Faculty

• The College has 47 full-time faculty and 40 part-time faculty. Of the full-time faculty, one is a registered nutritionist and the remaining 46 hold at least a masters degree in nursing; 81% hold doctoral degrees.
• The Dean is a past president of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Nursing Schools Association (PHENSA), serves on the Board of the Nurses' Educational Funds, Inc. (NYC) and is a Board member of Mercy Health System. She was elected as a Registered Nurse Trustee to the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) International Board of Trustees.
• The Dean and five faculty members are Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing.
• A faculty member is a Past-President of the Eastern Nursing Research Society.
• A faculty member is a consultant to the Food and Drug Administration of the United States Public Health Service.
• A faculty member is editor of the journal Pain Management Nursing.
• A faculty member has served as the National League for Nursing's advisor to the National Student Nurses' Association.
• A faculty member serves on the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing.
• A faculty member serves on the board of Sigma Theta Tau International
• A faculty member serves on the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

Research/Scholarship

• The College has established a Center for Nursing Research, a Center for Global and Public Health and the MacDonald Center for Obesity Prevention and Education.
• Dr. Mary Ann Cantrell has received a National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Nursing Research grant to research "A hope intervention to influence quality of life among female survivors of childhood cancer.”
• Dr. Elizabeth Burgess Dowdell, as part of a joint research team, received an award from the Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to study child Internet victimization.
• Dr. Elizabeth Blunt received a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Division of Nursing to prepare nurse practitioners to care for patients with disabilities.
• Faculty members frequently receive a university summer research grant.
• A faculty member received a grant from the Pennsylvania Higher Education Nursing Association for pedagogical research.
• Faculty also conduct research in such areas as: intimate partner violence, health care issues faced by people with disabilities, effects of stroke on couples, education of the elderly for heart attack response, and effects of delayed prenatal care among low socioeconomic status Latinas in Texas.
• The administration and faculty of the college are well published, and provide national and international consultation.
  

Students

Undergraduate

• Over 600 students are enrolled in the undergraduate program of which almost all are full-time.
• 21% minority enrollment in undergraduate program.
• Less than 5% attrition rate among undergraduate students.
• There are 17 states of origin in the Class of 2016.

Graduate

• 292 students are enrolled in the graduate program of which 12% are full time; the majority are part-time and employed full-time in health care and academic organizations.
• 11% minority enrollment in graduate program.
• Five MSN students and one PhD student hold graduate assistantships in the College of Nursing and receive full tuition reimbursement and a stipend and six students receive tuition reimbursement as part of the Tuition Scholars Program.
• Several students have published in professional journals. Others have given presentations regionally and nationally.

International

• 5% of undergraduate nursing students are international students. Countries represented include Nigeria, Korea, and the Sultanate of Oman.
• 6% of graduate nursing students are international students. Countries include Sultanate of Oman, Palestine, Kenya, Jordan, Japan, China, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Nigeria.

Academics 

Undergraduate Program

• The majority of alumni pursue graduate education.
• The program has been awarded several grants from the Independence Blue Cross Foundation, Department of Health and Human Services, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation.
• Undergraduate program offers opportunities for international study abroad at the University of Manchester for the Sophomore year. There are also short term international opportunities in countries such as Japan, Nicaragua, Ireland, Peru, the Dominican Republic and South Africa in both required and elective courses.
• Opportunities are available to pursue minors in related academic disciplines.

Graduate Program

• The Graduate Nursing Program has been ranked among the top 45 graduate nursing programs in the country by U.S. News and World Report.
• The MSN program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.  The Nurse Anesthesia program is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs.  All nurse practitioner programs are approved by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing.
• The Program has been awarded several advanced training grants by the Division of Nursing, Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Public Health Service.
• Approximately 15% of our MSN graduates have completed doctoral study, including several international graduates.
• Opportunities are available to study abroad through Independent Study.
• Many graduates have contributed to nursing literature with publications. Others have given professional presentations on a regional and national level.
• Highly qualified, doctorally prepared faculty, recognized nationally and internationally for their expertise, scholarship and leadership, teach our graduate courses. All clinical faculty are certified nurse practitioners or nurse anesthetists.

Continuing Education Program

• Villanova University College of Nursing is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, Commission on Accreditation.
• In 2007 the program received a maximum six year accreditation.
• CE accreditation was received from the Academy of Sports Medicine. Accreditation is in process from the Commission on Dietetic Registration. 
• Over 1300 nurses and allied health professional participated in continuing education activities during the last academic year. 
• In 2010, 2011 and 2012 Villanova hosted the Professional Nurse Educators Group (PNEG) annual national conference. The first two conferences were in Baltimore, MD and the 2012 conference takes place in Philadelphia, PA.
• The MacDonald Center for Obesity Prevention and Education was established in 2011 to serve as a locus for interdisciplinary collaboration in the prevention of obesity through education and research.  The first regional, interdisciplinary conference was held in March. Monthly webinars will begin in the fall. 
• Onsite courses and programs were provided last year to eight healthcare institutions and programs throughout the region.
  
