West Penn Hospital's School of Nursing, founded in 1892, was the first
nursing school in the nation to admit male students and one of the
first to receive accreditation from the National League for
Nursing.
Dedicated to academic excellence, the School recently redesigned its curriculum to ensure continued leadership in preparing professional nurses to meet the challenges of patient care today and in the future.
College courses in West Penn Hospital's 22-month professional nursing program are taught by Clarion University faculty at West Penn and may be used to fulfill Clarion University requirements toward a bachelor of science in nursing degree.
- Admission
- Curriculum
- Academic Policies
- Graduation
- Student Services
- Professional Socialization
- Facilities
- Financial Aid Guide
- Faculty & Support Staff
- Application & Enrollment
The School
The need for professional nurses became acute near the turn of the
twentieth century. In response, The Western Pennsylvania Hospital
developed a nursing education program.
Fifteen students were chosen and the West Penn Hospital Training School for Nurses opened on September 1, 1892, with a two-year curriculum. Ten students successfully completed the program and graduated on September 20, 1894. Because of its high standards and comprehensive curriculum, the School's popularity grew quickly. By the end of its first year, the School had received hundreds of applications. Since that time, the School has graduated over 5,000 students.
Leadership, innovation and growth have characterized the School's programs and services. West Penn Hospital School of Nursing has the distinction of being the first nursing school in the nation to admit male students. West Penn was also one of the nation's first nursing schools to receive accreditation from the National League for Nursing.
Dedicated to academic excellence, the School updates its curriculum to include advances in nursing and related fields in order to more thoroughly prepare graduates for their careers.
With guidance, students at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing gain experience in assessing patient needs and in planning and administering patient care. The Western Pennsylvania Hospital is the primary clinical setting for the School of Nursing. Work and study in this dynamic urban hospital environment bring students in contact with professionals from a variety of healthcare disciplines and institutions. Other hospitals and selected agencies in Allegheny County provide opportunities for student enrichment in certain specialty areas. Classrooms, the learning center, and the administrative and faculty offices are located in the Nurses' Residence.
Philosophy
A philosophy is necessary to establish an atmos-phere within which faculty and students work toward attainment of common goals. The Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing faculty is responsible for developing the School's philosophy within the framework of the philosophy of the governing board of The Western Pennsylvania Hospital.We, the faculty of The Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing, believe that nursing education prepares nurses who focus on promoting and maintaining optimum health of clients within the community. The graduate is accountable within the scope of professional nursing standards, and practices in a variety of community settings that promote, protect, restore and rehabilitate the health of clients. The graduate, as a health facilitator, assists clients to achieve and maintain optimum health through the client's own actions and decisions.
Nursing
Nursing is an autonomous healthcare profession based on a holistic
philosophy of health. The foundation of nursing is a body of knowledge
derived from the biophysical and psychosocial sciences. Nursing is an
art and a science that promotes human betterment and is based on
theories, clinical practice and research. Nursing utilizes clinical
judgment to give direction to nursing actions that promote health,
prevent disease, or restore and rehabilitate health. Nursing
incorporates principles of critical thinking, communication, teaching
and management in the provision of client care. Nurses collaborate
with the client and with other healthcare professionals. The nurse
enters into an empathic relationship with the client to promote and
maintain optimum health.
Individual
An individual is a valued being with inherent dignity and deserving of
respect. As an open system with a uniquely determined internal
environment, an individual functions holistically through constant
interaction with the external environment. An individual is
self-regulating and changes physically, psychologically, socially
and/or spiritually in response to environmental alterations.
Client
The client is an open system and the focus of nursing. The client is
an individual, family or group and is the chief agent of health
promotion. The client is a subsystem of the community; the community
is a subsystem of society; society is a subsystem of the world. The
community consists of aggregates having common organization, needs and
purposes. Society is comprised of dynamic communities that determine
the nature of health care.
Health
Health is the reflection of the client's physical, sociocultural,
psychological and spiritual conditions and is defined by the
client. Health is dynamic and evolves as the client continuously
adapts to the internal and external environment.
