Six students in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing to Doctor of Nursing Practice (BSN-to-DNP) program at Northwestern Oklahoma State University spent five days on the Alva campus for residency week in July.
The students are involved in a hybrid program meaning that much of their education is completed online. The students can complete work at clinics in their hometowns while the Northwestern faculty members supervise remotely. For residency week, the students come to the Alva campus for the week for hands-on training and to show that they are competent in physically assessing patients.
Students attending this year’s week-long residency program included Teirna Adair of Alva, Alyssa Los of Honolulu, Hawaii, Michelle Milligan of Piedmont, Kyndall O’Donnell of Elk City, Juane Russell of Altus and Sarah (Garvie) Wilber of Cherokee.
During residency week, students are able to check off their physical assessment skills to prepare for a clinical setting. They receive an introductory experience to common procedures they will encounter in primary care such as suturing, eye injuries and biopsies. Kiowa Meat Locker donated pigs feet to practice suturing, and Moore’s Venture Foods in Alva donated overripe produce for biopsy simulation.
Dr. Gwyneth Holderby, assistant professor of nursing and Wisdom Family Foundation Doctoral Program for Rural Nursing Practice program director, was joined by assistant professors of nursing Dr. Krystal Elliot, Dr. Sierra Elsey, Dr. Krista Tilley, and new faculty member Dr. Sandra Watson to provide instruction to the group during the week.
Holderby supervised physical exams that were completed on community volunteers and taught students procedures like joint injections, repairing lacerations with sutures, and other procedures commonly performed in primary care. Elliot, the primary care familes and pediatrics course instructor, supervised physical exams on pediatric community voluteers and helped teach procedures. Tilley, the program clinical coordinator, met with students to discuss their DNP projects and clinical placement.
Elsey has extensive experience with female exams and came to help supervise students on well-woman exams that were completed on community volunteers. She also shared a lot of her knowledge with the students.
“The residency week is an intense week, full of hands on learning,” Elsey said. “It challenges students’ critical thinking in a way that uniquely prepares them for the clinical setting. This group of students met the challenge and excelled throughout this rigorous week. They are an exceptional group, and I look forward to seeing them give back to the community as they transition into clinical, then eventually into practice.”
The BSN-to-DNP program enrolled its first class in August 2017. The fifth class to have graduated did so this year in May. Members of the graduating class of 2024 presented their respective projects in the J.W. Martin Library on July 18, in an event open to the public. So far, the program boasts a 85 percent or better certification pass rate and a 100 percent employment rate.
Northwestern is one of five public universities in Oklahoma to offer a Family Nurse Practitioner program, was the first public university with a BSN-to-DNP offering, and is the only program in the state with an emphasis on nursing in rural communities.
Students may enroll full-time for the three-year program or part-time for the four-year program. Instruction within this program helps to prepare students to become certified Family Nurse Practitioners in their home communities and surrounding areas without first earning a master’s degree; however, there is an advanced placement option for students who have already completed a master’s degree in nursing.
Additional information about the DNP program may be found online at www.www.nwosu.edu/graduate-studies/bsn-to-dnp or by calling (580) 327-8442.
Visit www.www.nwosu.edu/school-of-professional-studies/nursing or call (580) 327-8493 to learn more about Northwestern’s BSN program and online RN-to-BSN program.
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CONTACT FOR RELEASE:
Sean J. Doherty, University Relations Specialist
sjdoherty@nwosu.edu | 580-327-8480