Oklahoma Center for Nursing

10/15/2026

ER? ICU? Pediatrics? OR? Public health? Leadership? Education?

With so many possibilities in nursing, how do you know which specialty is the best fit for you?

Your personality, communication style, decision-making preferences, and natural work style could provide important clues.

🩺 Join the Oklahoma Center for Nursing on December 1 from 12:00–1:00 p.m. for Finding the Perfect Nursing Specialty.

We’ll introduce an AI-powered, personality-based specialty alignment assessment and share how OCN and Helius Health are studying the relationship between personality, specialty selection, job satisfaction, and nurse retention across Oklahoma.

Who should attend?
🎓 Nursing students
🩺 New nurse graduates
🔄 Nurses considering a specialty change
👩‍🏫 Nurse educators
🏥 Nursing and workforce leaders

This conversation is for you.

👉 6231f5c7-e4c1-4ee6-b89b-ea339286aab5@6ae09b0d-12f7-4708-a15e-c1b18b3308a5?source=copyLinkLegacyShareEventDialog" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/6231f5c7-e4c1-4ee6-b89b-ea339286aab5@6ae09b0d-12f7-4708-a15e-c1b18b3308a5?source=copyLinkLegacyShareEventDialog

10/14/2026

What happens when Oklahoma's nursing leaders, educators, clinicians, students, and workforce champions come together to solve our state's toughest nursing challenges?

✅ Collaboration replaces silos.
✅ Innovative ideas become actionable solutions.
✅ Passionate professionals create meaningful change for Oklahoma's nursing workforce.

At the Oklahoma Center for Nursing, we're bringing together voices from across the state to strengthen and support the future of nursing. Whether you're looking to network, make an impact, grow as a leader, or simply learn more about what we're doing, there's a place for you at OCN.

Join our FREE monthly New & Prospective Member Webinar!

During this interactive session, you'll:
• Learn about OCN's mission and strategic priorities
• Discover current initiatives addressing Oklahoma's workforce needs
• Explore volunteer and leadership opportunities
• Meet OCN leaders and members making a difference across the state
• Find meaningful ways to contribute to workforce development, education, research, recruitment, and advocacy efforts

Whether you're a nursing student, bedside nurse, educator, researcher, healthcare leader, community partner, or simply curious about OCN, we'd love to connect with you.

🔗 Register here: 9aa35494-8b6f-4510-bdf4-313de806b7d9@6ae09b0d-12f7-4708-a15e-c1b18b3308a5?source=copyLinkLegacyShareLinkDialog" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/9aa35494-8b6f-4510-bdf4-313de806b7d9@6ae09b0d-12f7-4708-a15e-c1b18b3308a5?source=copyLinkLegacyShareLinkDialog

Together, we're building a stronger nursing workforce for Oklahoma's future. Join the conversation. Register today.

10/13/2026

Yesterday, a new graduate registered nurse shared something that broke my heart.

Just three months into her nursing career, she told me she cries on the way to work and on the way home after every shift. She's questioning whether she belongs on her team and whether she chose the right specialty.

Unfortunately, her experience isn't unique.

The transition from nursing student to practicing nurse is challenging. New graduate nurses often experience a significant dip in confidence before developing the competence, confidence, and professional identity needed to thrive. The learning curve is steep, and it can feel overwhelming.

Many factors contribute to this difficult transition:

• The reality that nursing is learned over time, not mastered overnight
• The pressure of caring for patients while still building confidence
• Preceptors who are expert clinicians but may not have formal preparation to support a new graduate's emotional and professional transition
• Feelings of isolation, self-doubt, and imposter syndrome

To every new graduate nurse reading this: You are not alone. You are not failing. What you're experiencing is more common than you think.

That's why the Oklahoma Center for Nursing is preparing to launch the New Nurse Success Network, a statewide community designed to support new graduate registered nurses as they navigate their first year of practice.

Members will have access to:
✅ Validation that what they're experiencing is normal
✅ Practical advice from nurses who have recently walked the same path
✅ Emotional support without stigma
✅ Flexible opportunities to connect that fit a nurse's schedule
✅ Professional connections with mentors, peers, and champions who want to see them succeed

The first year of nursing shouldn't be something you survive alone.

Interested in joining this FREE network? Email [email protected] to become a member.

10/12/2026

📣 Volunteers Needed: Help Inspire Oklahoma's Future Nurses!📣

The Oklahoma Center for Nursing is looking for 2 more volunteers to join us at the Youth Medical Mentorship Fall Sports Medicine Summit at Union High School on November 6!

We're also recruiting volunteers for the following events:

📍 November 10
• San Miguel School of Tulsa
• Sapulpa Middle School

📍 November 11
• McLain High School
• Monroe Demonstration Academy Middle School
• Will Rogers High School (Tulsa County)
• Durant High School

As a volunteer, you'll lead hands-on nursing activities that introduce middle and high school students to the nursing profession, spark their curiosity, and help shape the next generation of healthcare leaders.

Just a few hours of your time can make a lasting impact on a student's future.

✅ Sign up today and help us show Oklahoma students the many opportunities that nursing has to offer! Email [email protected] to volunteer.

📣 The YMM Fall Summit is right around the corner, and we need YOU!

We’re looking for passionate volunteers and mentors to help make this event a success and inspire the next generation of healthcare professionals.

Ready to make an impact? Sign up through the link: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/organizations/youth-medical-mentorship-inc

10/09/2026

Last week, the Oklahoma Center for Nursing gathered with supporters from across the state for our inaugural Founder's Dinner, an evening dedicated to celebrating our mission and investing in the future of nursing.

