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Oklahoma Wesleyan University (OKWU) announced its brand-new Doctor of Nursing Practice degree on Monday, the first doctoral program ever offered by the university.

Dr. Jim Dunn, OKWU's President, said this is a historic moment for them. Dunn said this will be a tremendous program to add to the university's repertoire. He said they're looking forward to serving the medical community over and over again with this new program.

The Doctor of Nursing program at OKWU was approved by the Higher Learning Commission on the night of Thursday, May 6th. Dr. Dunn said OKWU has also sent in an application to be approved for a doctorate in Business Administration. He said they haven't been approved yet, but they will eagerly wait for an update.

Dr. Jessica Johnson, the Dean of OKWU's Nursing School, and an Assistant Professor of Nursing, said the Doctor of Nurse Practice degree focuses on preparing nurse leaders to improve patient outcomes. Dr. Johnson said the students can then translate the research on hand into practice. She said they can focus on providing a higher level of care for their patients and students.

The program aims at providing an opportunity for students to excel academically. Dr. Johnson said it also allows them to reach the students on a spiritual level. She said they want to give their students the ability and empowerment to be Kingdom nurses that care for those around them.

Leadership training is vital. Dr. Johnson said leadership determines how nurses get everything done that they set out to accomplish. Johnson said focusing on executive leadership in nursing at OKWU allows them to guide nurses into caring for either their unit or hospital, or for the students in their classes when they become educators. She said they want their students to walk away caring holistically about the people that they serve as opposed to simply managing them; they want their students to walk away caring for the mind, body and spirit of everyone.

The Doctor of Nursing Practice degree is 100-percent online. Dr. Johnson said they want to give their nursing students flexibility to be full-time working adults while continuing the journey of life-long learning when it is convenient to them. She said the program is going to be enhancing the scholarship of those nurses who want to take their degree one step further.

The Doctor of Nursing Practice degree will be open in the Fall 2021 semester. Dr. Johnson is open to speaking with anyone interested in attending the program. You can also learn more about the program at okwu.edu.