Citizens School of Nursing (CSN) Introduction and Academics

Introduction

The Citizens School of Nursing is the nursing school in the undergraduate health sciences department at Alle-Kiski Medical Center, which is part of the West Penn Allegheny Health System. The WPAHS states their purpose as to “Improve the health of the people in the Western Pennsylvania region.” When the program first opened in 1913 under the Citizens General Hospital there were only 2 students studying.

Today, the co-ed program has grown and more than 1,985 students have graduated since its start, with about 150 studying at a time. The program became one of the first co-ed programs in Pennsylvania in 1957 when the first male student joined. Accreditation was first granted by the National League for Nursing (NLN) in 1960 and continues to be recognized.

Information Summary

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Overall Score (about)	Insufficient Data
Admission Success rate	N/A
Student Ratio Students-to-Faculty	N/A
Retention (full-time / part-time)	N/A / N/A
Enrollment Total (all students)	165

Academics

Students go through a 2-year program, although they are allowed to take up to 4 years. They take classes at Westmoreland County Community College and Penn State University. Throughout the 2 years students learn nursing theory and practice through classroom and clinical experience. The program consists of 6 terms, 3 terms in each 40-week year.

Classes include Introduction to the Role of the Professional Nurse, Fundamentals of Nursing, Introduction to Medical-Surgical Nursing, Maternal-Child Health, Adults in Crisis, Complex Stressors in the Adult Population, and Leadership and Management of Patient Care. All of these classes except Introduction to the Role of the Professional Nurse include clinical hours.

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Unique Programs

The school considers giving back to the community they live and work in very important. One way they practice this belief is through a mandatory community service program. Each student is required to complete a total of 8 hours in their time at the school, 4 in each year. The school will post possible community service opportunities, but the chosen activities must be approved by the school.

Admissions

Materials necessary to apply to include a complete application, reference letters, and required supplemental classes. The material should be submitted to the Director of the School of Nursing along with a check or money order for the application fee.

The application is to be filled out with personal information, previous education, previous employment, and personal comments. The personal comments ask for the applicant’s reasons for choosing a career in nursing, reasons for choosing Citizens School of Nursing specifically, and general goals as a nurse.

A personal reference letter is required, and a professional one is to accompany it for LPN applicants. The reference letter asks questions about the applicant’s experience, leadership qualities, and other relevant characteristics.

Courses required to supplement the Nursing School curriculum are English, Nutrition, Microbiology, Psychology, Sociology, Anatomy and Physiology, Transition and the Professional Nurse, Development Psychology, and Intro to Computing and Nursing Informatics. If these classes are not completed ahead of time they can be taken while at the Nursing School through a concurrent college course program. However, completing them in advance is recommended.

Financial Aid

The financial aid office offers 6 types of awards that students can apply for, each with unique requirements, deadlines, and offerings. They are:

Pell Grant

Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant

PHEAA Grant

Citizens Loan

Federal Nursing Student Loan

Federal Family Loan Programs

Besides these forms of aid a Tuition Forgiveness Program is available for West Penn Allegheny Health employees and dependents of employees.

Students may not qualify for all of these, but all students should definitely fill out a FAFSA form (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) to see what amount of money they can receive from the government.

Student Financial Aid Details

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Local Community

The school is located in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, a city about 18 miles away from Pittsburgh, with a population of about 15,000 residents.

Citizens School of Nursing