Second-generation nurse returns to OSU-OKC to train the next generation

Second-generation nurse returns to OSU-OKC to train the next generation

Monday, February 16, 2026

Anything but a nurse, Tyler Bell thought.

Growing up, Bell saw his mother's path as a nurse and noted her skill, hard work and dedication. But, he didn't think it was for him.

"I originally wanted to be a doctor," he said.

His mother, who graduated from Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City, often shared stories from her job.

"I heard her stories and just said, I will never be a nurse. Look at me now."

Bell, an OSU-OKC nurse science alumnus and current adjunct instructor, has come full circle - from following in his mother's footsteps to helping prepare future nurses to enter the workforce.

His mother's experience also played a direct role in steering him to OSU-OKC.

"She had already graduated from here, and so really, she led me here," Bell said.

The job security and ability to help others appealed to Bell. As a student, microbiology was his favorite course. But in the nursing program, critical care nursing left a lasting impact: Bell went into critical care after graduation as a registered nurse.

Today, he's returned to train the next generation, both at Francis Tuttle Technology Center, where he teaches practical nursing, and as an adjunct in the OSU-OKC nursing program.

Bell's motivation to begin adjunct teaching was simple: "I really just kind of wanted to give back."

His own journey from LPN to RN helps him mentor students in OSU-OKC's career?ladder pathways. His empathy for students is rooted in personal experience. When he transitioned into the RN program, Bell struggled during his first semester.

"It was really the professors … that said, 'OK, you're gonna come back, and this is what we're gonna do,'" Bell said.

He returned, adjusted his study methods, and eventually graduated. Now, he uses those experiences to support today's learners.

"Let's dive into it and see what your way of learning is," he tells students. "That's really what my professors did here at OSU-OKC."

Today, Bell considers it a privilege to stand where his instructors once stood, as he helps shape the next generation of nurses, just as his mother and instructors inspired and encouraged him.

Applications for the fall nursing program at OSU-OKC are open until April 1.

For more information, visit osuokc.edu/nursing.