Oklahoma City University
Kramer School of Nursing

OUR HISTORY

The Kramer School of Nursing was established at Oklahoma City University in 1981 from the finest traditions in nursing education. The School provides an academically sound curriculum preparing graduates for nursing care at entry and advanced practice levels that addresses existing and emerging health care demands within the local and global community.

The legacy of the Kramer School of Nursing began when the St. Anthony Hospital (SAH) Training School for Nurses opened in 1904 before Oklahoma became a state. The school developed into Oklahoma’s first diploma nursing program in 1907, approximately two months after President Theodore Roosevelt issued the statehood proclamation. On March 15, 1912, the school received the first approval certificate issued by the new Oklahoma State Board for Examination and Registration for Nurses and continued to educate new nurses as one of the most respected nursing programs in Oklahoma.

On October 9, 1981, Oklahoma City University (OCU) joined with SAH to establish a baccalaureate nursing program in preparation for the closing of the SAH diploma program. Nursing education across the nation was moving from hospital programs based on apprentice models to academic settings expanding nursing education to include liberal arts courses and preparation of independent practitioners beyond the scope of hospital care.

The last student graduated from the SAH School of Nursing in 1983 while the first Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students prepared for graduation from OCU in December 1984. A new facility was dedicated in 1994 and named the Kramer School of Nursing in honor of Mr. and Mrs. E. J. Kramer.

The faculty, many of whom are former nursing school chief administrators themselves, have instituted an exemplary curriculum supported by rigorous assessment of outcomes, begun research and publishing teams, embraced change, and implemented rapid progress. Kramer School of Nursing has become the premier private nursing school throughout Oklahoma, Kansas, New Mexico, Arkansas, Missouri, and Colorado.