The Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing
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 5000 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 atmosphere 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 practitioners 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:
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
www.nlnac.org
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 National
League for Nursing, the American Hospital Association, and the Council of Health
Professional Education of the Hospital and Healthsystem 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 race, color, religion, sex, national origin,
non-job-related disability, age, sexual orientation/affection, veteran status,
or other classifications that are protected under Title IX of the Education
Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans
with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other pertinent state and federal laws and
regulations. The director of the School of Nursing is responsible for the
implementation of equal opportunity in the School of Nursing.
School Calendar
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
Directions to the School
Please click
here for directions to The Western Pennsylvania Hospital.
The Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing building is located across South Millvale Avenue from the main entrance to The Western Pennsylvania Hospital.