  

Degrees Offered 

BSN for:

• High School graduates
• RN-BSN completion
• Adult/Transfer opportunities
• Second Degree options

MSN with the following concentrations:

• Health Care Administration
• Nursing Education
• Nurse Practitioner:
  • Adult-Gerontology
  • Pediatric
  • Family
• Nurse Anesthesia
• Post-Master's concentrations available:
  • Adult-Gerontology, Pediatric or Family Nurse Practitioner
  • Nurse Anesthesia
  • Nursing Education

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

• The DNP meets the growing demand for advanced practice nurses prepared to lead innovation in nursing practice and health care.

PhD

• Doctoral program prepares teacher-scholars for academic careers using a mostly distance learning format

Alumni

The College of Nursing has over 7000 alumni, 55% of which live in Tri-state area. Our distinguished alumni include:

• Brigadier General (Ret.) Hazel Johnson, PhD, RN, Chief, U.S. Army Nurse Corps.
• Rear Admiral (Ret.) Christine Bruzek-Kohler, EdD, RN, FACHE, Former Commander, Navy Medicine West and Naval Medical Center, San Diego, Director, Navy Nurse Corps
• Dorrie Fontaine, DNSc, RN, FAAN, Past-President, American Association of Critical Care Nurses and S.H. Cabaniss Professor of Nursing and Dean, School of Nursing, University of Virginia
• Joanne Hambleton, MSN, RN, Vice President, Nursing, Fox Chase Cancer Center
• Mohammed Al-Riyami, Dean, Muscat Nursing Institute, Sultanate of Oman
• Helen B. Connors, PhD, RN, Jean M. Hill Professor and Associate Dean and Executive Director of the Kansas (University of) Center for Health Informatics University of Kansas School of Nursing
• Mary Naylor, PhD, RN, FAAN, Marian S. Ware Professor in Gerontology; Director of the Center for Health Transitions, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
• Madeline McCarthy Bell, BSN, RN, President and Chief Operating Officer, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
• Gloria Donnelly, PhD, RN, FAAN, Dean, College of Nursing and Health Professions, Drexel University
• Mary E. Duffy, PhD, RN, FAAN, Senior Nurse Scientist, Yvonne L. Munn Center for Nursing Research, Massachusetts General Hospital
• Mary Ellen Smith Glasgow, PhD, RN, ACNS-BC, Dean, Duquesne University School of Nursing

Employment

Villanova graduates are actively sought by employers of nurses in all parts of the country.

Undergraduate

• 90% choose acute care settings for first employment.
• Significant number of graduates choose employment in Greater Philadelphia area.
• Employers include The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Georgetown University Medical Center, University of Pennsylvania Health System-Penn Medicine, Memorial Sloane-Kettering Cancer Center and University of Maryland Medical Center.

Graduate

• Graduates of the Nursing Education concentration are teaching in schools such as Villanova University, Thomas Jefferson University, Drexel University, Temple University, West Chester University, LaSalle University, Widener University, University of Scranton and abroad in the Sultanate of Oman.
• Graduates of the Health Care Administration concentration are employed as administrators in mid- and upper-level positions in such local institutions as The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Lehigh Valley Medical Center, Presbyterian Medical Center, St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, Pottstown Memorial Medical Center, Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Center, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Paoli Hospital and Lankenau Medical Center.
• Graduates of our nurse anesthesia concentration are employed as nurse anesthetists around the country.  Their passing rate on the certification examination far exceeds the national norm. For 2010-2011 it was 100%.
  
• Graduates of our practitioner concentrations are nationally certified as nurse practitioners, and are employed in ambulatory clinics, physicians offices, school health centers and other primary health care settings. For 2010-2011 the FNP, PNP, ANP certification exam pass rate was 100%.
  
• Several graduates have pursued entrepreneurial avenues and direct successful health care related businesses.
• There are 21 graduates of our PhD program employed in academic institutions.

Noteworthy Initiatives

• For nearly 20 years, the Health and Human Values Lecture Series, supported by a grant from the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies, offers a highly successful program to both the University and community at large.
• The College assisted the Augustinian Defenders of the Rights of the Poor (ADROP) to open Unity Clinic in South Philadelphia, a free clinic for the uninsured, in June 2006, and faculty serve as volunteer clinicians. The Unity Clinic is a practice site for graduate and undergraduate students.
• The College offers a global health minor. It also offers a concentration in Health and Wellness for non-nursing undergraduate students.
• The College offers an accelerated program for the BSN degree for students who already possess undergraduate or graduate degrees in other disciplines.
• In December 2010, the College of Nursing, after a rigorous process, was selected as a Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program (formerly known as the Fellows/USA Program) site by the United States Peace Corps.