Becoming a Nurse

Nursing Education
Schools of Nursing
Tuition Assistance
Internship and Leadership Programs
Promoting Nursing in Our Schools

If you are a nurse looking for employment within the UPMC, or considering nursing as a profession, we can help guide your search or you can view all of the career opportunities currently available at UPMC.

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Nursing Education

Ongoing education is a key element of nursing practice, allowing UPMC nurses to grow professionally and provide the best quality of care to our patients. Our nurses are supported throughout all phases of their professional development.

New hires participate in targeted orientation using the Performance-Based Development System (PBDS), a nursing competency program that evaluates critical-thinking skills, interpersonal skills, and technical skills that is used to develop individual approaches for managing a nurse's performance. Nurses in specialties like critical care have an extended orientation and preceptorship program to support them as they settle into their roles. The health system shares its resources to make classes available to all nurses, regardless of where they work.

Schools of Nursing

Three schools of nursing are affiliated with UPMC:

• UPMC St. Margaret offers a diploma and LPN program.
• UPMC Shadyside offers a diploma program.
• University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing offers BSN, MSN (including CNL), DNP and PhD programs. It is ranked seventh in U.S. News and World Report’s 2008 American’s Best Graduate Programs and third in number of research awards received from the National Institutes of Health.

Information for Recent Graduates — Support Program (pdf file)

Internship and Leadership Programs

If you would like more information about our 2008 Summer Nurse Internship, please contact Kim Hester at 412-647-4863 or via email at hesterkr@upmc.edu.