Northwestern Working with AllianceHealth Woodward to Develop Future Nurses

June 1, 2023

Northwestern Oklahoma State University officials are excited by the ongoing collaboration with AllianceHealth Woodward for the nursing workforce development program. The purpose of this program is to support the enrollment of Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) at Northwestern and to increase the number of Bachelor of Science in Nursing-prepared nurses at AllianceHealth Woodward.

This is the second year of a three-year commitment for AllianceHealth Woodward to pay a portion of the stipend for a faculty member of Charles Morton Share Trust Division of Nursing. The hospital also provides tuition assistance for specific BSN students who are employed with AllianceHealth Woodward. 

 "We greatly value the nursing program offered by Northwestern Oklahoma State University,” Landon Hise, CEO of AllianceHealth Woodward, said. “Growing the nursing workforce of the future is critical for improving patient care in our region and NWOSU is doing important work to make clinical education accessible to area residents."

 The Charles Morton Share Trust Division of Nursing faculty member also assists in the development and maintenance of a preceptor program at AllianceHealth Woodward. Preceptors are experienced, licensed nurses who supervise students during their clinical rotations to educate and coach new nurses in evidence-based practices for patient care.

CNAs and LPNs who are employed at AllianceHealth Woodward and accepted into the Northwestern BSN program can also benefit from the hospital’s tuition assistance program. Most classes required for nursing students in Woodward are held at the Northwestern - Woodward campus.

“We are very appreciative of our partnership with AllianceHealth Woodward,” Dr. Leslie Collins, chair of the Charles Morton Share Trust Division of Nursing, said. “This collaboration helps to meet the needs of Northwestern nursing students, the AllianceHealth Woodward facility and our communities. This is a shining example of how education and practice can help meet the growing needs of nursing, health care and, most importantly, the patients we serve.“

For more information on Northwestern’s nursing degree programs visit www.nwosu.edu/school-of-professional-studies/nursing or contact Collins at (580) 327-8489 or lncollins@nwosu.edu.

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