The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (more commonly referred to as Penn Nursing) is an undergraduate and graduate institution at the University of Pennsylvania, located in Philadelphia. According to U.S. News & World Report, the School of Nursing at Penn is among the top-ranked undergraduate and graduate nursing schools in the United States.[2][3] The School of Nursing receives approximately $480 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health, making it among the most highly funded nursing schools in the country.[4]
The Tri-Nursing Education Building (or Tri-NEB), originally built in 1972, was later named for Claire M. Fagin, a former dean of Penn Nursing who later served as Interim President of the university. The building originally housed the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania's School of Nursing which was a three-year diploma in nursing. Students there also attended classes at UPenn for chemistry, anatomy and physiology, and two electives of their choice. The school was founded in 1886 and graduated its last class in 1978.[citation needed]
When Penn accepted responsibility for HUP in 1973, HUP's school of nursing was absorbed into Penn Nursing.[6]
At the undergraduate level, the School of Nursing offers traditional and accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs. From October 2014 through September 2015, the NCLEX first-time test-takers pass rate was 93.04%.[8] While Yale University and Columbia University also have nursing programs, Penn is the only Ivy League institution to offer a baccalaureate nursing program.[9]
Penn Nursing has 15 masters programs, including nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, certified nurse-midwife, as well as a doctoral certified registered nurse anesthetist program. The majority of Penn Nursing's graduate programs are top-ranked in their specialty.[10][11][12] Penn Nursing also offers a PhD program.[13]
Students can also earn joint degrees from the School of Nursing and other schools in the University of Pennsylvania. Options include the Nursing and Health Care Management program with the Wharton School, leading to a BSN and a Bachelor of Science in economics. There are also dual-degree and joint degree options for nursing students of different degree levels and in different schools in the university.[citation needed]
Nursing students have the option to apply to various study abroad programs during the spring or fall semesters or during one of the two summer sessions of Penn's academic calendar. Sites include Australia, England, Botswana, Hong Kong, Spain, and Thailand.[14]
Anthony Scarpone-Lambert, inventor of uNight Light, "a wearable light-emitting diode, or LED, that allows nurses to illuminate their work space without interrupting a patient’s sleep."[16][17]
^"A 75-year legacy"(PDF). UpFRONT. No. 5–6. Fall 2009. Although HUP began operating a school of nursing in 1886, it wasn't until 1935 that Penn responded to The Pennsylvania State Nurses Association's request for higher education institutions by adding a Bachelor of Science in Nursing Education to its list of academic programs. In 1944, the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania authorized the newly created School of Nursing to grant the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.
