Dr. Shelly Wells Inducted as Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing
Dr. Shelly Wells, an adjunct instructor in Oklahoma Christian University’s work-based nursing program, was inducted in November as a Fellow in the prestigious American Academy of Nursing. This lifetime achievement honors Wells’ extensive contributions to nursing policy, education and workforce development in Oklahoma and beyond. The FAAN Fellowship is awarded to leaders in health policy, practice and academia for their exceptional contributions to health care.
“Shelly Wells actualizes the vision of the Academy’s mission of improving health and achieving health equity through preparing highly skilled nurses and increasing access to nursing care across settings,” Dr. Jennifer Gray, Dean of the College of Sciences and Education, wrote in her statement of nomination to the American Academy of Nursing. “... She represents the quality of nurses who are working with the [OC] work-based nursing program.”
Wells, who has taught at OC for two semesters, has a 20-year record of shaping nursing education and practice in Oklahoma. Her accomplishments include co-authoring a study on mandatory nurse staffing ratios that influenced policy discussions nationwide and securing a $6.5 million grant to develop a rural family nurse practitioner program in Oklahoma. As president of the Oklahoma Nurses Association, she founded the Institute of Oklahoma Nursing Education and led statewide initiatives to address nursing shortages, particularly in rural areas.
Her work earned her appointments on the Governor’s Subcommittee on Healthcare Workforce and the Nurse Workforce Group, where she served as the sole nursing representative. Wells also contributed to the 2018 Nursing Workforce Oklahoma Report, which guides policies aimed at improving health outcomes in underserved regions.
“The influence of regional state institutions collectively addressing nursing issues cannot be understated,” Dr. Gray wrote. “ Dr. Wells’ nursing workforce contributions will influence national policy leading to better nursing care and health outcomes.”
