August 7, 2000

In 1811, the MGH was chartered as a teaching hospital with a commitment to patient care, education and research. The MGH established its School of Nursing in 1873 and carried the concept of education in a clinical setting with several programs well into the 1980s. The last class of the School of Nursing enrolled in 1979 and graduated in 1981.

This legacy continues with the founding of the MGH Institute of Health Professions in 1977. With the beginning of the Institute, two important educational concepts converged: the MGH's concept of becoming an advanced educational institution for the health care professions, and the demand for master clinicians, with an education that is formed by theory and practice with an interdisciplinary approach to research and health care.

The Institute is a fully accredited, interdisciplinary graduate school that prepares health care specialists to become leaders in nursing, physical therapy, speech-language pathology and clinical investigation. The Institute grants master's degrees, awards certificates of advanced study and offers continuing professional education to practicing professionals as well as baccalaureate-educated individuals entering the health professions from another field. Nearly 500 students are taught by a faculty of 74, more than half of whom are practicing clinicians.

In addition to the MGH, the Institute has clinical affiliations with more than 600 health care sites. Many Institute faculty members also are on staff at the MGH, and the MGH and other Partners affiliates employ many Institute graduates. Many MGH clinicians serve the Institute as student advisers. The MGH and Partners employees may take Institute courses at a special discount rate.

The Institute currently is undertaking several new programs to help advance the education of health care professionals. Over the next three years, the Institute will transform the majority of its post-professional courses to an online format, reaching a national and international market of adult learners who seek professional education without interrupting their work. This fall, clinical investigation courses will be offered both online and on site.

To address the need to upgrade the quality and availability of health care in developing nations, the Institute has established the Center for International Health Care Education to promote and provide advanced practice education and consultation clinicians around the world.

For more information about course offerings or for enrollment information, call 726-3140 or visit www.mghihp.edu.