Roxborough Memorial Hospital Nursing Program Review

With 137 beds, Roxborough Memorial Hospital (RMH) in Pennsylvania is a community medical center meeting the varied needs of a wide range of area patients. Established in 1890, the Hospital offers comprehensive medical treatment as well as educational opportunities to produce skilled professionals.

Nursing Program Review

In 1901 the Roxborough Memorial Hospital School of Nursing graduated its first five students. These women, who had studied for three years since the school’s opening, started the tradition of high-quality, experience-driven education that has produced over 2,000 more nurses after them. The School of Nursing offers a curriculum anchored in arts and sciences and enhanced by theoretical and clinical Nursing concepts. Students are fully engaged in learning not just the medical aspects of a career in the dynamic and ever-changing nursing field, but also in the psychological, social and interpersonal elements of providing whole-patient care.

How Long Will it Take?

The original students of the Roxborough Memorial Hospital School of Nursing faced a three-year course of study before graduating with the qualities necessary for careers as Registered Nurses. Over 100 years later the program has been streamlined so that students are offered a rigorous program that prepares them for fulfilling careers as quickly as possible without sacrificing quality or depth of training. Designed for full-time study, this course can be completed in just under two calendar years. Students attend either classroom lecture components or hospital-based clinical experiences morning to afternoon five days a week.

Admission Requirements

Admission into the RMH School of Nursing is appropriately selective to ensure enrolled students are capable of handling the challenging course work and intensive realities of a career. Students must complete specific college-level prerequisite courses prior to admission into the Nursing Program. These courses, including advanced sciences and math, are in addition to high school graduation or completion of an approved secondary education program with satisfactory transcripts and aptitude testing scores. Students must also demonstrate good moral character through submission of FBI, Criminal Background, Child Abuse and Drug Screening Clearance. Satisfactory personal references must be offered along with a completed application including personal statements.

Students already holding a valid Practical Nursing license may be eligible for advanced placement in the program. In order to be considered for this acceleration students must submit documentation of previous education and experience, including a letter from their current employers speaking to the applicant’s personal abilities and aptitude for furthered learning. Specific early courses in the program must be challenged through examination to demonstrate understanding of concepts and mastery of technical skills. These exams can only be taken once and if failed the student will not be eligible for advanced placement and must enroll in the program as a regular student.

Course of Study

After successful completion of college-level prerequisite courses students of the RMH School of Nursing will engage in 21 months of focused study into various Nursing concepts. Material is presented in both classroom lecture and clinical experience instructional formats to provide a core of theoretical knowledge supported by hands-on practice. Application of concepts occurs in the hospital itself, giving each student the opportunity to witness and participate in the treatment of a variety of patient concerns. Unlike many programs, RMH’s Nursing Program immediately places students in a clinical environment beginning in the first term.

Each course, both in lecture format and clinical experience, encompasses the medical aspects of Nursing care, but also highlights the crucial human element including the involvement of loved ones in the treatment and healing of patients. Students will come to understand the importance of their personal interaction with each patient and how addressing each one’s social, spiritual, emotional and personal needs enhances the physical treatment of the actual medical situation. Successful completion of this program enables students to sit for the nationally approved state board exams and earn licensure as Registered Nurses.

Contact:
Roxborough Memorial Hospital
5800 Ridge Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19128
Phone: (215) 483-9900