The Byrdine F. Lewis School of Nursing and Health Professions is taking on the challenges of 21st century health care education and rising to meet them as it receives designation as a college-level school at Georgia State University. Previously, the Byrdine F. Lewis School of Nursing and the School of Health Professions were housed as separate entities within the College of Health and Human Sciences. Combining these schools presents opportunities for Georgia State University to increase interdisciplinary education, better preparing students for today's health care challenges.
SNHP grants three undergraduate degrees and four graduate degrees to its 2,000 students.
Undergraduate degrees are available in:
In addition, the school offers graduate degrees in all of the above plus physical therapy.
Students receive hands-on experience in required internships or clinical experiences where they apply the knowledge and skills learned in the classroom. Because the internship/clinical experiences allow students to build their professional networks, many graduates are employed by the organization/company where they interned.
Job prospects for our graduates of the three bachelor’s programs are excellent. Throughout the state of Georgia, our graduates, particularly in nursing, are helping to meet employment shortages.
In the next 20 years, the population of Georgia is expected grow by 21% and the population over age 65 will grow by 80%. This growth will tax current healthcare professionals, creating a demand for more graduates.
In addition to the internship/clinical experience, students can engage with the health and human services community as well as network with professionals throughout the metro Atlanta community through several active student organizations including:
In the past 40 years, the School of Nursing has prepared more than 5,000 nurses, nurse practitioners, educators and researchers to serve in Georgia and beyond. The school offers the Bachelor of Science degree, Master of Science degree for advanced practice nurses, nurse informaticists, and nurse administrators, and is one of the oldest schools state-wide to offer the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.).
The new school also offers a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science degree in nutrition and respiratory therapy as well as a Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T.) degree. Combined, these programs have graduated more than 3,000 health care professionals. The physical therapy program is the oldest program in Georgia, and the respiratory therapy program is the largest in the state. These programs, along with the nutrition programs, typically boast 90% or higher pass rates on the required professional registration examinations and hold pass rate averages that are 15% to 20% higher than the national average.
In 2003, the school was named for Mrs. Byrdine F. Lewis, a career bedside nurse and the mother of Kenneth Lewis, former CEO and president of Bank of America.