By Jacob Ervin, Senior Reporter
Nursing majors at Northwestern are helping revive the once-defunct Oklahoma Nursing Student Association.
The ONSA is a student-run organization for future nurses in Oklahoma. The association lost all of its membership when colleges closed in the spring of 2020 as a result of the pandemic.
However, the association has returned to operation under the leadership of the organization’s new president, Northwestern senior nursing major Brenner Clark.
Clark became involved with the organization after Dr. Dean Prentice, an associate professor of health sciences at Oral Roberts University and retired Air Force Nurse Corps Colonel, reached out to Northwestern nursing students to gauge student interest in relaunching the organization.
Clark, who was elected president of Northwestern’s Student Nurses Association in May, reached out to Prentice. Their correspondence led to a group of nursing students from various Oklahoma colleges meeting at the Oklahoma Nurses Association’s annual convention in September.
The Oklahoma Nurses Association hosted a workshop in Tulsa for nursing students in the absence of the ONSA’s annual September convention. Students from Northwestern, the University of Oklahoma, Oral Roberts University and Eastern Oklahoma State College conferred about the future of ONSA and reestablished an executive board to guide the organization back to life.
The ONSA serves as a governing body for the student nursing associations of colleges across the state and falls under the umbrella of the National Student Nursing Association. The organization also works in partnership with the Oklahoma Nurses Association.
Clark said the primary purpose of the ONSA is to help students prepare for the National Council Licensure Examination, which is required to become a licensed nurse, and help students prepare for life as healthcare professionals.
“We assume responsibility for contributing to nursing education in order to provide for the highest quality healthcare,” Clark said.
While Clark may be leading the charge as president of the reborn association, he is not the only Northwestern student helping the ONSA find its footing. Four other Northwestern nursing students have positions as officers for the OSNA. Michelle Hoeltzel is the legislative director, Kailee Holmes is the public relations director, Elija Runyan is the treasurer and Ashley Steadman is the marketing director.
The ONSA plans to restart its yearly convention this fall and launch other events, such as a leadership summit. The group is also working to rebuild membership.
“We don’t really have a number yet,” Clark said. “We’re still just trying to launch everything. We’re still in the planning process.”