Oral Roberts University’s (ORU) Dean of the College of Health Sciences, Dr. Dean Prentice, recently received the Oklahoma Nurses Association’s (ONA) 2022 Nightingale Award of Excellence. Honored as a role model for nursing students in Oklahoma, Prentice’s career includes 25 years in the United States Air Force Nurse Corps, along with several leadership positions, including serving as a consultant for Oklahoma’s Nursing Student Association.
“The Nightingale Award of Excellence was a beautiful honor,” said Prentice. “My services to healthcare have spanned from the bedside to the boardroom. I’ve taken what I learned here at ORU and infused it into my professional journey. Now, I’m blessed to be back at ORU, educating future healthcare leaders to live out the mission of this University wherever the Lord leads them. This award honors those I have had the tremendous opportunity to work with and lead.”
Prentice is a graduate of ORU and continues to serve ORU’s nursing students by helping develop and prepare them to serve society’s most pressing healthcare needs. He was chosen to receive the Nightingale Award of Excellence for implementing unique strategies in the nursing profession and exemplifying the characteristics of professionalism in nursing.
“Dean Prentice has enhanced the image of nursing throughout his 25 years of active duty in the United States Air Force, serving in many leadership positions,” said Shelly Wells, ONA’s Immediate Past President. “He has contributed to ONA at the state level and Region 2 level by presenting numerous nursing workshops, writing monthly articles, and serves as the program coordinator for Region 2. He is a role model of excellence for nursing students in Oklahoma while serving as the ONA Consultant for the Oklahoma Nursing Student Association for many years.”
ORU’s School of Nursing, under the College of Health Sciences, offers four initial degree programs, including master’s and doctoral level programs. Graduates of these programs are entering the healthcare industry and meeting the needs of the body, spirit and mind of patients and their families. Nationally, the recent shortage of nurses in 2022 could reach more than 1 million by the end of the year, and ORU is committed to supporting the healthcare industry with nurses who are highly trained to serve patients and their families.
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