Department of Nursing
What We Do:
Our mission is to prepare nurses at the baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral levels, who are grounded in the Catholic and Jesuit tradition, and committed to excellence in practice for the 21st century. Our graduates have the knowledge and competencies to deliver high-quality, evidence-based, holistic person-centered care.
How We Stand Out:
- Jesuit ideals: We have a deep concern for students as individuals. Service and compassion are emphasized in all programs.
- Personal attention: In their first year, undergraduate nursing majors take introductory classes with our full-time faculty and meet their peers. Graduate and DNP students are all assigned a faculty mentor to guide and support their educational experience.
- Strong clinical focus: Clinical experiences beginning in sophomore year for undergraduate students. All clinical sites are arranged by faculty for baccalaureate, graduate, and doctoral students.
- Dedicated faculty: Classes taught by full-time faculty who are actively engaged in clinical practice and research.
Programs:
Undergraduate Degree Program:
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN): The baccalaureate degree program consists of 127.5 credits in nursing and liberal arts courses. Graduates are eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). The curriculum prepares graduates who possess clinical judgment and competencies to function in a variety of settings.
Master's Degree Programs:
- Family Nurse Practitioner (MSN): A 36-credit master’s degree program for baccalaureate-prepared-nurses, and a 27-credit post-master’s certificate for nurses already holding a master’s degree in nursing. The curriculum prepares registered nurses to assess, diagnose, and treat common episodic and chronic disorders, and to provide health-promotion and disease-prevention interventions and counseling across the lifespan.
- Executive Nurse Leadership (MSN): A 30-credit master’s degree program that prepares nurse executives to be leaders in the increasingly complex and rapidly changing healthcare climate. The curriculum emphasizes content in organizational and financial management perspectives, as well as the knowledge and skills to exert a leadership role in health care and contribute to the art and science of nursing.
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Degree Programs:
- Post-Master's -- Leadership (DNP): A 30-credit doctoral degree program for master’s prepared nurses uniquely offered in an executive leadership format, specifically designed to accommodate full-time practice and full-time academic commitment. This hybrid model allows for a combination of on-campus and on-line course work, incorporating the benefits of face-to-face on campus learning with the flexibility of online learning.
- Nurse Anesthesia (DNP): An 83-credit doctoral degree program for baccalaureate prepared nurses who are seeking the opportunity to become Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists. The 36-month full-time program prepares graduates to administer all types of anesthesia to diverse populations in a variety of clinical settings.
Meet Our Faculty:
We have all been bedside practitioners and have advanced degrees in a broad range of backgrounds and specialties. In addition to teaching, many of us remain engaged in clinical practice, research, and hold leadership roles on local and national boards of professional organizations.
Additionally, we are active in the University community through committee service and leading national and international service trips for the marginalized and underserved. Above all, we pride ourselves on being accessible to our students and committed to their success.
Teresa Conte, PhD, CPNP, FAPHON
Chair
Department Chair
B.S.N., University of Scranton
M.S.N., Villanova University
Ph.D., Villanova University
Phone: 570-941-7647
Send an email
Internal Website
Barbara K. Buxton, PhD, RN, PMH-CNS, BC
B.S.N., Albright College
M.S.N., Wilkes University
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Phone: 570-941-7706
Send an email
Internal Website
Dona Rinaldi Carpenter, EdD, RN
B.S.N., Misericordia
M.S.N., Villanova University
M.S.N., Teacher’s College Columbia University
Ed.D., Columbia University
Phone: 570-941-4195
Send an email
Internal Website
Ann Culp, CRNA, DNP
Program Administrator, Nurse Anesthesia Program
R.N., Pittston Hospital School of Nursing
B.S.N., Ottawa University
M.S.N., Case Western Reserve University
DNP, Case Western Reserve University
Phone: 570-941-5588
Send an email
Internal Website
Michele Boland
Mary Jane K. DiMattio, PhD, RN
Graduate Program Director
B.S.N., University of Scranton
M.S.N., Villanova University
Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
Phone: 570-941-7628
Send an email
Internal Website
Julie Murphy, PhD, MSN, PMHNP
PhD, Penn State University, 2019
MSN, Drexel University 2012
BSN, Penn State University 2005
AAS, Luzerne Community College 1996
Certifications: Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Primary Palliative Care
Phone: 570-941-6793
Send an email
Laura Skoronski Chavez
PhD, MSN
PhD, University of Wisconsin-Milwalkee, 2018
