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MGH Institute of Health Professions topped the 1,200-student mark for the first time in its 35-year history as classes at the Charlestown Navy Yard campus began on September 10.
With 1,221 students starting the 2012-2013 academic year, the MGH Institute has almost doubled its student population during the past eight years, prompting the school to hire 12 new faculty for the 2012-2013 academic year.
In addition to classes in nursing, physical therapy, and communication sciences and disorders, the Boston health sciences graduate school has launched several new academic initiatives:
• A PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences. This interdisciplinary program, whose students have backgrounds in nursing, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology, will focus on educating clinical practitioners to conduct research that will lead to improved rehabilitation outcomes for people with impairments in movement, physical development, communication, or cognition;
• A Master of Science in Health Professions Education. This program, created in collaboration with the Harvard Macy Institute and the Boston Center for Medical Simulation, is designed to prepare the next generation of health care leaders; and
• Two post-professional opportunities in orthopaedic physical therapy, a newly restructured Clinical Residency, and a year-long continuing education course in advanced orthopaedic PT
With the PhD degree, the MGH Institute now offers the full range of academic degrees: baccalaureate, master’s, clinical doctorate, and now a research doctorate.
“There is going to be a tremendous demand for new health care professionals in the coming years, and the MGH Institute has positioned itself to help meet that need,” noted President Janis P. Bellack, PhD, RN, FAAN.
President Bellack cited the pending retirement of much of the country’s health care workforce, the aging of the Baby Boom generation, and anticipated changes stemming from the recent health care reform legislation as reasons why the MGH Institute continues to expand.
In recent years, the school has added a Doctor of Nursing Practice for current nurses, and a 14-month Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing for college graduates, with any undergraduate degree, that proved to be so popular that a second yearly cohort of 85 students was launched in January 2012.
Other health care degrees in related fields are also under consideration to be added in the coming years.
Additionally, the school’s continued academic reputation continues to attract highly qualified college graduates who are looking to change their career. According to U.S. News & World Report:
• The direct entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy is tied for 7th in the country, and 1st in New England;
• The direct entry-level Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology is ranked 25th in the country, and 2nd in New England; and
• The direct entry-level Master of Science in Nursing is ranked 4th in New England, and in the top 10% in the country.
MGH Institute of Health Professions (mghihp.edu), founded by Massachusetts General Hospital in 1977, is an innovative and independent graduate school in Boston that is a member of Partners HealthCare. A progressive leader in developing compre¬hensive models of health care education, the MGH Institute prepares advanced practice professionals in the fields of nursing, physical therapy, and speech-language pathology through a distinctive combination of academic study, clinical practice, and research. More than 1,200 students are enrolled in graduate level and certificate programs, with an increasing number of courses available online. The Institute is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).
[Editors: Our style preference is to not spell out ‘MGH’ on a first reference to our name, as it incorrectly implies the Institute is a department within the hospital. Alternately, we recommend,“MGH Institute of Health Professions, a graduate school founded by Massachusetts General Hospital …”]
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