The University of Toledo College of Nursing improved its place in the U.S. News & World Report list of the top graduate nursing programs in the country.

The recently released 2019 Best Graduate Schools edition lists the master’s program in nursing at 183, up 20 spots from the previous year, and the doctor of nursing practice program is ranked for the first time.

“The significant increase in rank for both our MSN and DNP programs reflects our college’s growing visibility, the quality of our faculty and the increasing excellence of our students,” said Dr. Linda Lewandowski, dean of the UT College of Nursing.

U.S. News ranks programs on criteria such as acceptance rate, GPA, student-faculty ratio and grant funding, among other indicators. Contributing factors to the UT College of Nursing’s increase in the rankings are attracting more highly qualified applicants, graduating more students and strong certification exam pass rates, Lewandowski said.

Graduate training for nurses is building momentum due to the increased complexity of patient care, national conversations about quality and patient safety, and shortages in nursing personnel. In response, UT has added two additional nurse practitioner track specialties — adult gerontology primary care and psychiatric mental health.

UT’s Post-Baccalaureate Doctor of Nursing Practice Program was the first such program in the state when the Ohio Board of Regents approved it in 2012. It is designed to take nurses with a bachelor of science in nursing to the highest level of clinical practice and position them as leaders in the health-care field.

Tags: College of Nursing