MS, Georgetown University, 2014
BSN, University of Scranton, 2010
Phone: 570-941-7644
Send an email
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
Send an email
Internal Website
Marian Farrell, PhD, PMH-NP, BC, PMH-CNS, BC, CRNP, CS
B.S.N., Misericordia University
M.S.N., Misericordia University
Ph.D., Adelphi University
Phone: 570-941-4117
Send an email
Internal Website
Ann Feeney, PhD, CRNP, CNM
R.N., Robert Packer Hospital School of Nursing
B.S.N., Marywood University
M.S.N., University of Pennsylvania
Ph.D., Binghamton University
Phone: 570-941-4118
Send an email
Internal Website
Autumn Forgione, RN, MSN, AGNP
Director of Simulation
B.S.N., Villanova University
M.S.N., University of Pennsylvania
Phone: 570-941-4788
Send an email
Internal Website
Kelly Filchner, PhD
Phone: 570-941-4197
Send an email
Anna Grippi, MSN
Phone: 570-941-4016
Send an email
Natalie Gilboy, MSN, CRNP
Phone: 570-941-5953
Send an email
Mimi Kovaleski, PhD, MSN, RN, ACNS-BC, CCRN
B.S.N., Wilkes University
M.S.N., University of Scranton
Ph.D., Duquesne University
Phone: 570-941-5832
Send an email
Internal Website
Shannon Kaspriskie, MSN
Lisa Lesneski, PhD, RN
B.S.N., Marywood University
M.S.N., Binghamton University
Ph.D., University of Maryland at Baltimore
Phone: 570-941-4346
Send an email
Internal Website
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
Send an email
Internal Website
Wendy Grochowski Manetti, PhD, CRNP, NP-C
Family Nurse Pracitioner Program Director
B.S.N., University of Scranton
M.S.N., University of Scranton
Ph.D., Widener University
Phone: 570-941-6221
Send an email
Internal Website
Tracy L. Murray, Esq., JD, 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
JD, Widener University Commonwealth Law School
Phone: 570-941-5551
Send an email
Jason Phillips, MSN, CRNP
Phone: 570-941-6168
Send an email
Laurie Valunas, RN, MSN, CPNP
B.S.N., University of Scranton
M.S.N., Duke University
Phone: 570-941-5833
Send an email
Internal Website
Cristen Walker, PhD, CRNP, FNP-C, CNE
Undergraduate Program Director
B.S.N., University of Pittsburgh
M.S.N., State University of New York
Ph.D., Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Phone: 570-941-7928
Send an email
Internal Website
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
Send an email
Internal Website
Inside the Classroom:
Student Research:
Scholarship is an important focus of our nursing faculty, and we have had our 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 undergraduate students choose an Honors Program option, where they are mentored by faculty as they produce their own research. Students have presented research at national conferences, and spent post-graduate years in service to others on national and international levels.
For more information on individual faculty members areas of research, visit our faculty page.
Career Outcomes:
Our graduates enter the profession with a solid theoretical and clinical base that guides their practice and decision-making. We have greater than a 95% annual employment rate post-graduation.
You will find our baccalaureate prepared Royal RNs working in hospitals, community clinics, government agencies, and offices. Our master’s and DNP graduates’ function in various roles including clinician, educator, and administrator.
Employers of our graduates include hospitals, clinics, surgical centers, military bases, private practice, public health settings, and educational institutions.
Employers of our graduates include:
- Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
- Hackensack Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ
- New York Presbyterian Medical Center, New York, NY
- Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA
- Lehigh Valley Hospital and Physicians Group, Allentown, PA
- New York University Medical Center, New York City, NY
- University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA
- 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
- Wright Center, Scranton, PA
- Geisinger Health System, Danville, PA
Accreditation:
| The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master's degree program in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program, and post-graduate APRN certificate program at the University of Scranton are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. (https://www.aacnnursing.org/CCNE) |  |
The Nurse Anesthesia Program at the University of Scranton is accredited by The Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA).
Nursing Programs
Department news
Undergraduate Nursing Program Ranked Nationally
Scranton's bachelor of science in nursing is among the top in the U.S., according to U.S. News & World Report. The major is ranked No,. 135 in the nation in the 2023 edition of the US News "Best Colleges" guidebook.
See How a Nursing Degree Opens Doors
Nursing student Glen Johnson administers the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at a clinic in Throop, PA, in a photo by Christopher Dolan ’14 (Photo Courtesy The Times-Tribune).
Department Earns National Award
Scranton's nursing program was one of two in the nation to earn the 2020 Assessment and Impact Award for Nursing Education.
