Students to take classes at Alvernia’s Schuylkill Center and Lehigh Valley Hospital - Schuylkill
Alvernia University and Joseph F. McCloskey School of Nursing at Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) and introduce a dual-enrollment nursing program for local students.
With dual-enrollment admission, students will be simultaneously enrolled in the Lehigh Valley Hospital Schuylkill School of Nursing and Alvernia’s University’s Associate of Science program by taking classes at the university’s Schuylkill Center.
“This partnership combines one of Alvernia’s flagship academic offerings, a longstanding and prestigious nursing program and a leading health system,” said Provost and Senior Vice President Glynis Fitzgerald. “Students entering this new dual enrollment program will have a unique educational experience that combines the experiential learning opportunities within the Lehigh Valley Health Network and the on-ground and online resources of a leading regional university.”
The dual enrollment is structured to provide a seamless career mobility pathway while providing graduates with the credentials to sit for the professional nursing licensure exam, NCLEX, upon successful completion. The partnership also allows for a single admissions and financial aid process for students. Students enrolled in the program will also be eligible to complete Alvernia University’s RN-BSN program by enrolling in an additional 34 credits that can be completed entirely online or through an online, blended model at the Schuylkill Center. The partnership begins with the incoming class in 2021.
The Joseph F. McCloskey School of Nursing at LVHN is rooted in the tradition of educating some of the finest nurses anywhere,” said Robert Barraco, M.D., MPH, FACS, FCCP, Chief Academic Officer, Lehigh Valley Health Network Department of Education. “We look forward to our next chapter with the relationship with Alvernia.”
Established in 1895, the Joseph F. McCloskey School of Nursing at LVHN has graduated more than 2500 nurses and has been the leading supplier of registered nurses for Schuylkill County.
Alvernia’s nursing programs continue to respond to current and emerging workforce needs by providing highly-skilled, highly educated, values-based practitioners and leaders at all levels in the health care continuum. The innovative RN-BSN Completion Program complements the dual enrollment program at Joseph F. McCloskey School of Nursing at LVHN by offering a seamless, streamlined program leading to a BSN. The RN-BSN Program will be offered for the convenience of Pottsville area nurses.
