year prior to the new appointment.

As Director, her responsibilities
include staffing, financial manage-
ment and ensuring the quality of
the department’s 12 programs are
in place. The job primarily entails
dealing with people, both inside
and outside the College.

The 12 programs Miller oversees

include Basic Occupational Educa-'siq}f
vigtotrd i

tion, Child Care Counsellor):. &
Community Social Service Worker,
Early Childhood Education, Home
Support Worker and Physical
Education.

A large practicum component in
each program gives students the
chance to get on-the-job training.
Miller and program coordinators
act as contacts with community or-
ganizations that provide work
experience for students.

Communication within the Col-
lege is a major aspect to the job,
says Miller.

“I meet with the coordinators of
all programs almost on a daily
basis,” she says.

As well, Miller is in steady con-
tact with 20 permanent faculty and
over 40 contract faculty. Also work-
ing in the department are two

 

clerical staff and four technician
staff.

“The largest component of my
job is meeting and working with
people and providing leadership,”
Miller says. “Planning is also a key
function.”

 

   

 

 

 

Miller has 15 years experience
working as a registered nurse and
another 12 years teaching both
general nursing courses and
psychiatric nursing.

Before coming to Douglas Col-
lege in 1984, Miller taught at BCIT.

Once at the College, she worked
for three years as the first-year coor-
dinator for the combined general
and psychiatric nursing program,
which was transferred here from
BCIT. She then served for almost a
year as Acting Director of the nurs-
ing program before the program
split into two departments.

 

Raised in Port Alberni, Miller
eamed her Bachelor of Nursing at
U.B.C. and her Masters (Educa-
tion) at Simon Fraser University.

She says “exciting changes” are
taking place in the human services
field.

“T think it’s very much an evolv-
ing field and it is struggling very
hard to develop its standards,” she
says. “A lot of energy is being put
into increasing the quality of the
person who is working out there in
the community.”

Miller has specific goals as the
College’s new Director of Social
Services and Allied Health. -

“The programs need to be con-
tinually reviewed in terms of where

-the f field is going, ; and realigned to»...
eh keep abreast of chang es | in n tg ;
field,” she says.

She intends to focus on optimis-
ing career opportunities for the
graduates of the programs and
making the community aware of
what the programs offer.

Miller, married with three
children between the ages of 16 and
25, is enthusiastic about the challen-
ges and rewards ahead.

“One of the real challenges is
simply the number of people who
report to me,” she says. “Com-
municating with them and knowing
they all feel they are being heard is
important.”

sith gaa arnt Bs

 

 

 

 

 

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