Messiah College Nursing Program Review

The strength and devotion of Messiah College (MC) is demonstrated in the fact that in its 102 years of history it has had only 8 presidents. Two such leaders ran the evangelical Christian College for nearly 60 years between them. Through a strong academic tradition and integration of faith and spirituality, Messiah College of Pennsylvania brings higher education and personal development together. Its nearly 3,000 students participate in over 55 majors and myriad social and community service activities.

Nursing Program

The Nursing Program at Messiah College strives to instill in its students the compassion, devotion to others, and importance of personal responsibility of nursing while emphasizing a Christian perspective. This program is anchored in the liberal arts and sciences with deep exploration of fundamental Nursing theory and clinical applications. Focusing not just on medical competence, Messiah College seeks to produce nurses dedicated to serving others and touching lives.

Registered Nursing Program

Registered Nurses are in extremely high demand in today’s healthcare workforce. These nurses provide care and treatment at varying levels to patients in a wide array of medical settings. Care includes acute treatment, addressing of long-term and chronic conditions, and dignified life care among other responsibilities. The Registered Nurse Program at Messiah College encourages students to devote as much focus to the psychosocial, emotional and spiritual needs of the patient and his loved ones as is given to the technical clinical aspects of nursing.

Length of the Program

Students engage in four years of full-time study in pursuit of licensure. Completion of this program qualifies Messiah graduates to sit for the NCLEX-RN to earn the official title of Registered Nurse.

Course of Study

The first year of the Messiah Registered Nurse (RN) Program is comprised of general education courses that prepare the student for the progressively more complex course work of the next three years. At the beginning of the sophomore level of study students will encounter the first clinical experiences of the program. These clinical rotations provide students with hands-on practice and exposure to specific areas of service. The third year of study introduces more complex concepts, as well as giving attention to the full lifespan of the patient. The uniqueness of the Messiah College Nursing Program is seen in the fourth year of study in which students participate in a Nursing Seminar course, as well as an intensive preceptor or international study course.

Preceptor Course

This course is an extremely valuable aspect of the Registered Nurse Program at Messiah College. In preparation for entering the workforce students will identify a specific area of research and service interest and will then be assigned a professional nurse currently employed within that area. Throughout the course the student will follow the professional nurse in her full schedule. This affords a unique opportunity for hands-on practice and real-life observation of the realities of nursing. This is a crucial element of the learning process and is considered one of the most enjoyable yet challenging parts of the program. As an alternative to this program, students can choose to go abroad and observe the nursing practice in another culture. This not only gives a different perspective of the profession, but also speaks to Messiah College’s core value of service to people and the community.

Messiah College offers high quality education and uplifting personal development in a spiritually rich, supportive environment. The Nursing Program integrates clinical and theoretical Nursing concepts into a foundation of liberal arts and Christian teachings in a way that allows students to address the needs of every aspect of a patient and his loved ones.

Contact:
Messiah College
One College Avenue,
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
Phone: (717) 766-2511