Pitt-Greensburg Receives $1.5 Million Grant for Growing Nursing Degree Program
The University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg was recently granted $1.5 million from the Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation to support its growing nursing degree program. The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program welcomed its second class of students this fall and is recruiting its third.
The program is affiliated with the internationally recognized University of Pittsburgh’s School of Nursing and holds national accreditation through the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Pitt-Greensburg hopes to address a shortage of nurses in the region who have earned degrees. The university expects to have 300 students enrolled in the program by 2020 and to graduate 75 nurses each year.
Marie Fioravanti, director of nursing at Pitt-Greensburg, tells triblive.com, “The BSN is quickly becoming a required degree by major health care providers in the region and the nation. Studies show that hospital units employing nurses with BSN degrees post significantly lower mortality rates than those staffed by non-BSN-degreed nurses.”
The Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation has provided support to Pitt-Greensburg in the past, helping to fund academic halls and technology improvements. The new grant will allow the university to enroll more nursing students and students will have the opportunity to participate in more than 900 hours of clinical experiences at health care facilities in neighboring counties.
To learn more about the $1.5 million grant awarded to University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg’s nursing program, visit here.