Facilities

This section describes facilities of The Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing in Pittsburgh, Pa. Founded in 1892, the School is one of the oldest in the nation and one of the first to be accredited by the National League for Nursing Accreditation Center.

On December 7, 2006, The Western Pennsylvania Hospital became the first and only hospital in Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania to achieve Magnet recognition status from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).  This 4-year designation for facilities providing the highest level of excellence in nursing services has been achieved by only 4% of all healthcare facilities in the nation.

On October 29, 2007, The Western Pennsylvania Hospital Foundation announced that their "Touching Tomorrow" capital campaign has successfully raised $8.7 million, of which $6 million will be used to renovate The Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing.

Housing

Students choose their housing arrangements. They may commute or elect to live in the Nurses' Residence of The Western Pennsylvania Hospital where space is available for a limited number of women and men.

Each dormitory floor of the Nurses' Residence has a kitchen and lounge. Several other lounges are also available for student leisure activities. Students can buy meals in West Penn Hospital's employee cafeteria or the Friendship Cafe.

Students make housing arrangements through the Admissions Office. Rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Classroom Facilities

Classrooms and science laboratories are located in the Nurses' Residence.

STAR Simulation Center

The Western Pennsylvania Hospital's STAR Simulation Center, featuring sophisticated, computer-based patient mannequins, is housed on the first floor of the School of Nursing building.  One of fewer than 100 in the nation, West Penn's "gold-standard" facility allows students and clinicians to practice a wide range of patient care techniques and to test their proficiency in managing a variety of critical clinical situations.

Library/Learning Center

The Richard M. Johnston Health Science Library is under the direction of a professional librarian and is located in the Hospital.  It provides the resources, facilities, and services necessary to assist in meeting the information needs of students and faculty.

The library provides access to the Internet, audiovisual materials, books on nursing and related health sciences, a collection of current professional journals, a daily newspaper, and current events magazines and other recreational reading.

New students attend an orientation to the library and its bibliographic tools. The librarian provides additional help on an individual basis.

Students can borrow materials from Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh by presenting verification of a Pittsburgh address. Nearby branches are located in Oakland, East Liberty, Lawrenceville, Squirrel Hill and the North Side.

The Helene Fuld Learning Center contains a Nursing Arts Laboratory for demonstration and practice of specific nursing skills, and also a computer lab that is equipped with computers (with Internet access), software, and a networked printer.

Clinical Facilities

The Western Pennsylvania Hospital, located across Millvale Avenue from the Nurses' Residence, is the School of Nursing's primary clinical facility. Students have planned experiences in assessing patient needs and for planning and providing nursing care for clients in the medical, surgical and obstetric clinical areas.

Student clinical experience in mental health nursing is at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital - Forbes Regional Campus and at the Veterans Administration Medical Center, Highland Drive, Pittsburgh. Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and Allegheny General Hospital - Suburban Campus provide clinical experiences in pediatric nursing.

Selected community resources provide students with a variety of special experiences and activities.

Travel and traveling expenses to and from all cooperating agencies and community resources are the responsibility of the student. Transportation to some clinical sites requires the use of a car.