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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 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. 

  • Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, MSN: A 42-credit master's program that combines advanced nursing education with specialized training in mental health care. Students gain skills in evidence-based practice and explore the healthcare systems and policies that shape mental health services. 

Post-Master's Certificate Programs:

  • Family Nurse Practitioner, PMC: A 27-credit post-master’s certificate for nurses already holding a nursing master’s degree in advanced practice.

  • Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, PMC: A 33-credit post-master's certificate for nurses already holding an MSN. The program focuses on advanced competencies such as in-depth knowledge of therapeutic interventions and medication management.
Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree Programs:
  • Nursing Practice, 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.

  • Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing, DNP: A 67-credit program that prepares nurses to diagnose, treat and manage acute and chronic psychiatric and mental health illnesses across the lifespan. The core of the psychiatric nurse practitioner specialization is the development of advanced competencies to support the therapeutic relationship between the client and the nurse. 

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.

View the Nursing Faculty Directory 

Inside the Classroom:

We work closely with our students in small classes, seminars, and clinical settings to prepare them for entering the work force after graduation.  Our state-of-the art learning labs have realistic high fidelity simulation models, exposing students to challenging scenarios and allowing faculty to teach and evaluate clinical judgement.

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
  • Duke University Hospital, Durham, NC
  • Geisinger Health System, Danville, PA
  • Hackensack Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ
  • Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA
  • Lehigh Valley Hospital and Physicians Group, Allentown, PA
  • Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
  • New York Presbyterian Medical Center, New York, NY
  • New York University Medical Center, New York City, NY
  • University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA
  • U.S. Military Hospitals in Hawaii, Texas, Washington, D.C., and Germany
  • Vanderbilt Medical Center, Nashville, TN
  • Wright Center, Scranton, PA
  • Yale New Haven Medical Center, Yale, CT

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) CCNE seal

 
The Nurse Anesthesia Program at the University of Scranton is accredited by The Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA).

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