We are incredibly grateful to the thirteen nursing organizations and partners who stood beside us in support of our work. Because of their generosity, we raised critical funding that will help support the second cohort of Oklahoma Nurse Faculty Scholars, strengthening the pipeline of nurse educators who will prepare the next generation of Oklahoma nurses.

A heartfelt thank you to all of our Founder's Dinner sponsors for making this event possible. And a very special recognition goes to our Beacon Sponsor, The Chickasaw Nation, whose leadership and commitment to advancing nursing education helped illuminate the path forward:

Beacon Sponsor: The Chickasaw Nation
Lantern Sponsors:

Oklahoma Deans and Directors of Nursing Council
INTEGRIS Health
Mercy OKC
Mercy Ardmore
Oklahoma Hospital Association
The University of Oklahoma College of Nursing
Parkside Psychiatric Hospital and Clinic
SSM Health Oklahoma
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
OU Health

Together, we are lighting the way for the future of nursing in Oklahoma.

10/08/2026

🌟 A huge shoutout to three incredible student volunteers! 🌟

Last week, Dejah Owens, Emory Norton, and Sibbie Olgesbee generously gave their time to help make the Oklahoma Center for Nursing’s Leadership Summit and Founder’s Dinner a success.

🩺 Dejah is a nursing student at Oklahoma City Community College
🩺 Emory is a nursing student at East Central University
🩺 Sibbie is a pre-nursing student at the University of Oklahoma

We are so grateful for the energy, enthusiasm, and helping hands they brought to two very important events. Dejah, Emory, and Sibbie, thank you for already finding ways to give back to the nursing profession. We can’t wait to see where your careers take you!

And speaking of volunteering... We need YOU in November!

The Oklahoma Center for Nursing will be participating in 24 events where we’ll introduce middle and high school students to the many career pathways available in nursing. That means we need plenty of volunteers who are excited to inspire the next generation!

Volunteering with OCN is a great opportunity to:
✨ Give back to your profession
✨ Inspire future nurses
✨ Connect with nursing leaders from across Oklahoma
✨ Help strengthen the future of Oklahoma’s nursing workforce

Interested in joining us in November? Email [email protected] for more information.

Let’s show Oklahoma’s students just how many incredible possibilities await them in nursing!

10/07/2026

Applications are open for our second Oklahoma Nurse Faculty Academy Cohort. This cohort launches in January 2027.

The Oklahoma Nurse Faculty Academy is an initiative of the Oklahoma Center for Nursing. The academy is a standardized, statewide pathway to prepare and support nurses as they transition from clinical practice into the role of a nursing clinical instructor. The academy is free for those who are selected to participate.

The ideal candidate is a BSN nurse who is teaching a nursing clinical group in Oklahoma and is new in the this role (less than one year of teaching experience). Scholars will attend one in-person learning day, complete eight self-paced modules, and receive 16-weeks of mentorship by an expert nursing clinical instructor.

10/06/2026

The Oklahoma Center for Nursing is looking for volunteers to help lead an interactive nursing simulation at upcoming Youth Medical Mentorship Sports Medicine Summit events.

Help us give middle and high school students a chance to step into the shoes of a nurse! Students will get hands-on experience as they learn how nurses:

Assess a patient’s pain related to a sports injury
Provide basic first aid
Think critically about what a patient needs
Bring compassion and clinical skill together

📍 November 6 | Union High School | Tulsa
📍 November 19 | Paycom Center | Oklahoma City

Whether you’re a practicing nurse, nurse educator, nursing student, or retired nurse, this is a chance to light the way for the next generation of Oklahoma nurses.

Come help a young person discover that nursing could be their future.

Interested in volunteering? Email [email protected].

10/06/2026

2026 Nursing Practice, Leadership, and Health Impact Award

We are honored to recognize a nurse leader whose vision, service, and commitment have made a lasting impact on nursing and healthcare in Oklahoma.

As Chief Nursing Officer of a rural hospital, Dr. Kristen Webb of Duncan Regional Health leads with innovation and purpose, championing her nursing team while working to advance nursing practice both within her organization and across our state.

Her impact on the Oklahoma Center for Nursing is especially meaningful. Since the Center’s founding, Dr. Webb has served as President of the OCN Board of Directors, providing invaluable leadership as we have shaped our vision, strengthened our work, and built toward the future.

Her leadership reminds us of the extraordinary influence nurses can have not only at the bedside, but throughout organizations, communities, and our state.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Kristen Webb, recipient of the 2026 Nursing Practice, Leadership, and Health Impact Award!

We are grateful for the many ways she continues to light the way for nursing in Oklahoma.

10/05/2026

2026 Retention, Well-Being, and Employment Award

Some leaders don’t just embrace change. They help others see what’s possible.

Lanell Taylor of DRH Health is known as a source of encouragement, guidance, and support to those fortunate enough to work alongside her. She consistently steps forward to explore new ideas, champion innovative solutions, and find better ways to strengthen Oklahoma’s nursing workforce.

Her enthusiasm, optimism, and willingness to serve have made an impact across numerous Oklahoma Center for Nursing initiatives, workgroups, and advisory committees. She is a pioneer, a trusted mentor, and someone who inspires others simply by showing up ready to make a difference.

We are incredibly proud to honor Lanell Taylor with the 2026 Retention, Well-Being, and Employment Award!

Please join us in celebrating Lanell and thanking her for her tremendous commitment to Oklahoma nurses and our healthcare workforce.