About us
Learn about the School’s history and mission, program goals and philosophy, and our accreditation.
History
Lewistown beginnings
Nursing education in Lewistown began as Lewistown Hospital School of Nursing, a diploma-granting program, in 2005. It changed its name to Geisinger Lewistown Hospital School of Nursing in 2013 when Lewistown Hospital became part of the Geisinger family.
In 2023, Geisinger Lewistown Hospital School of Nursing closed, and Geisinger School of Nursing opened as a new degree-granting school under the Geisinger College of Health Sciences.
Geisinger School of Nursing offers an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN). We focus on small class sizes, direct clinical experience and hands-on learning.
A system-wide commitment to elevating nurse voices and professionalism
Geisinger employs nearly 6,000 nurses across its footprint. For more than 10 years, our flagship hospital, Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, has been designated a Magnet® hospital, an award given to less than 9% of U.S. hospitals based on strength and quality of their nursing programs.
In 2017, Geisinger announced the development of the Geisinger Nursing Institute. It was formed to build on our values of excellence and innovation — and to show our nurses that they remain at the heart of Geisinger’s commitment to patient care and medical excellence.
The Geisinger Nursing Institute serves as a governing body with an advocacy component. It oversees nursing practice and education to give nurses adequate representation across the organization and in leadership positions. The Nursing Institute also aligns nursing practice, career advancement and education, clinical excellence and recruitment and retention.
Nursing Scholars Program helps Geisinger employees pay for school
In 2021, Geisinger recognized student loan debt as a major obstacle preventing some talented students from seeking a nursing degree. Now, thanks to the Nursing Scholars Program, Geisinger employees are eligible to apply to Geisinger School of Nursing. Through this program, employees who pursue a nursing career get financial, educational and wellness support. It is open to any employee of Geisinger, starting on day one of employment, who isn’t already a registered nurse (RN) or provider.
The program awards up to $40,000 in financial support with a five-year work commitment as an inpatient nurse at Geisinger. It’s grown to support 175 scholars each year.
Advancing nurse education
In 2022, Geisinger announced the school would close its diploma program and open a degree-granting nursing school. The move to open an Associate Degree in Nursing Program provides greater stability and a more solid stepping stone in the pursuit of a BSN if you would like to advance your education.
Mission
Geisinger School of Nursing was founded to provide quality nursing education. We seek to engage a diverse group of students and to help them become leaders in providing competent and safe bedside nursing care.
Our philosophy
Nursing is a dynamic process of caring based on a theory-guided, evidence-based body of knowledge and established standards of professional practice. The focus of nursing practice is based on the patient-family's level of functioning, preferences, values and needs.
Nurses also focus on different dimensions of patient care that promote, maintain and restore wellness, including:
- Physiological
- Psychological
- Socio-cultural
- Developmental
- Spiritual
Education is a lifelong process that fosters the development of critical thinking skills. In turn, you’ll use those skills to respond to the healthcare of people in a variety of settings with the concept of caring deeply rooted in its history.
Program goals
Nurses with a Geisinger School of Nursing ADN:
- Model safe nursing care in diverse settings
- Collaborate with the patients, families and members of the healthcare team to assist the patient/family in achieving optimal outcomes
- Implement clinical judgment
- Integrate data and technology for information-gathering, communication and clinical care
- Practice within the ethical, legal and regulatory framework of nursing and standards of nursing practice
- Examine evidence-based research to guide nursing practice
Accreditations and approvals
Our program is approved and accredited by the appropriate national and professional organizations:
Approvals
Our program has received initial approval from the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing:
Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing
P.O. Box 2649
Harrisburg, PA 17105
717-783-7142
Institutional accreditation
Accreditation is a process of peer review that the educational community has adopted for its self-regulation since early in the 20th century. It is a voluntary process intended to strengthen and sustain the quality and integrity of higher education, making it worthy of public confidence. Institutions choose to apply for accredited status, and once accredited, they agree to abide by the standards of their accrediting organization and to regulate themselves by taking responsibility for their own improvement.
Effective Sept. 25, 2023, this nursing program is a candidate for initial accreditation by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing. This candidacy status expires on Sept. 25, 2025.
Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)
3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400
Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 975-5000
Visit the ACEN website
Note: Upon granting of initial accreditation by the ACEN Board of Commissioners, the effective date of initial accreditation is the date on which the nursing program was approved by the ACEN as a candidate program that concluded in the Board of Commissioners granting initial accreditation.
Geisinger College of Health Sciences is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) to award an associate degree in nursing, masters, and doctors degrees. MSCHE is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Inquiries or complaints can be referred to Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market St., 2nd Floor West, Philadelphia, PA 19104 or by phone to 215-662-5501. Additional information is available online.
Campus crime and security
The Geisinger School of Nursing is protected under Geisinger Lewistown Hospital security. The hospital campus has a complete emergency conduct plan in place for various emergency situations. See the Clery Act Report for more information on campus security.
Contact us
By mail: Geisinger School of Nursing, 400 Highland Ave., Lewistown, PA 17044
Phone: 717-242-7930; Fax: 717-242-7933
Text: 570-600-5669