- OCU and SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital have renewed their Saints & Stars program through 2031 to help combat the ongoing regional nursing shortage.
- Participating nursing students receive up to $10,000 in financial assistance, direct mentorship, paid clinical leadership hours and summer externship opportunities in exchange for a two-year work commitment.
- Since launching in 2023, nearly 60 OCU students have entered the program, gaining hands-on experience that seamlessly transitions them into full-time healthcare careers at SSM Health.
BY ROD JONES
OCU MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
You can count registered nurse Joy Warlick-Evans as one of the strongest advocates of the Saints & Stars program.
Warlick-Evans was one of the first participants in the program, which allows Oklahoma City University nursing students to work part-time at SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital while they complete their studies.
Now, the OCU grad is a full-time employee at the hospital, with the program creating a smooth transition to her nursing career post-graduation.
“I would highly recommend the Saints & Stars program to other nursing students,” Warlick-Evans said. “It provides valuable clinical experience, professional connections, and opportunities to build confidence before graduation.”
With success stories like Warlick-Evans’ in mind, the university and the health system have decided to keep the partnership going, announcing this week a five-year extension for the Saints & Stars program.
“We are pleased to continue this impactful partnership as we cultivate innovative solutions to address the ongoing nursing shortage,” OCU President Kenneth Evans said. “Saints & Stars is an important initiative that translates to real-world results.”
Warlick-Evans is a prime example of those results. She’s working at St. Anthony Hospital as a registered nurse in the medical-surgical neurological/stroke unit – the same unit where she completed her leadership rotation while still an OCU student.
“Transitioning into a full-time role on a unit I was already familiar with made the move from student to nurse much smoother,” she said. “My experience with the Saints & Stars program was one of the most rewarding parts of my college career.”
The extension of Saints & Stars through 2031 means more students like Warlick-Evans will gain practical, hands-on experience, receive financial support from both OCU and SSM Health, and take advantage of several other program features.
Those include mentorship from an experienced nurse; the ability to complete service-learning opportunities; paid leadership clinical hours; and the chance to participate in a summer nurse extern program.
Warlick-Evans said the extern program was a highlight for her, providing additional hands-on experience and an opportunity for her to choose which departments she wanted to shadow as a student.
Tammy Powell, president of SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital and SSM Health Bone & Joint Hospital at St. Anthony, said the partnership not only benefits students, but also the health system and the local community.
“Saints & Stars allows OCU’s nursing students to gain valuable experience, and it provides SSM Health with a pipeline of well-prepared healthcare professionals,” Powell said. “One of the biggest benefits is that we enhance our ability to provide quality care to our community.”
The university and hospital system originally announced the Saints & Stars partnership in February 2023. To date nearly 60 students have taken part, with several – Warlick-Evans included – now working full-time with SSM Health.
The program is open to students from OCU’s traditional and accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs. Participating students can receive up to $10,000 in financial assistance from SSM Health. The agreement calls for a two-year work commitment in the SSM Health system for those Saints & Stars scholars who receive financial assistance.
OCU also provides generous merit scholarships to its Bachelor of Science in Nursing students, meaning Saints & Stars scholars have the opportunity to earn their degree at a significantly reduced cost.
Warlick-Evans said the financial support was another key aspect of the Saints & Stars program.
“Receiving scholarship support while gaining real-world experience makes it an incredible opportunity,” she said. “I am grateful for the opportunities the Saints & Stars program provided.”
Full details about the Saints & Stars Program, including application procedures and requirements, are available here. More information about OCU’s Kramer School of Nursing can be found at www.okcu.edu/nursing.
