Lindsey Lee, RN
OCU Kramer School of Nursing student hopes to work with Native American community.
story and photo by Van Mitchell, Staff Writer
Lindsey Lee, R.N. said the Native American population is underserved with health and wellness services available to them.
Lee, whose father is Muscogee-Creek, wants to help fill that gap by becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner serving the Native American community. She is pursuing her DNP FNP degree at the Kramer School of Nursing (KSN) at Oklahoma City University.
Lee, a Texas native, started her nursing career as a Registered Nurse, Surgical Trauma ICU at OU Medical Center. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma and her Masters of Science in Nursing at Trinity College of Nursing and Health Sciences in Rockford, Illinois.
Lee has been a nurse for two years and has worked on a travel contract for Memphis at Baptist in Memphis, Tenn., and worked with Cohesive Home Healthcare which serves the rural towns in Oklahoma.
She currently works in aesthetics at Trillium Medical Spa in Oklahoma City.
“I am Native American. That’s why I took the job with Cohesive to learn more about rural health,” she said. “What I aspire to do when I’m done at (KSN) is to work within the Native American community. There’s a lot of opportunities for me as a Native American to be able to work for them and give back to my community. Becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner seems like the best way to serve that population.”
Kramer School of Nursing at Oklahoma City University offers several options for prospective Post-Masters or Post-BSN students who are interested in academic or advanced practice doctorate work.
KSN offers Advanced Practice, BSN-DNP Programs in the following specialties:
* Family Nurse Practitioner Program (66 credit hours)
* Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Track (67 credit hours)
* Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Track (68 credit hours)
Advanced Practice DNP applicants must also meet the following requirements:
* Graduate of an accredited baccalaureate nursing program with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.00
* Current active licensure as a Registered Nurse in the United States or the international equivalent
* BSN level health assessment and statistics courses
* Minimum of one year of professional nursing experience or the equivalent
* Additional requirements for the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program:
– Must be ACLS certified prior to acceptance in program
– Two years of Adult Acute Care work experience, preferably in an Intensive Care or Emergency Department setting
The Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) track presents education focused on managing the healthcare needs of patients across the lifespan, within the primary care setting. Emphasis is placed on assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of acute and chronic diseases as well as health promotion and disease prevention activities for patients with a wide variety of cultural backgrounds and unique healthcare needs.
Lee said she originally applied at OCU and OU for her FNP degree program.
“I definitely wanted a program that was more in-person rather than just online,” she said. “I really find that I progress as a student and professionally when I’m in class and making those kinds of connections. So, I chose OCU because of their curriculum and because of the staff. They are so accommodating and encouraging, and they really promote family.”
Lee worked as a server and bartender while in college. She said that experience has helped her in her nursing career.
“I was actually a server and a bartender for eight years, and that’s what put me through college,” she said. “You make lifelong friendships, and you meet people along the way. It’s really helped me whenever I became a nurse, to be able to talk to people, to be able to listen to people, and to really be empathetic and have a deeper understanding of people in general. I actually think it helped me have a very smooth transition into nursing as a student and professionally.”
Lee said her work ethic is rooted in sports and family.
“I think the work ethic comes from probably playing sports,” she said. “My mom is somebody who works really, really hard, and I think she just taught me at a young age that you have to take care of yourself. So, I basically have just always done that.”
Lee said time management is important to managing her school, work and exercise.
“One of the things that I’ve learned just going through nursing school and going back to school is time management,” she said, “You have to set those boundaries. I’ve really learned to respect my boundaries.”
For more information about the Oklahoma City University Kramer School of Nursing visit
https://www.okcu.edu/nursing/home.
