The University of Pittsburgh, School of Nursing is the

nursing Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ...

school of the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

(Pitt), located in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. Founded on April 6, 1939, the Pitt

School of Nursing Nurse education consists of the theoretical and practical training provided to nurses with the purpose to prepare them for their duties as nursing care professionals. This education is provided to student nurses by experienced nurses and other med ...

was officially separated from the

School of Medicine A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, M ...

and became an independent, professional school within the university. Ruth Perkins Kuehn served as the school's first dean and become the first nursing school dean in the country to earn a doctoral degree. The Pitt School of Nursing is currently ranked tied for 7th in the United States, according to '' U.S. News & World Report''.

Traditions

School of Nursing pin

Designed by former Dean Ruth Perkins Kuehn, the pin is based on the seal of the university from 1937 until the mid-1970s and bears a candle motif, which symbolizes the role of the nurse in health care.

Pinning ceremony

The pinning ceremony, begun in 1943, marks the culmination of a student's undergraduate program of study. During the ceremony, graduates of the program are awarded their School of Nursing pin. The ceremony includes the ''Passing of the Light'' ritual, which represents graduates' commitment to the ideals of excellence in nursing practice. For each graduating class, the student with the highest academic standing is designated as ''Keeper of the Light'' and becomes its custodian until it is passed along to a member of the following class.

Rankings

The Pitt School of Nursing is ranked 8th in the United States overall, according to current rankings published in ''U.S. News & World Report''s "Best Graduate Schools". Among the Pitt School of Nursing specialty programs ranked in the report, Nursing-Anesthesia ranked 1st, Psychiatric/Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist ranked 6th,

pediatric nurse practitioner A pediatric nurse practitioner (PNP) is a nurse practitioner A nurse practitioner (NP) is an advanced practice registered nurse and a type of mid-level practitioner. NPs are trained to assess patient needs, order and interpret diagnostic ...

ranked 6th, and Adult Nurse Practitioner ranked 9th in the United States. As of 2013, the Pitt School of Nursing's on-line graduate program is ranked 9th in the United States by ''U.S. News & World Report''. Moreover, the Pitt School of Nursing is ranked 3rd nationally in the number of research grants awarded from the

National Institute of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late 1 ...

and in the top 10 nationally in the total amount of funding received.

Victoria Building

The School of Nursing was originally scattered over five locations throughout the Oakland campus of the university. In August 1977, the programs and personnel of the school were brought together in the four-story Victoria Building, also referred to as Victoria Hall, that spans the block of Victoria Street between Lothrop and Darragh streets, adjacent to the main hospitals of the

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) is a $23billion integrated global nonprofit health enterprise that has 92,000 employees, 40 hospitals with more than 8,000 licensed beds, 800 clinical locations including outpatient sites and do ...

. Designed by the architectural firm of Deeter, Ritchey, & Sippel, construction of the Victoria Building was financed by the General State Authority and the Department of General Services of the

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Maryl ...

. The Victoria Building was formally dedicated on October 18, 1978. A Nursing Living Learning Community is located in the

Lothrop Hall Lothrop Hall is a major student dormitory at the University of Pittsburgh's main campus in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Lothrop Hall is located adjacent to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) on Lothrop St ...

residence hall across the street from the Victoria Building.

References

External links

* {{authority control Nursing schools in Pennsylvania Nursing, school of Educational institutions established in 1939 1939 establishments in Pennsylvania University of Pittsburgh Medical Center