UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing opens in Harrisburg
Harrisburg, Pa (Feb. 21, 2022) — UPMC and Harrisburg University today announced the opening of the UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing at UPMC Harrisburg. The new school will help bring more critically important nurses to the region and give area residents the opportunity to pursue a career in nursing through an affordable, accelerated program.
“There is a critical shortage of nurses in our region, and we are happy to partner with Harrisburg University to help fill that need,” said Philip Guarneschelli, president of UPMC in Central Pa. “It’s an ideal program for students who want to start an exciting career in nursing as soon as possible.”
UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing at UPMC Harrisburg is a 16-month accelerated diploma program for registered nurses (RNs). First-year students will take non-nursing courses at Harrisburg University, nursing courses from UPMC faculty, and complete over 900 hours of clinical rotations at UPMC Harrisburg and other regional UPMC facilities. Once students graduate and pass the RN licensing examination, they will be well-positioned to earn their bachelor’s degree in nursing from Harrisburg University while maintaining full-time employment.
“This further strengthens the University’s commitment to the latest technology, state-of-the-art resources, academic support, and a learning environment that will facilitate the training of well-prepared 21st century nursing graduates who can confront today’s unpredictable health care challenges,” said Dr. Eric Darr, president, Harrisburg University of Science and Technology.
The School of Nursing expects to welcome up to 200 students for its inaugural class. The fall 2022 semester will begin in August at Strawberry Square in downtown Harrisburg.
“I look forward to advancing opportunities for new nurses in this region,” said Penny Lenig-Zerby, Ph.D., R.N., C.S.N., director of nursing for the new program. “The collaboration between Harrisburg University and UPMC comes at a crucial time — the nursing profession is expected to grow exponentially in the next few years as demand for health care services increases. This program will pave the way for hundreds of new nurses to begin their careers.”
Scholarship and grant opportunities may be available, and UPMC offers a generous tuition reimbursement program for employees to continue their education, including undergraduate and graduate degrees in nursing. UPMC is also offering a work-study program, where eligible students can work around their class schedule at UPMC while earning their degree.
“Nurses are an essential component of our health care system, and we value our partnerships with the universities and colleges who are helping meet these and other important health care staffing needs,” said Guarneschelli.
Registration for the UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing at UPMC Harrisburg is now open. Limited faculty positions are also still available. For more information, visit UPMC.com/ShadysideSchoolOfNursing.
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About UPMC
A $23 billion health care provider and insurer, Pittsburgh-based UPMC is inventing new models of patient-centered, cost-effective, accountable care. The largest nongovernmental employer in Pennsylvania, UPMC integrates more than 92,000 employees, 40 hospitals, 800 doctors’ offices and outpatient sites, and a more than 4 million-member Insurance Services Division, the largest medical insurer in western Pennsylvania. In the most recent fiscal year, UPMC contributed $1.7 billion in benefits to its communities, including more care to the region’s most vulnerable citizens than any other health care institution, and paid more than $900 million in federal, state, and local taxes. Working in close collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences, UPMC shares its clinical, managerial, and technological skills worldwide through its innovation and commercialization arm, UPMC Enterprises, and through UPMC International. U.S. News consistently ranks UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside among the nation’s best hospitals in many specialties and ranks UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh on its Honor Roll of America’s Best Children’s Hospitals. For more information, go to UPMC.com.
Contact: Christine Rapp
Mobile: 717-965-9119
Email: rappce@upmc.edu
About Harrisburg University
Accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, Harrisburg University is a private non-profit university offering bachelor and graduate degree programs in science, technology, and math fields. For more information on the University’s affordable demand-driven undergraduate and graduate programs, call 717.901.5146 or email Connect@HarrisburgU.edu.