Department of Nursing
Simmons College has been committed to the education of nurses since 1902. In 1915, a Department of Public Health Nursing was established and served as the forerunner for the School of Nursing, which began at Simmons College in 1934. Reorganization of the College in 1965 led to the development of the Department of Nursing. The mission of the Nursing Program is to educate students for professional nursing practice.
The Simmons College undergraduate Nursing Program is dedicated to preparing graduates to meet the diverse health needs of clients in a variety of settings, as well as to coordinate health services, deliver humanistic nursing care, and engage in health assessment and health maintenance.
The Simmons College Graduate Program in Primary Health Care Nursing has provided specialized nurse practitioner education since 1978. The curriculum offers the theoretical foundation and clinical practicum essential for delivering primary health care to individuals and populations within a variety of settings. Since 1989, the Graduate Program in Nursing has been supported by the organizational structure of the School for Health Studies, an interdisciplinary school that has brought together graduate programs in health care administration, physical therapy, nutrition, and nursing. The school's goal is to prepare individuals for clinical and administrative leadership positions in a rapidly changing health care delivery system.
In 1999, the undergraduate Department of Nursing and the Graduate Program in Primary Health Care Nursing merged as one. The Nursing Programs at Simmons are now consolidated as one faculty and student body with a Chairperson of Nursing and Associate Dean for School of Health Studies as its leader. The Nursing Programs at Simmons educate nurses in several pathways:
- The traditional 4 year BS program
- A 5 year BS-MS program
- An 18-month Dix Scholars Program
- A 2-year Dix Scholars Program
- A 3-year Dix Scholars Program
- An RN to BS Program
- An RN to MS Program
- A Direct Entry Program in Advanced Practice Nursing
- Graduate Program Primary Health Care Nursing: traditional MS, RN-MS, NP certificate for MS prepared nurses, MS Completion for Practicing NPs
Simmons College Nursing Programs have a rich tradition:
- The first New England NP Program
- Highly respected in the community
- Interdisciplinary health education
- Expert practitioner faculty
- Experience — Theory — Practice
- Community Focus
- Flexible Learning options
- Supportive Faculty
- Small Classes
The Nursing Programs have:
- A newly revised and approved curriculum
- An increased community focus
- Increased clinical experience, and
- Increased flexibility for career mobility
The Nursing Programs are proud to have earned a five-year accreditation in November 2003 by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
