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August 11, 2026
Sean Doherty

Northwestern DNP Students Complete 2026 Summer Residency Training in Alva

Students, faculty and benefactors of the Wisdom Family Foundation Doctoral Program for Rural Nursing Practice stand in four rows on the steps of the President’s House at Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva, Oklahoma, with an American flag at left. — Students, faculty and benefactors of the Wisdom Family Foundation Doctoral Program for Rural Nursing Practice met at the President’s House on the Northwestern-Alva campus during the 2026 summer residency week. Those who attended are (front row, left to right) Dr. Peggy Wisdom; Terri Hummel; Alexis Long; Deborah Jobes; Nissi Jordan; Makayla Miller; (second row, left to right) Emily Erwin; Kaleigh Kling; Bayley Adams; Kayla Cunningham; Philomine Nchanji; Bailey Nance; (third row) Dr. Leslie Collins, Charles Morton Share Trust Division of Nursing chair; Kalie Choate; Dr. Hannah Hoppes, assistant professor of nursing; Andreana Reynolds; BRandy Thomas; (top row, left to right) Dr. Gwyneth Holderby, DNP program director; Dr. David Pecha, Northwestern executive vice president; Dr. Angela Skousen, assistant professor of nursing; Todd Holder; Dr. Bo Hannaford, Northwestern president; and Dr. Ryan Sand, assistant professor of nursing.

ALVA, Okla. — Fourteen students in the Wisdom Family Foundation Doctoral Program for Rural Nursing Practice at Northwestern Oklahoma State University spent five days on the Alva campus for residency week in July.

How the Hybrid Rural Nursing Doctoral Program Works

The students are involved in a hybrid program, meaning that much of their education is completed online. The students can complete clinical work in their hometowns while Northwestern faculty members supervise remotely.

For residency week, the students come to the Alva campus for a week of hands-on training and to show that they are competent in physically assessing patients.

Students Who Attended the 2026 Residency Week

Students who attended this year’s week-long residency program included:

Bayley Adams of Stroud
Kalie Choate of Hennessey
Kayla Cunningham of Alva
Emily Erwin of Elgin
Terri Hummel of Enid
Deborah Jobes of Oklahoma City
Nissi Jordan of Alva
Kaleigh Kling of Piedmont
Alexis Long of Arcadia
Makayla Miller of Clinton
Bailey Nance of Wichita (Kansas)
Philomine Nchanji of Oklahoma City
Andreana Reynolds of Oklahoma City
BRandy Thomas of Elk City

Doctoral nursing students in white lab coats work at draped instrument tables in the Northwestern Oklahoma State University simulation lab, practicing procedure skills on oranges with surgical instruments while two faculty members in black scrubs observe. — Students in the Wisdom Family Foundation Doctoral Program for Rural Nursing Practice at Northwestern Oklahoma State University practice procedure skills with donated fruit from Moore’s Venture Foods during the 2026 summer residency week on the Alva campus.

Hands-On Training in Primary Care Procedures

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 pig feet to practice suturing and cattle eyeballs for assessing eye injuries, and Moore’s Venture Foods in Alva donated overripe produce for biopsy simulation.

Faculty Instruction and Community Volunteers

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. Angela Skousen, Dr. Hannah Hoppes and Dr. Ryan Sand to provide instruction to the group during the week.

Together they supervised physical exams that were completed on community volunteers and taught the students procedures like joint injections, repairing lacerations with sutures and other procedures commonly performed in primary care.

Holderby also met with students to discuss their DNP projects and clinical placement. After checking off their head to toe exams, DNP students are ready to start clinicals in the spring and have learned many of the skills they will need for practice.

Holderby said it was a great week where the faculty and students really bonded with each other. She also thanked the amazing local community volunteers who helped during the week.

DNP Project Presentations in J.W. Martin Library

The BSN-to-DNP program enrolled its first class in August 2017. The seventh class to have graduated did so this year in May.

Members of the graduating class of 2026 presented their respective projects in the J.W. Martin Library on July 16 in an event open to the public.

Northwestern Oklahoma State University DNP graduate Juane Russell presents a research poster titled “Bridging the Gap Between Obstetric and Primary Care” to a group of attendees in J.W. Martin Library. — 2026 Northwestern DNP graduate Juane Russell gives a presentation in J.W. Martin Library during the 2026 DNP residency week.

About the Wisdom Family Foundation Doctoral Program for Rural Nursing Practice

Northwestern is one of five 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. As of 2025, the program boasts a 100 percent certification and employment rate.

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.

Learn More About Northwestern’s BSN-to-DNP Program

Additional information about the Wisdom Family Foundation Doctoral Program for Rural Nursing Practice program may be found online at Northwestern’s BSN-to-DNP program page or by calling 580-327-8442.

A virtual tour of the Charles Morton Share Trust Division of Nursing is available on the Northwestern Oklahoma State University YouTube channel or the Division of Nursing program webpage.

Media Contact

Sean J. Doherty, University Relations Specialist
Email: sjdoherty@nwosu.edu
Phone: 580-327-8480

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