April 8, 2025
Ursuline College’s Breen School of Nursing and Health Professions catapulted seven spots to 34th top master degree program in the nation in the just released 2025 US News and World Report Best Graduate Schools. Ursuline’s graduate nursing program remained third in Ohio behind Ohio State and Case Western Reserve University.
“The rankings recognize that Breen provides an excellent nursing education with world-class clinical experiences and state-of-the-art facilities,” states Patricia A. Sharpnack DNP, RN, CNE, NEA-BC, ANEF, FAAN, Dean and Strawbridge Professor of Ursuline’s Breen School of Nursing and Health Professions. “Ursuline’s smaller size also provides a more personal, student-focused approach to learning. Both our undergraduate and graduate students benefit from a supportive environment with great mentors.”
Last year, the College began offering synchronous and asynchronous learning for its MSN programs in addition to in-person classes. Sharpnack notes that graduate students can choose the best class setting semester-by-semester, course-by-course. She explains, “Ursuline provides today’s graduate nursing students with the flexibility they need to balance their work schedules and personal life with their studies.”
The US News rankings was just one of several national honors that the College recently earned for its healthcare programs.
Last week Associate Professor Stephanie Woodruff, DNP, CRNA, CHSE was named a fellow of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA). The FAANA designation distinguishes certified registered nurse anesthetists as being the premier anesthesia provider with an elevated level of skills, training, experience, achievement, and professional standards. Woodruff is the founding director of the College’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Nurse Anesthesia Program. This program, formally known as Ursuline College with SNAP, grew from a unique partnership between the College and the for-profit Somnia Nurse Anesthesia Program to address the shortage of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) through an online degree program.
“Dr. Woodruff is a true innovator in this field,” explains Dr. Sharpnack. “She along with the Ursuline and SNAP colleagues are creating a new model of learning for this in-demand field that allows students to stay close to home and continue to serve their local communities.”
The accolades extended beyond Ursuline’s nursing programs.
Breen’s two-year-old Physician Assistant program completed the review requirements for continued provisional accreditation by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). The College is on track to receive the ARC-PA’s final or full accreditation in the next two years.
“I am thrilled that the faculty and staff of The Breen School are recognized for their hard work and dedication,” states Ursuline College President David A. King, EdD. “They embody our mission of educating students for service, leadership, and professional excellence. Our students are truly the beneficiaries.”
