As the OU College of Nursing celebrates its 110th anniversary, it outlined its current projects in a Feb. 11 release.
The College of Nursing recently received a $2 million anonymous gift that it plans to use to expand the Forni Clinic, which serves as a learning space that will simulate an outpatient clinic, according to the release. The donation will fund an acute care simulation center and a state-of-the-art clinical assessment lab, as well as an apartment complex to further expand the space.
The college also detailed its collaboration with OU Health late last year to create Oklahoma’s first senior nurse intern program. According to the release, this program will provide senior nursing students and OU Health registered nurses with an in-depth critical care clinical experience.
“While completing 96 critical-care clinical hours, 32 students had the opportunity to practice prioritization, delegation, and organizational knowledge and skills while gaining firsthand experience in the complex critical care environment,” the release read.
The COVID-19 pandemic has provided many unique clinical learning opportunities for students, according to the release. Hundreds of OU nursing students, faculty, staff and alumni also volunteered to provide COVID-19 testing.
“The global pandemic has underscored the critical need for and the value of nursing in protecting the public’s health,” OU College of Nursing Dean Julie Hoff said in the release. “Through all of this, OU nurses have steadfastly served on the front lines of the pandemic — treating the critically ill, providing COVID-19 testing and now, administering the vaccine.”
The college further announced its efforts to address the shortage of nurses in Oklahoma, outlining an updated nurse refresher course to meet the continuing qualifications for registered nurse practice, as required by the Oklahoma Board of Nursing. According to the release, the goal of the course is to reduce the learning and time barriers to meet licensing requirements and, in turn, increasing the number of available registered nurses and licensed practical nurses in Oklahoma.
Hoff said the college is incredibly proud of the OU nursing community, and she looks forward to the future.
“For over a century, OU nurses have fulfilled our university’s core purpose of changing lives,” OU President Joseph Harroz said in the release. “From advancing health care through intensive research initiatives to creating health-related community outreach programs, the OU College of Nursing continues to provide its students with the best possible educational experience. We are excited to celebrate this milestone anniversary and look forward to seeing the extraordinary, heroic work of OU nurses continue in the years to come.”
