Metro Tech’s Jenny Pinkerton Recognized for Nursing, Education Service

By Van Mitchell

March of Dimes is a nonprofit organization committed to ending preventable maternal health risks and death, ending preventable preterm birth and infant death and closing the health equity gap for all families.

Pinkerton has been a Registered Nurse for 18 years and currently serves as a nurse administrator for the Practical Nursing Program at Metro Technology Centers.

Before transitioning to education, she spent 15 years at OU Health as a labor and delivery nurse where she developed a lasting passion for maternity and newborn care.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Oklahoma State University, Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Oklahoma and a Master of Science in Nursing Education from the University of Texas.
Pinkerton said she was surprised at winning both awards.

“It was a huge honor because all the nurses in every category were outstanding. So, it’s a big deal to be nominated and even bigger deal to be recognized as a finalist. I did not think that would happen, and so yeah, it was a huge shock to win,” she said.

Pinkerton said a reception was held in August that all the nominees were invited to.

“While we were there in August, they asked the nominees to create an ambassador page to further the mission of March of Dimes by using their platform, like their leadership, to make an even greater impact,” she said. “They (March of Dimes) are all about ensuring that every baby gets a healthy start in life and the work they do is vitally important”.

Pinkerton said March of Dimes mission is deeply personal to her and her husband Chad who lost a child at 23 weeks of pregnancy.

“It’s obviously near and dear to my heart because my husband and I also have lost a baby due to premature delivery. So, all our friends and family know that March of Dimes is very special to us,” she said. “When I posted my fundraising, the ambassador page for the Nurse of the Year, a lot of people donated in support of us and in support of our first baby that we lost. Her name was Payton Marie.”

Pinkerton said her journey from labor and delivery nurse into education started during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In 2020, there was a moment in my career that has stayed with me, and it is the reason I changed careers,” she said.

Pinkerton was floated to the adult tower at OU Health to care for a pregnant patient in the COVID unit.

“I was sitting at the nurse’s station, when I saw a very seasoned ICU nurse pick up the phone to call her mom,” Pinkerton said. “She was essentially asking her mom for permission to walk off the floor and quit. She was sobbing and said, “I can’t, Mom. I can’t do it anymore. I cannot call another family member and tell them that their loved one has died. I cannot do it. And there was just something in that moment that it was so deafening, that silence, because there was nothing to do. It was the reality that this is not good.”

Pinkerton said for the next two years she saw an exodus of more nurses.
“It really bothered me. There was a lot that happened with COVID to the nursing profession that we are trying to recover from,” she said. “I am passionate about my profession and want to make an impact. And I knew I could not just do it from the bedside, and so I just felt deeply called to move towards the education side to try to help.”

Pinkerton transitioned to working at the Metro Tech Springlake campus in Oklahoma City.

“It’s hard to leave industry, and it’s even harder for any nurse to go from industry to academia,” she said. “It is a much bigger transition than we are aware of. But when I got here, I fell in love with our students.”

Pinkerton said one of the challenges was helping students overcome barriers.

“There were barriers standing in our student’s way that were keeping them from being successful,” she said. “These were not the typical barriers that most students face, many carry the weight of unimaginable hardships while trying to change their lives through education.” Pinkerton said Metro Tech’s mission is to help make students’ success possible.

“We wanted to create a place where we met students where they were and took the time to truly get to know them. I always say the key to student success is consistency, transparency, and building strong relationships between faculty and students,” she said. “It is like running a marathon. We run it together. We find every barrier and knock it down. People know us for creating the kind of environment students want to come back to.”

Pinkerton said sometimes that barrier help comes from personal help.

“I don’t think having a child should ever be a barrier for a mom that’s trying to change the trajectory of her life,” she said. “So, have I babysat babies? Yep. Have I called a daycare close to clinical sites, so that they can get there on time? Yep. Have I driven students to Palomar that needed protection from domestic violence? Yep. So, there’s just a lot of things that were a little bit different that were preventing students from being successful, that basically, we walked the journey with them to get them to the finish line.”

Pinkerton said nursing graduates are encouraged to give back to their local communities.

“It’s not just changing their life or their children’s life,” she said. “One by one, it’s going to change communities because how many times do we reach out to a neighbor that’s a nurse or a safe person to ask questions? When a community doesn’t have that, that’s another level of not having some sort of access to care. And when you look at all these health disparities, you’ve got to start somewhere. So, one by one, every time a nurse finishes the program, and goes back into their community, that’s making a difference. I feel as a nurse, the core of who we are is to serve. That’s how you serve.”