About
April Loeffler, DNP, is a clinical associate professor of nursing. She has nearly twenty years of professional nursing experience that includes clinical practice, education, and system-level leadership.
She began her career at the bedside in maternal/newborn nursing. After discovering a passion for nursing education, she accepted a position in academia where she served more than eleven years as a full-time faculty in undergraduate nursing education. Her academic experience includes both didactic and clinical teaching, simulation-based education, faculty development, study abroad, multi-campus course coordination, and program administration. Most recently, she was a national director of clinical professional development for a multi-state healthcare system, with a focus on clinical competency and interprofessional continuing education.
In each of these roles, Loeffler has found opportunities to make a positive difference in the lives of others, but she finds the most joy and fulfillment in helping people – especially future nurses – develop their potential and achieve their goals.
Loeffler holds national certifications in inpatient obstetric nursing, nursing professional development, and nursing education and an international certification as a healthcare simulation educator.
Awards and honors
- The University of Oklahoma – Best Overall DNP Project Poster, 2025
- Sigma Theta Tau – Third Place for Nurse-Led Innovation Project at the Oklahoma Partners in Quality conference, 2025
- Oklahoma Nurses Association – Region 2 President, 2023
- Oklahoma Nurses Association – Nightingale Award of Excellence, 2021
- Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses – National Nominating Committee, 2016-2018
- The University of Oklahoma College of Nursing – Excellence in Clinical Teaching Award, 2019
- The University of Oklahoma College of Nursing – Excellence in Academic Teaching Award, 2014
- March of Dimes – Oklahoma Women’s Health Nurse of the Year, 2015
Education
- DNP, The University of Oklahoma
- DNP Project: “Improving the Health of the Work Environment through Nurse Manager Development”
Research interests and areas of expertise
- Nursing professional development
- Leadership
- Nurse manager development
- Competency
- Healthy work environment
- Simulation-based healthcare education
- Interprofessional healthcare education