DeSales University established the Division of Nursing and Health in 1974, along with the first Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. The BSN degree is offered in various formats to meet the needs of students seeking to obtain their BSN degree. Baccalaureate nursing education is based in the liberal arts and sciences, as well as Salesian teachings, and as such encourages students to realiz
e their human potential in becoming nurses and caregivers. The Division offered the first graduate programs at DeSales University with the establishment of the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program for Clinical Nurse Specialists in 1984. The Pennsylvania State Boards of Nursing and Medicine first approved the DeSales University Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program in 1996, and the first class of FNPs graduated in 1999. The Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program obtained approval through the Pennsylvania State Boards of Nursing and Medicine in Spring 2014 and began its first cohort in Fall 2014. The Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program was then approved in Fall 2015, and began its first cohort in Fall 2016. The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree in Clinical Leadership in Advanced Practice Nursing accepted its first cohort in January 2012 and received full MSCHE approval in July 2012. The General DNP and the DNP Executive Leadership track with a Master's of Business Administration (MBA) option accepted their first cohorts in August 2014. The nursing programs at DeSales University have consistently maintained full approval by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing and the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) since the time that they were first eligible for approval and accreditation. Nursing and Health Department Mission Statement
The mission DeSales Nursing is to impart contemporary education in the art and science of nursing consistent with the Salesian tradition. Graduates are prepared as competent, caring nursing professionals responsive to dynamic healthcare systems. Prepared to assume leadership roles, graduates contribute to the overall advancement of the profession and are able to embark on future academic endeavors.
