History of the School
St. Joseph’s Hospital was formed in 1848 by St. John Newman, then Archbishop of Philadelphia, to care for immigrant patients who
were victims of the potato famine in Ireland. The St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing was
established in 1894 to address the
increasing need for nurses. The school continued
to operate until 1978 when many hospitals made the decision to close their diploma schools
of nursing, as nursing students were seeking degree programs.
Unfortunately,
the closing of so many hospital based programs, coupled with the advances in
technology, which are prolonging life, have stretched the resources of the
healthcare system and created a severe nurses shortage.
In 2006 the School of Nursing was re-established to help address the
shortage and a class of 30 students was admitted to a one year nursing
program at the St. Joseph’s
Hospital.
In 2007, a second class of 56 students was
admitted.
In 2008 the SJHSON moved to a modern space at their sister
institution, Girard
Medical
Center, located at 801 W. Girard Ave.
Students devote five days a week to the nursing program. Three days are spent in
lectures and two days a week are spent in the hospital, caring for patients. Classes are held on the first floor
of Girard
Medical
Center, in a new, state-of-the art educational setting, which includes classrooms, a student lounge,
computer resource center, and library. The clinical experiences are conducted at
Girard
Medical Center,
St. Joseph’s Hospital,
Temple University
Hospital and
St Christopher's Hospital for Children and nearby community sites.
