Department of Nursing
What We Do:
Welcome to Nursing at The University of Scranton! Since its inception in 1984, the department has upheld a tradition of excellence. We prepare students to become skilled, compassionate RoyalRNs bedside clinicians, advocates, scholars and leaders in a university community centered around Catholic and Jesuit values.
With a strong base in the liberal arts, we offer a holistic and global perspective on family- and patient-centered nursing care. Students take on challenges both in and out of the classroom, beginning clinical experiences as sophomores.
Our faculty are active in research and practice, using technology and various teaching methods to engage students on intellectual, emotional and personal levels. They are committed to successfully transitioning students to professional practice.
To be a RoyalRN is to be a nurse among the best.
How We Stand Out:
- Smaller class sizes for individual attention
- Strong clinical focus with clinical experiences beginning sophomore year
- Diverse curriculum based on national standards and current health care trends
- Dedicated full-time faculty, actively engaged in practice and research
- Opportunities for student research
- Opportunities to participate in honors programs and to take graduate courses as an undergraduate
- Opportunities for studying abroad and for participation in domestic and international service trips
- Competent and compassionate alumni who are engaged with professional organizations, volunteer work and patient advocacy
Programs:
Our rigorous curriculum has a strong liberal arts foundation, is responsive to the health care needs of society and reflects current technologies and approaches.
Undergraduate Degree Programs:
Graduate Degree Programs:
- Family Nurse Practitioner (MSN)
- Adult Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist (MSN)
- Certified Advanced Practice Nurses
- Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
- Doctor of Nursing Practice - Nurse Anesthesia (DNP)
An accelerated MSN is also available. We offer individual academic assessment and planning to satisfy the adult learners needs in returning to school.
Meet Our Faculty:
Our faculty have all been bedside practitioners and have advanced degrees in a broad range of backgrounds and specialties. In addition to teaching, they remain engaged in advanced clinical practice roles and research.
Beyond the classroom, they lead by example. They are active in clinical practice, have leadership roles on local and national boards of professional organizations, and serve on University-wide committees. Faculty are also active in community service, and lead national and international service trips for the marginalized and underserved.
Above all, our faculty pride themselves on their commitment to student success and being easily accessible to students. In fact, three of our faculty members, Dr. DiMattio, Dr. Manetti and Dr. Conte, are Royal RNs themselves.
Catherine P. Lovecchio, PhD, RN
Chair
Interim Chairperson
B.S.N., Villanova University
M.S.N., Misericordia University
Ph.D., Villanova University
Phone: 570-941-7775
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Barbara K. Buxton, PhD, RN, PMH-CNS, BC
B.S.N., Albright College
M.S.N., Wilkes University
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Psychiatric Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist, Board Certified
Phone: 570-941-7706
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Dona Rinaldi Carpenter, EdD, RN
B.S.N., Misericordia, 1979
M.S.N., Villanova University, 1984
M.S.N., Teacher’s College Columbia University, 1987
Ed.D., Columbia University , 1989
Phone: 570-941-4195
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Teresa Conte, PhD, CPNP
B.S.N., University of Scranton, 1994
M.S.N., Nurse Practitioner, Villanova University, 2003
Ph.D., Villanova University, 2011
Phone: 570-941-7647
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Ann Culp, CRNA, DNP
Program Administrator, Nurse Anesthesia Program
R.N., Pittston Hospital School of Nursing, 1979
B.S.N., Ottawa University, 1988
M.S.N., Case Western Reserve University, 1996
DNP, Case Western Reserve University, 2009
Phone: 570-941-5588
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Mary Jane K. DiMattio, PhD, RN
B.S.N., University of Scranton
M.S.N., Villanova University
Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
Phone: 570-941-7628
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Susan Elczyna, PhD, CRNA
Assistant Program Administrator, Nurse Anesthesia Program
R.N., Geisinger School of Nursing
B.S.N., Wilkes University
M.S.N., Wilkes University
Ph.D., Marywood University
Phone: 570-941-5583
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Marian Farrell, PhD, PMH-NP, BC, CRNP, CS
B.S.N., Misericordia University
M.S.N., Misericordia University
Ph.D., Adelphi University
Phone: 570-941-4117
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Anne Feeney, PhD, CRNP, CNM
R.N., Robert Packer Hospital School of Nursing, 1983
B.S.N., Marywood University, 1987
M.S.N., University of Pennsylvania, 1989
Ph.D., Binghamton University, 2014
Phone: 570-941-4118
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Autumn Forgione, RN, MSN
B.S.N., Villanova University
M.S.N., University of Pennsylvania
Phone: 570-941-4788
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Mary Jane Hanson, PhD, CRNP, CNS, RN, FNP-BC, ANP-BC, ACNS-BC
Professor and Director of Graduate and DNP Programs
B.S.N., Cedar Crest College
M.S.N., University of Pennsylvania
Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
Phone: 570-941-4060
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Colleen Heckman, RN, MSN, NP-C
B.S.N., Bloomsburg University, 1987
M.S.N., Syracuse University, 1997
Phone: 570-941-4196
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Sharon Hudacek, EdD, RN, ACNS-BC
B.S.N., Misericordia University
M.S.N., Columbia University
Ph.D., Columbia University
Phone: 570-941-4197
