Nursing Prof adds country flair to program

By Laura Pittman, News Writing Student

Nursing Professor Michaele Cole not only devotes her time to nursing, but also spends some of her time “chasing kids and cows,” she said.

Cole is one of two new nursing professors who will begin teaching at OCCC next semester.

She lives on a ranch with her husband, their four children, two boys and twin girls, and a lot of cows, she said.

With her father being an agriculture teacher, Cole has lived on a farm her entire life.

She would “practice” her skills of nursing on the cows on her farm while she was growing up.

She said she comes from a long line of nurses, but her passion to become a nurse actually came from her mother, who also was a nurse.

Rosemary Klepper, the nursing program director at OCCC, said the program is very glad to have Cole’s experience to add to the success of their future.

“The hiring of the two new professors completes our cohort of faculty and we are very pleased,” she said. “From a nursing background, Michaele Cole has great experience, as well as a strong teaching background,” Klepper said.

Cole said she is very excited to be hired at OCCC and to be able to work for the nursing program.

“The faculty is very friendly, very helpful and very knowledgeable here.” Cole said.

“I feel very fortunate to be here and I am excited to continue the academic standard.”

Cole started her undergraduate work at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah.

She then went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in nursing as well as her master’s in human relations from the University of Oklahoma.

She taught at Mid America Technology Center in Oklahoma City from 1995 to 2006 where she taught high school students in the nursing program.

She said many of the students she taught at the technology center transferred to OCCC because of the outstanding nursing program.

Cole also works for many hospitals in the metro area, including Deaconess, Integris Baptist, Integris Mental Health and Southwest Medical where she is a medical surgical nurse as well as a psychiatric nurse.

Cole said her goal at OCCC is to help continue the excellence of the school as well as the nursing program.