Oklahoma Universities To Grant Credit For Practical Nursing Programs

Oklahoma is taking steps to address the statewide nursing shortage.

The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education recently signed a memorandum of understanding that creates guidelines allowing four-year universities to grant college credit to students who have completed practical nursing programs at technology centers.

Several universities will award at least 22 college credit hours to CareerTech students who pass their exam at any of the 28 tech centers offering practical nursing programs approved by the Oklahoma Board of Nursing.

Participating universities include East Central University, Langston University, Northeastern State University, Northwestern Oklahoma University, Rogers State University, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, the University of Central Oklahoma and the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

Ben Stutzman, chief nursing officer at Hillcrest Pryor, said the nursing shortage is a significant issue that he encounters everywhere. He views this state decision as a substantial step toward addressing the shortage.

"I think it’s a huge step to try to correct that nursing shortage that we were talking about. It’s very encouraging to LPNs to be able to apply to that BSN Program. We utilize LPNs and RNs here at Hillcrest Pryor, and that really helps us to balance the nursing workforce and the shortage that is going around," Stutzman said.

Stutzman also hopes this decision will motivate more prospective nurses to obtain their degrees and enter the workforce.

"This encourages LPNs to take that next step and to be able to incrementally roll out those credit hours to be able to cross their next goal and, in doing so, getting more RNs into the workforce quicker," he said.

Stutzman believes this will positively impact both large hospitals and rural hospitals. The agreement will officially take effect on July 1, 2025.