School of Nursing

PLU School of Nursing "At a Glance"

School of Nursing Background

• PLU has offered the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree since 1951 and the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree since 1990.
• The degree programs in nursing are defined as: the basic BSN program, the LPN to BSN program, the RN-B to MSN program, the BSN to MSN program, and the Entry-Level MSN program.  All of nursing’s degree programs are selective and require applicants to meet additional criteria in order for any applicant to be considered for admission into a nursing degree program.
• Many of the School’s alumni have made notable contributions to health care and the nursing profession, such as: Rep. Lois Capps Nursing '59: United States Representative, 22nd Congressional District, California.
• The School of Nursing at Pacific Lutheran University is a professional school that combines nursing science with a strong foundation in natural sciences and the liberal arts.
• The BSN program prepares students as skilled generalists and provides a foundation for graduate study. The program also responds to the educational and technological learning needs of practicing nurses to remain current, competent practitioners and/or to revise their practice focus.
• Today the School of Nursing is one of the three largest baccalaureate degree programs in nursing in the state of Washington with up to 120 new full-time majors being admitted each year, including summer, fall, J-term, and spring semesters
  
• The School also offers graduate degree programs with its Masters of Science in Nursing (MSN) including two concentrations: Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and Care & Outcome Manager (COM).
• Since its inception in 1991, every graduate of the MSN program has passed his or her certification examination upon first take with one exception in 1998.
• A large number of graduate students publish articles in  professional journals within three months of completing the MSN at PLU.
  
• The SoN has developed and successfully implemented international experiences for undergraduate nursing students from four Hogskolens in Norway and a master’s degree program (MSN-COM) for Scandinavian nursing faculty and practitioners. PLU nursing students have participated in learning experiences, led by PLU nursing faculty, in Tobago and Jamaica as well.
• The School of Nursing is one of the first two nursing programs in the State of Washington to offer an accelerated-entry masters degree program. This program, officially named the Entry-Level MSN program, admits qualified students with baccalaureate degrees in fields other than nursing. Students complete 15 months of intensive preparation for RN licensure and continue to complete the coursework necessary for the MSN degree.
• Outstanding, diversified clinical experiences and instruction are provided for all nursing students through over 140 cooperating health care agencies and community-based sites in the Tacoma metropolitan area. These agencies include the Multicare Health Care System with Tacoma General, Mary Bridge Childrens and Allenmore Hospitals, the Franciscan Health Care System with St. Joseph’s Hospital, Madigan Army Medical Center, Western State Mental Health Services, and Veterans Administration Hospital at American Lake.
• The School requires a minimum of a master’s degree in nursing for faculty appointments and the doctorate is required for tenure-track appointments.
• The members of the nursing faculty represent a wide range of specialty nursing areas from over 30 academic institutions.
• A majority of the nursing faculty is certified as advanced practice nurses (midwives, family nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists).
• The nursing faculty as a whole represent over 700 years of clinical and teaching experience.
  

Accreditations and Approvals

• Click here for full accreditation and approval information.

Continuing Nursing Education (CNE)

• Consistent with the service mission of the School, Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) is an integral part of SoN that provides both academic and non-academic offerings to the nursing community at large, as well as PLU students and faculty.
• CNE’s main office is located in Ramstad 201 and its designated classroom is across the hall in Ramstad 202.
• CNE’s programs vary in length and format and typically number 30-35 per year to address the needs of nurses in the surrounding geographical area.
• The Washington State Nurses’ Association (WSNA) approves CNE as a provider of continuing education.
• Twice per year, CNE develops and disseminates a calendar that is mailed to 20,000 nurses and local health care agencies.  Monies over and above expenses are applied to the purchase of equipment used by CNE and the SoN’s academic programs.

Other Notable Events

• In 2008, PLU’s School of Nursing formed an ongoing partnership with three Washington state foundations to address the regional nursing crisis and give nursing students new competencies in geriatric care. The three foundations--The Dimmer Family Foundation , the Gary E. Milgard Family Foundation and the Bruce W. Gilpin Memorial Foundation--will match $125,000 from the Robert Wood Johnson and the Northwest Health Foundation's Partners Investing in Nursing's Future program. This funding goes toward launching the Comprehensive Gerontologic Education Partnership (CGEP) in Pierce and other surrounding counties. The partnership will: admit a cohort of nursing students with a gerontologic focus each year; recruit three gerontological nursing faculty members; develop current faculty to improve classroom and clinical instruction; expand clinical experiences in gerontological nursing; and implement and/or strengthen the American Association of Colleges of Nursing gero competencies throughout the region.
• In partnership with MultiCare Health System, a Dedicated Education Unit was implemented in fall 2002 with the first evaluation phase completed in February of 2003. The DEU partnership received international recognition from Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) Honor Society in Nursing in October of 2003 at Toronto and national recognition at the national educators’ conference in Kansas City in November of 2003.
• The School has received federal funding through the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) for Nurse Traineeships since its first graduating class in 1992. Additionally, the PLU School of Nursing was the only Washington State School to receive Nurse Faculty Loan Program funding for graduate Nurse Educator students in 2003; continued funding was granted in 2004.
  
• Delta Iota Chi, the nursing student organization coordinates two blood and bone marrow donation drives on campus every year, as well as a toy donation program for Pierce County Fire Department.