At the heart of one of the nation’s largest academic health science centers, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Nursing has a sustained culture of excellence for educating dynamic nurse leaders that meet the school’s mission “to shape patient-centered healthcare by preparing recognized nurse leaders who excel as clinicians, researchers, and educators in Alabama, nationally and internationally.”
The school’s forward momentum means continually asking how will the UAB School of Nursing improve health care for everyone? How should we use our resources to move ahead? The answers are simple—continue to expand educational opportunities, increase access to care and continue to develop research contributions to positively impact the health and health equity of our community and the world—while thinking outside the box to fill the gaps and niches in the health care system.
UAB and the School of Nursing are focused on preparing the next generation of nurse leaders through world-class education, empowering innovative research and scholarship that drives the knowledge to improve society, including health equity, and engaging with the community in meaningful and mutually beneficial collaborations that contribute to the public good.
Because the UAB School of Nursing is an integral part of a major research and teaching institution, as well as an academic health science center, opportunities abound for nursing education, practice and research.
- The University of Alabama at Birmingham is a city campus with rich academic, health, cultural, athletic and recreational resources.
- An innovative interdisciplinary research university and world-renowned academic health center, UAB is ranked fifth in the world for its collaborative science and clinical work in the areas of medicine, nursing, dentistry, health professions, optometry and public health.
- UAB is engaged with the community in discovering and applying the latest research and evidence to promote the highest quality and best clinical care for patients and their families.
- The UAB School of Nursing is ranked among the top nursing schools nationwide, by U.S. News and World Report.
- The UAB School of Nursing is home to leading nurse scientists and interprofessional researchers with funded studies in oncology, pediatrics, minority health, international nursing, HIV/AIDS care, occupational health, and aging and palliative care.
The UAB School of Nursing offers innovative bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs. Among these are the state’s premier PhD in Nursing degree and a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree which offers BSN, MSN and Nurse Anesthesia Pathways, more than 15 specialty and subspecialty nurse practitioner tracks, dual degree options, an MSN in Nurse Midwifery, advanced nursing executive majors in administration and informatics, and an Accelerated Master's in Nursing Pathway (AMNP) program for students who already have a degree in another field. Some courses are taught completely in a distance-accessible format, where students can complete course requirements without traveling to the campus and some courses have online content combined with live, on-campus sessions.
The UAB School of Nursing offers opportunities to learn and investigate with interprofessional faculty and student teams from nursing, medicine, dentistry, health professions, public health and optometry. Students and faculty have options for substantial scholarships, fellowships and grant awards to support undergraduate and graduate study, as well as their programs of research. There also are numerous opportunities to excel in professional and advanced nursing in UAB’s academic health center using the latest learning systems, as well as team and clinical simulation training.
Through the school’s Pan American World Health Organization (PAHO)/World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for International Nursing and the Sparkman Center for Global Health, students and faculty are exposed to interdisciplinary clinical and research opportunities on UAB's campus and across the globe. Students and faculty find their work is strengthened through partnerships with one of America’s best academic health-science centers, presenting exceptional clinical resources and experiences.
The school has a legacy of excellence dating back to 1950. With more than 20,000 alumni in all 50 states and more than 15 countries worldwide, there is an impressive record of leadership: more than 29 nursing directors, 38 University Deans, and more than seven vice-presidents, chancellors and provosts in higher education. Additionally, more than 24 alumni of the UAB School of Nursing are chief nursing officers and chief nurse executives and more than 15 are presidents or CEOs.
The UAB School of Nursing is committed to working in education, research and practice with its interprofessional health care colleagues to deliver world-class patient and family-centered care, advance knowledge through pioneering research, and train highly qualified professionals.
I invite you to learn more about our inspiring, collegial faculty, our driven, thoughtful students and our talented alumni leaders who are vested in building compassionate nursing leaders who contribute to improving the health, health equity and quality of life for all populations.
Sincerely,
Maria R. Shirey, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, ANEF, FACHE, FNAP, FAAN
Dean and Fay B. Ireland Endowed Chair in Nursing
Director, PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre for International Nursing