Learning
Learning is a continuous, lifelong process by which an individual
exhibits a change of behavior resulting from cognitive, affective
and/or psychomotor experiences. The School of Nursing faculty believe
that the behavioral, cognitive and humanistic theories of learning
apply to education. Learning is based on a hierarchy progressing from
simple to complex and general to specific. Specific conditions of
learning emphasized in the program relevant to the teaching-learning
process include: conditioning, reinforcement, modeling, transference,
concept formation, psychomotor skill learning, readiness to learn,
repetition, empowerment and learning to learn. The learner is
recognized as an individual with basic human needs, motivation and
capacity to learn, and a unique learning style. The learner is
expected to actively participate in the educational process.
Nursing Education
Nursing education is a collaborative, developmental learning process
that enables the student to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes
and values necessary to practice the profession of nursing. The
student and the faculty share their unique knowledge, experience and
creativity in a supportive learning environment that emphasizes
critical thinking. Faculty design learning experiences using a variety
of teaching strategies in the classroom and clinical
laboratory. Students and faculty value learning, autonomy and the
holistic growth of the individual. The teaching-learning process is a
partnership whereby both the student and the faculty have rights and
responsibilities that are defined in their respective "Rights and
Responsibilities."
School Goal
The goal of The Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing is to provide an educational system whereby students grow, personally and professionally, in the acquisition of knowledge, attitudes and skills needed to function as practition-ers of nursing in healthcare settings that are responsive to individual and community needs.
Curriculum Objectives
At the completion of the program, the graduate of The Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing:
- Integrates the clinical judgment process in the provision of health care to clients.
- Displays personal and professional accountability as a practitioner of nursing.
- Incorporates principles of communication into professional interactions as a healthcare provider.
- Acts as a health facilitator to enable clients to make healthcare decisions.
- Integrates the concept of holism in meeting healthcare needs of clients.
- Manages the care of clients within various healthcare systems.
Approval and Accreditation
The School of Nursing is approved by the State Board of Nursing of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC),
61 Broadway, New York, NY, 10006,
(212) 363-5555, ext. 153
Verification for Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing approval and NLNAC accreditation are on file in the School of Nursing office.
The Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing is a member of the Council of Diploma Programs of the National League for Nursing, the American Hospital, Association, and the Council of Health Professional Education of the Hospital Association of Pennsylvania.
The Western Pennsylvania Hospital is approved by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
Non-Discrimination Statement
The Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing is in compliance with federal, state and city laws, regulations and ordinances governing equal opportunity and nondiscrimination. The School does not discriminate in the recruitment, admission, or progression of students or in the operation of any of its educational programs and activities. Equal opportunity to applicants and students is provided regardless of age, sex, sexual orientation, creed, ancestry, place of birth, race, color, religion, national origin or non-job-related disability. The director of the School of Nursing is responsible for the implementation of equal opportunity in the School of Nursing.
School Calendar
Click here to download Adobe Acrobat PDF file.| August 11-12 | Freshman Enrollment |
| August 13-15 | Orientation, Class of 2005 |
| August 18 | Fall Term begins |
| September 1 | Holiday Recess |
| October 24 | Fall Term ends |
| November 3 | Winter Term begins |
| November 27 | Holiday Recess begins |
| December 1 | Classes resume |
| December 20 | Holiday Recess begins |
| January 5 | Classes resume |
| January 23 | Winter Term ends |
| February 2 | Spring Term begins |
| April 9 | Spring Term ends |
| April 19 | Summer Term begins |
| May 31 | Holiday Recess |
| June 25 | Summer Term ends |
2004-2005 Nursing Courses Only
| August 23 | Fall Term begins |
| September 6 | Holiday Recess |
| October 29 | Fall Term ends |
| November 8 | Winter Term begins |
| November 25 | Holiday Recess begins |
| November 29 | Classes resume |
| December 17 | Holiday Recess begins |
| January 3 | Classes resume |
| January 28 | Winter Term ends |
| February 7 | Spring Term begins |
| April 15 | Spring Term ends |
| April 25 | Summer Term begins |
| May 30 | Holiday Recess |
| July 1 | Summer Term ends |
| July 1 | Commencement |
Contact the School
The Western Pennsylvania Hospital
School of Nursing
4900 Friendship Avenue
Pittsburgh PA 15224
Telephone: (412) 578-5538
Toll-free: 1-877-33NURSE
Facsimile: (412) 578-1837
E-mail: sonadmissions@wpahs.org