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Mimi Kovaleski, MSN, RN, ACNS-BC, CCRN
B.S.N., Wilkes University
M.S.N., University of Scranton
Phone: 570-941-5832
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Lisa Lesneski, PhD, RN
B.S.N., Marywood University, 1988
M.S.N., Binghamton University, 1991
Ph.D., University of Maryland at Baltimore, 2005
Phone: 570-941-4346
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Linda Lewis, MSN, RN, CCNS, RN-BC
Mercy School of Nursing
B.S.N., Pennsylvania State University
M.S.N., University of Pennsylvania
Phone: 570-941-7755
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Wendy Grochowski Manetti, PhD, CRNP
B.S.N., University of Scranton, 1989
M.S.N., University of Scranton, 1999
Ph.D., Widener University, 2015
Phone: 570-941-6221
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Tracy L. Murray, Esq., CRNP, CRNA
Clinical Director, Nurse Anesthesia Program
• BSN University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing
• CRNA University Health Center of Pittsburgh School of Anesthesia for Nurses
• MSN University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing FNP Program
• JD Widener University Commonwealth Law School
Phone: 570-941-5551
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Jo Ann L. Nicoteri, PhD, CRNP, FNP-BC
B.S.N., University of Pennsylvania
M.S.N., State University of New York at Binghamton
Ph.D., University of Maryland at Baltimore
Phone: 570-941-4345
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Kim Subasic, PhD, MS, RN
B.S.N., Saint Francis University, 1987
M.S.N., University of Massachusetts, 2003
Ph.D., Saint Louis University, 2012
Phone: 570-941-6223
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Annette T. Tross, RN, MSN, CRNP, NP-C
R.N., Mercy Hospital School of Nursing, 1987
B.S.N., University of the State of New York, Regents College, 1997
M.S.N., Misericordia University, MSN, CRNP, 1999
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), in progress, University of Scranton
Phone: 570-941-4508
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Laurie Valunas, MSN, CPNP
B.S.N., University of Scranton
M.S.N., Duke University
Phone: 570-941-5833
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Cristen Walker, MSN, CRNP
B.S.N., University of Pittsburgh
M.S.N. State University of New York
Phone: 570-941-7928
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Patricia M. Wright, PhD, CRNP, CNS, CHPN, CNE
B.S.N., Misericordia University
M.S.N., Misericordia University
Ph.D., Loyola University Chicago
Post-Master’s Certificate: Family Nurse Practitioner, Misericordia University
Phone: 570-941-6484
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Margarete L. Zalon, PhD, RN, ACNS-BC, FAAN
B.S.N., Duke University
M.A. in Nursing, New York University
Ph.D., New York University
Phone: 570-941-7655
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Inside the Classroom:
Students are taught by faculty who utilize many different teaching strategies to make learning more engaging. For instance, students work with realistic high-fidelity simulation models, exposing them to challenging scenarios and allowing faculty to evaluate their decision making process and bedside manner. In addition, nursing students are also required to complete 40 hours of service during their freshman and sophomore years.
By offering clinical experiences as soon as sophomore year, we give students an early opportunity to learn first-hand what a career in nursing is really like. With three hospitals in walking distance of our campus, and established connections with others in the region, students have a diverse range of clinical opportunities. Working in small clinical groups with an 8-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio, they apply theory and hone their critical thinking and decision making skills.
Student Research:
Scholarship is an important focus of our nursing faculty, and they have had their research projects funded by national organizations. Faculty have been published in nursing and interdisciplinary health care journals and have presented at national and international conferences.
Our students have the opportunity to work with faculty on research projects. Some students choose an honors option where they are mentored by faculty as they produce their own research. Students have presented research at national conferences, earned Fulbright Scholarships, and spent post-graduate years in service to others on national and international levels through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and Mercy Volunteer Corps.
For more information on individual faculty members areas of research, visit our faculty page.
Career Outcomes:
Our graduates enter the profession with a solid base of clinical skills that guide their practice and decision-making.
You will find RoyalRNs working in hospitals, community clinics, government agencies and offices. They are employed as bedside clinicians, administrators, scholars and educators. Over the past three years, more than 90% of our graduates have gained full-time employment. Some of our graduates spend their first year after graduation volunteering in sites across the United States.
Royal RN Employers include:
- Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
- Memorial Sloan – Kettering Cancer Center, New York City, NY
- Hackensack Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ
- New York Presbyterian Medical Center, New York City, NY
- Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA
- Lehigh Valley Medical Center, Allentown, PA
- New York University Medical Center, New York City, NY
- University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA
- Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center, New Brunswick, NJ
- Yale New Haven Medical Center, Yale, CT
- Vanderbilt Medical Center, Nashville, TN
- Duke University Hospital, Durham, NC
- U.S. Military Hospitals in Hawaii, Texas, Washington, D.C., and Germany
