Northeastern State University Nursing Program Gala – March 11
(Broken Arrow, Okla.)-- OnMarch 11, 2016, Northeastern State University hosts its inaugural Nursing Program Gala, with special guest speaker, reigning Miss Colorado Kelley Johnson, in an effort to raise much needed scholarship funds for its online nursing students.
The Nursing Programs goal is to raise $10,000 in scholarship funds to award those nurses who have returned to school to acquire higher education certification, all while working their daily, registered nursing jobs.
Some students are single parents who try to balance full-time work with family while going to school part-time.Having available scholarships helps lighten students financial burdens and helps them focus on the most important aspect of schoollearning, Dr. Heather Fenton,nursing associate professor, said.
Fenton said nurses with higher education levels have better outcomes for their patients; therefore providing scholarships plays an essential role in having skilled nurses caring for patients and training up-and-coming nurses.
I feel like I am a better nurse because of the nursing program in several ways. I am learning leadership skills I previously did not have, and critical thinking, said Mindy Watkins, a registered nurse in Arkansas, who is also pursuing her bachelors in nursing from NSUs online program.
Watson, a single mother of five is proud of herself for mustering the courage to head back to school, and is excited to graduate in December later this year. With no regrets, long nights of hard work and the end in sight, Watkins hopes this gala will be the starting point for nursing scholarships to significantly grow.
I want to go from being an associates degree RN to a bachelors level degree RN, and that qualification will open up opportunities for in other areas of nursing, especially in leadership.
Oklahoma has over 52,000 registered nurses, with approximately 130 of them now attending NSUs online classes for either a bachelors degree in nursing or a masters in nursing education.
Thomas Pienkos, NSU student working on his Master of Science in nursing education, said his degree has opened up the opportunity for him to teach and train other nurses, which is vital to keeping the nursing profession vibrant.
He said as the population ages there is going to be an increase in people who require care and a corresponding gap for more nursing professionals to fill that need.
So its really important we have more educators available for those nurses, because each year there are thousands of nursing applicants who cant be placed because there arent enough educators to teach them."
Pienkos added that scholarships will encourage nurses who have their sights set on higher education, but cannot manage the tuition on their own.
With Johnsons presence at the gala, Fenton is proud to have such a positive, public figure help champion the nursing programs cause.
We areextremelypleased that we were able to book Miss Colorado for this event.She became an unofficial spokesperson for nurses across America as she performed at the Miss America pageant wearing scrubs and a stethoscope and sharing her experiences about caring for one of her patients.
Johnson graduated from the Nursing School at Grand View University, where she was also valedictorian and intends to pursue her doctorate in nursing.
It is always important to any Miss Colorado to support an educational fundraiser. The fact that this particular fundraiser benefits nursing students and their ability to obtain scholarships is especially important to me. Nursing has embraced incredible momentum this year, and I am grateful to be involved in an event that is vital to sustaining our profession, Johnson said.
On the evening of the gala, the grand door prize is a six-day/five-night all inclusive stay at the Grand Royal Resort in Cozumel, Mexico.Sponsors for the event include the Grand Royal Resort, Oklahoma Nurses Association, Cherokee Nation Health Services, Derma Sciences, NurseCruise.com and Hillcrest Hospital--Claremore.
The gala begins at5:30 p.m. on NSUs Broken Arrow campus, in the second floor ballroom of the Administrative Services building. Tickets cost $50 and include dinner, music, a silent auction and a program, which celebrates nurses and nursing in Oklahoma.
A limited number of student nurse tickets will be available for $20 and include access to the silent auction and the program only.
Tickets can be reserved now by calling the NSU Nursing Program at 918-781-5410 or by going to the website www.nsugiving.com/nursing.
Published: 2016-02-26 14:24:17.997000