Nightingale Award of Excellence Given To ORU Health Sciences Dean

Dr. Dean Prentice received the 2022 Nightingale Award of Excellence

Tulsa, Okla.—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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more information, please visit ORU’s School of Nursing website.

ABOUT ORAL ROBERTS UNIVERSITY 

ORU is a Christian, Spirit-empowered, interdenominational university in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with over a decade of consecutive enrollment growth. Regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, ORU offers over 150 majors, minors, concentrations, and pre-professional programs at the bachelor’s level, ranging from business and engineering to nursing, ministry, and more. Under the leadership of President Dr. William Wilson, ORU is preparing students from all 50 states and 142 nations (from 2019 to 2022) to be whole leaders for the whole world. 

The Wall Street Journal ranked ORU as the #4 university in the nation for student engagement. This ranking is based upon faculty interactions, collaborative learning, critical thinking, real-world applications of student learning, the extent to which classes challenge students, and whether students would recommend a university to others. Niche recognizes ORU as one of the most diverse colleges in America. 

ORU has been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as: 

• #1 in Undergraduate Teaching
• #2 in Most International Students
• #3 in Best Value
• #6 in Best College for Veterans
• #7 in Best Regional Colleges in the West

For more information, visit www.oru.edu.