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Oklahoma RN Certification and Schools - OK
By an allied health world contributing writer
Published: February 19th, 2010
Education Required to Become a Registered Nurse in Oklahoma
You needn’t necessarily attend Oklahoma RN schools to become an RN in Oklahoma. In fact, as long as your school is accredited, you can even learn to be an RN overseas and have your diploma evaluated by an American company.
There are several paths toward earning the minimum diploma required to nurse.
- Associate’s degree in nursing
- Bachelor’s degree in nursing
- Bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing field combined with an accelerated nursing program degree
- A diploma in nursing granted by a hospital-based nursing school
Some online learning is possible to earn a nursing degree, but because so much of nursing requires face-to-face patient contact in clinical settings, much of your education will be spent on site.
With any of the above degrees in hand, you can apply to sit for the licensing exam in Oklahoma. However, some people wish to earn more and taken on more responsibility. If you are willing to go back to school, you can earn higher-level nursing degrees:
- Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)
- Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP) or Science (DNS)
An MSN is required if you wish to become a nurse practitioner, a clinical nurse specialist, a nurse anesthetist, a nurse administrator, a nurse midwife or pursue a doctorate.
Earning your DNP, DNS or Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD) will give you intense training in advanced practices, leadership and, in some cases, original research.
Oklahoma Continued Education Requirements
RNs are not required by law to take continuing education courses in Oklahoma. Nurses with more advanced degrees (midwives or practitioners), have stricter rules, however, and must show that they continue to advance their skills.
The state grants the authority to the employers of RNs to require them to take a certain amount of continuing education courses as a condition for their employment, but the state leaves it to the employer to set those guidelines.
Through campus or online programs, aspiring Registered Nurses in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Norman, Oklahoma may be able to prepare themselves for the possibility of employment in some of the largest hospitals and healthcare facilities in the state including the Saint Francis Hospital, Oklahoma State University Medical Center, Saint Anthony Hospital and the many INTEGRIS Health Centers.