Joseph F. McCloskey School of Nursing

About Us

Joseph F. McCloskey School of Nursing at Lehigh Valley Health Network is a full-time, three-year, non-resident dual enrollment program with Alvernia University. The educational program includes one year (two semesters) of university courses and two years (six terms) of nursing and university courses. The nursing course component builds on a base of 28 credits from Alvernia University – Schuylkill Campus. Required courses completed at other colleges and universities will be considered for transfer prior to enrollment. Graduates of the program will receive both an RN diploma and an Associate Degree in Applied Science. Graduates qualify to take the NCLEX-RN Licensure Examination.

Located in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, a small city in rural Schuylkill County, the school is on the Lehigh Valley Hospital–Schuylkill S. Jackson Street campus, a complex of numerous buildings where comprehensive health care services are provided to the surrounding community. These services afford the student the opportunity to learn and gain experience in varied patient care settings such as medical-surgical, perioperative, maternal-child, mental health, emergency care, home health and a variety of clinics and ancillary health services. With a unique combination of extensive classroom learning and clinical experience, the Joseph F. McCloskey School of Nursing graduate is prepared to meet the challenges of present and future patient care.

The school's diploma nursing program is accredited by the: Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), 3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400, Atlanta, GA 30326. Contact ACEN at (404) 975-5000.

The most recent accreditation decision made by the ACEN Board of Commissioners for the diploma nursing program is Continuing Accreditation.

View the public information disclosed by the ACEN regarding this program.

Joseph F. McCloskey School of Nursing in Schuylkill County maintains approval status with the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing. The school is a member of the National League for Nursing, the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania, and the National Coalition of Hospital Associated Schools and Colleges of Nursing.

Learning Environment

All classrooms are equipped with audio-visual teaching technology. In addition, the new state of the art School of Nursing Simulation Center is located adjacent to the School of Nursing building within the Lehigh Valley Hospital–Schuylkill complex. LVH–Schuylkill S. Jackson Street and LVH–Schuylkill East Norwegian Street provide students with clinical experiences that complement classroom instruction. An additional LVHN clinical site (LVH–Hazleton) and off-campus sites and agencies are used to further expand experience and learning.

While some off-campus experiences are located within walking distance of the school, others will require access to a car. Carpooling is encouraged whenever possible. However, each student is responsible for arranging transportation to off-campus clinical sites.