The Elms College Division of Nursing was founded in 1978 enrolling its first class of baccalaureate. Nora Harrington, an academic dean and Sister of St. Joseph, who saw a need in the community for professional nurses, Elms College graduated the first class of nurses in 1982….and our history began. Since then, we have graduated thousands of nurses across entry level, degree completion and advanced
preparation programs. The first doctoral program at Elms, the Doctor of Nursing Practice will begin in the Fall of 2014, filling a critical need in the community for advanced practice nurses in adult and family care. Recognizing our growth in students and the evolution of academic programs, we were dedicated as the School of Nursing in 2013, the first school at Elms College. Our Elms nurses have a significant presence in the community serving in positions from bedside to curbside, in clinical, educational and leadership roles. The School of Nursing offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree, including an accelerated second degree in nursing; a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program preparing advanced prepared nurse educators and nurse managers; a dual degree MSN/MBA track and programs for registered nurses who wish to earn a bachelor’s and/or a master’s degree through the RN-BS, RN-BS-MSN, and RN-MSN. The college’s first doctoral offering, beginning Fall semester 2014 – a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) offers advanced practice nurses two tracks of specialization: the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Practitioner (AGACP).
