HAPPY NATIONAL NURSES MONTH!
A shining star in Oklahoma nursing education, Oklahoma City University’s Kramer School of Nursing continues to prepare tomorrow’s health care leaders.
“Completing my doctoral degree at KSN was an authentic life changing experience for me, said Patrick McGough, DNP, and executive director of the Oklahoma City-County Health Department. “The unending support from the faculty, and the content and rigor of the program, culminated in my pursuit of an ever-evolving and expanding practice of genuine leadership. The core values of the now internationally known ‘Kramer Way,’ influence my role … every day.”
One constant in an ever changing health care environment is the crucial need for highly skilled nurses, not only at the bedside, but at clinics, specialty practices, and in research and academia. Whether you envision a future in nursing education, leadership, research, or patient care, OCU’s graduate nursing programs educate and develop leaders in health care.
The Kramer Way is modeled and shared with nursing students across the globe.
Graduates of the PhD in nursing are teaching in universities across Oklahoma, as well as Texas, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Missouri, California, Kentucky, and Arkansas. Internationally there are alumni in China, Thailand, Iraq, and Jordan.
Alumni hold many roles that have a local and global impact on nursing practice and education.
OCU’s Kramer School of Nursing is well known for providing programs that support students and meet the needs of an evolving health care environment. The MSN and PhD programs offer an online component, along with in-person instruction.
The flexibility makes it possible for students to still work full time if they wish. The in-person instruction encourages relationship building with other students and with faculty. The BSN-DNP program provides in person classroom instruction to educate future nurse practitioners. Graduates from the KSN, BSN-DNP program work in a variety of practice settings including primary care, urgent care, acute care, and specialty practices.
Graduates may own and operate their own clinics or work within a larger healthcare organization as part of an interdisciplinary health care team. Overall, graduates enjoy the benefits of a quality, in person education as well as opportunities to practice in settings that complement their passion and area of expertise.
Kramer faculty go beyond educating students and develop strong mentor relationships with students that continues long after graduation.
Faculty are able to connect students and alumni in opportunities for community service, research, post-doctoral fellowships, and employment. Dr. Vanessa Wright appreciated the value of these connections, so much so she returned as the school’s MSN program coordinator.
“My educational experience at Kramer School of Nursing transformed my nursing practice,” Wright said.
“Faculty genuinely cared about students and provided flexibility whenever possible.”
Wright was able to work full-time and be present as a mother as she advanced her education at Kramer. It was such a positive experience, she decided to keep going, pursuing her MSN and eventually earning the title of Dr. Wright in 2017.
“I always envisioned my place at the bedside but my experience in the MSN program was transformational,” Wright recalled. “I fell in love with nursing theory and research because of the mentorship and kindness I experienced from my professors. I altered my path and decided to become a nurse educator because I wanted to impact nursing students in the way my mentors and KSN faculty impacted my educational experience.
“Obtaining my graduate degree at Kramer is undoubtedly one of the best decisions of my life.”
Sara Bootenhoff benefited from those relationships and is proud to call herself a graduate of the BSN to DNP program in 2020.
“Earning my BSN and DNP at Kramer was truthfully one of the best decisions I have ever made,” she said. “I owe my professional success to the educational and clinical foundations that KSN provided me. After graduation, I felt truly prepared to start my career as a Family Nurse Practitioner.”
Now working in a primary care clinic, Bootenhoff realizes how the Kramer Way positively impacted her preparation as a health care provider.
“I would not be where I am today without the professors and faculty at KSN,” she said. “They were more than just professors; they were mentors, too, and now I get to call them my friends and colleagues.”
You can find out more about OCU’s Kramer School of Nursing graduate programs at the monthly virtual Information Sessions: www.okcu.edu/nursing
