Dean's Update During this Tumultuous Week

Dear Students and Alumni,

As Dean of the School of Nursing, I feel compelled to speak out to the nursing workforce and express my anguish concerning the unnecessary death of Mr. Floyd and how this incident represents the lack of tolerance for diversity in our communities and the nation.   This past week has been very disheartening in our communities across Michigan and the United States.  As future and current nurses, this event, on top of all the challenges of COVID-19, is overwhelming.

As current and future professional nurses, racism and violence is antithetical to the values of our profession which prides itself on healing, supporting and caring for individuals, families and communities of all racial and ethnic backgrounds. My heart goes out to Mr. Floyd’s family and those that have been harmed or fear harm because of their diverse backgrounds.

Our School of Nursing has adopted diversity, inclusion and equity as part of our core Strategic Plan.  We emphasize that our mission is to prepare graduates to become transformational leaders committed to caring and using the best evidence in nursing practice, education and research to optimize the health of the public in a diverse ever-changing society. Our vision for the School of Nursing is to be recognized as transformational leaders, caring practitioners and scholars who optimize the health and well-being of a diverse global society. We recognize that to optimize health and well-being of a diverse global society requires a diverse nursing workforce that encompasses all worldviews of a variety of populations in the decision making and problem solving that occurs every day in the health care settings.

To meet this goal Oakland University School of Nursing is committed to recruiting students and faculty from a variety of social and economic backgrounds to be part of our academic programs. We have a task force creating criteria for an undergraduate holistic admission process that will incorporate the means to include other attributes important for nursing in addition to GPA for our admission reviews. We have also assessed all our program curriculum content to include cultural competence concepts and clinical experiences that educate students about communication with and needs of diverse populations.

Today, I challenge our students and alumni to be the transformational leaders we prepared you to be and stand up against healthcare inequity and racial intolerance.  We chose nursing because we value humanity and well-being.  We have the honor to experience the most intimate times in a person’s life from birth to death.  Let’s appreciate this honor and keep our core values up front and be the leaders for change.

In unity,

Judy Didion, PhD, RN
Dean and Professor

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SCHOOL OF NURSING

Whether you have always wanted to be a nurse or are looking to become an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, Oakland University School of Nursing has the high quality programming you need to succeed. Oakland’s courses are led by professional, caring and experienced faculty who are leaders in their specialties who will be with you every step of the way in smart classrooms with state of the art simulation labs.

Oakland University is an R2 Carnegie Doctoral Research University that supports faculty research programs and provides important resources through our Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.

The baccalaureate degree in nursing, master's degree in nursing, and Doctor of Nursing Practice at Oakland University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).

The Oakland University-Beaumont Graduate Program of Nurse Anesthesia is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Programs (COA). The program's next review by the COA is scheduled for October 2022.

Visit the http://coacrna.org website.
Contact the COA directly at 847-655-1160 or via 222 S. Prospect Ave. Park Ridge, IL 60068-4001