Outreach and Continuing Education

Outreach at the School of Nursing is focused on meeting educational and service needs in the community beyond the walls of the School. The School of Nursing is geographically dispersed, and its outreach program connects with many local communities across Pennsylvania. Outreach includes service-learning projects in the community, credit courses, and programs for nursing continuing education.

Improving Practice Through Simulation

Practice your clinical skills in the School of Nursing's simulation lab, filled with the latest technologies for nursing education. Gain confidence by practicing on simulated patients and engaging in simulated exercises to help reduce clinical errors. Receive your Act 58 CE requirements.

Certificate in Nursing Forensics

Learn to bridge the gap between medicine and law with this 12-credit undergraduate certificate program. Professionals in forensic nursing are often the first line of defense for victims of violence, abuse, or neglect when they enter the health care system. Their role goes far beyond medical care to include knowledge of the legal system and injury identification, evaluation, and documentation.

Advanced Role Options Now Offered Totally Online

As part of its M.S.N. program, Penn State now offers two advanced role options—Nurse Administrator and Nurse Educator—totally online through Penn State World Campus. For more information, e-mail Janet Fogg or call 717-531-1340.

Continuing Education Series for RNs and LPNs

Practice your clinical skills in the School of Nursing's simulation lab. These courses allow RNs to obtain required Act 58 hours and gain the most up-to-date health information. Courses are taught in the Penn State School of Nursing state-of-the-art simulation lab, offering the newest technology and hands-on experiences.

Click here to see a list of current courses or to register.

For details, contact:

Heather Stover
Outreach Programs Staff Assistant
204 HHD East
University Park, PA 16802
814-863-2239
hns10@psu.edu

Madeline Fulcher Mattern, M.S., NP-C
Coordinator, Outreach Programs
Penn State School of Nursing
204 HHD East
University Park, PA 16802
Phone: 814-865-8469
Fax: 814-865-3779
mfm107@psu.edu

Outreach and Continuing Education Online Courses Available

Build your continuing education résumé with courses by RNs for RNs—log onto Penn State School of Nursing’s online continuing education (CE) portal. These courses are offered continuously for online continuing education.

At completion of a CE course and evaluation, students will receive a certificate.

All course materials, quizzes, certificates, and member histories will be available through the site at the click of a mouse. New courses will be added on a regular basis in order to assist Pennsylvania RNs in obtaining their biennial thirty CE hours.

Penn State School of Nursing is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association (PSNA), an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

Access the Penn State School of Nursing Continuing Education Portal.

School Nurse Series

The School of Nursing Outreach programs and Penn State Academic Outreach brings to you a variety of courses aimed at keeping you up to date on the current health issues facing school nurses and teachers. New courses are developed each summer with current topics such as Autism and Bullying added Summer, 2011. Earn your ACT 48 credits by enrolling in one of our classes offered at a campus near you.

The School Nurse Series is currently offered at the following locations: Penn State Altoona; Penn State Erie, The Behrend College; Penn State Harrisburg; and Penn State University Park.

Certificate in Nursing Informatics

Nurses can give their careers a boost with the Nursing Informatics online certificate program, a 9-credit course series designed to prepare nurses with the knowledge to use informatics tools in technology-rich health care environments.

The curriculum includes key informatics topics such as electronic health records, clinical decision support tools, and data mining to promote safe and efficient care.

Registered nurses who are working toward a B.S. in Nursing at Penn State can apply all 9 credits toward the bachelor's degree. Nurses may also take the courses as a stand-alone series for the purpose of enhancing their career prospects.

For more information about the online program, visit the website or contact Madeline Mattern, coordinator of outreach programs, at 814-865-8469 or mfm107@psu.edu.

Certificate in Geriatric Nursing Education

The School of Nursing offers a graduate certificate in Geriatric Nursing Education in partnership with Penn State World Campus and the Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence. This program is designed to help those with a master's degree in nursing prepare to become geriatric nursing faculty and educational leaders. Upon completing the certificate, these geriatric education specialists will be positioned to mentor nursing faculty at the associate or bachelor degree level.

Certificate in Nursing Management

Set yourself apart from other registered nurses on the career ladder by gaining the tools needed for nurse manager positions. Enrich your knowledge of basic health care organizations and administration.

Receive your certificate in Nursing Management from the Penn State School of Nursing here at Penn State. Two of the four courses can count as electives in our RN to B.S. in Nursing program.

For information on obtaining the Nursing Management certificate through Continuing Education, please visit www.outreach.psu.edu/cape/nursing-management.

For more information about the online certificate courses via the World Campus, visit the Undergraduate Certificate in Nursing Management Program.

RN to B.S. in Nursing Online Program via Penn State World Campus

Health care is moving ahead; shouldn’t your career? As nursing becomes more complex, a bachelor of science degree in nursing can help move your career forward. Our RN to B.S. program builds and expands on the RN competencies needed to lead change and positively affect the health care industry. Earning a B.S. in Nursing degree can also properly prepare you to attend graduate school.

View details of online RN to BS Courses available through Penn State's World Campus.