School of Nursing: Connections

School Again Receives Top Honors
in National Survey
The University of Washington School of Nursing was once again ranked best in the nation in the U.S. News and World Report publication, "America’s Best Graduate Schools."

This commendation marks the seventh consecutive time and 14th consecutive year that the School has been rated #1 or tied for #1 in this biennial report, which is based on surveys from deans, faculty and administrators of the nation’s accredited schools of nursing with graduate programs. Respondents were asked to rank each school according to its reputation for scholarship, its curriculum, and the quality of its faculty and graduate students.

But taking top honors is nothing new for the School, whose pinnacle position reaches back 16 years to the first-ever national poll of almost 500 schools of nursing conducted by Nurse Educator in 1984. Two later polls in 1988 and 1993 also put the UW programs in first place.

What is perhaps most impressive about the recent rankings, however, is the School’s standing in the breakdown of nursing specialties. The U.S. News & World Report survey rates the UW School of Nursing as one of the top three schools in the country in EACH specialty category. Specifically, the School was ranked #1 for Adult/Medical-Surgical Specialist; #1 for Community/Public Health; and #1 for Psychiatric/Mental Health. It tied for first place honors for its Pediatric Nurse Practitioner program. The School was also ranked #2 for its Family Nurse Practitioner, Adult/Older Adult Nurse Practitioner and Gerontology programs (the latter specialty being included within the Adult/Older Adult program at the UW). In Nursing Service Administration, the School was ranked #3 in the nation.

As President of the University of Washington Richard L. McCormick recently commented, "Worth observing is not only how hard it is to BE the best, but how challenging it is to STAY the best." Congratulations to all the faculty, staff and students who have helped the UW School of Nursing maintain its top standing in nursing education for the past 16 years or, as President McCormick put it, "longer than anyone can remember!"

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