Pennsylvania Hospital (PAH) has a long history of educating nurses, helping them achieve a work-life balance, and providing them with leadership opportunities at the highest levels. At PAH, nurses create the nursing culture and are at the heart of cultural change. Our nurses continuously strive to create a welcoming, supportive atmosphere while simultaneously reaching new levels of excellence.
Message from Pennsylvania Hospital's Chief Nursing Officer
As the nation's first hospital, we have a long history of providing high-quality, patient-centered care. Our nursing department at Pennsylvania Hospital continuously strives to set new standards of excellence in patient care. We offer a challenging and inspiring environment where our nurses can grow both personally and professionally within their practice.
Our goal is to help nurses achieve the highest level of satisfaction from their career whether it is in patient care, leadership, advanced practice or education.
Pennsylvania Hospital places a strong emphasis on collaboration, accountability, respect and excellence in nursing. Our professional practice model empowers nurses by fostering trust, mutual respect, self-confidence, autonomy and innovation, as nurses assume accountability for their professional practice and shape their work environment through shared governance.
We look forward to you joining our world-class team of engaged and empowered nurses. Together we will continue to innovate, inspire, and strive to provide the highest quality care that leads to improved patient outcomes in an exceptional professional work environment.
Sincerely,
Melissa Zak
Chief Nursing Officer
Celebrate Caregivers at Pennsylvania Hospital
Watch caregivers at Pennsylvania Hospital read letters from their patients thanking them for their extraordinary work to make each patient feel safe, cared for and seen during their hospital stay.
Pennsylvania Hospital Nursing Annual Report
Each year, Pennsylvania Hospital issues an annual report summarizing the achievements, accolades and outcomes of the department of nursing.
View the 2023 Nursing Report
About Pennsylvania Hospital
Pennsylvania Hospital, founded in 1751 as the nation's first hospital, is a 520-bed acute care facility that provides a full range of diagnostic and therapeutic medical services and functions as a major teaching and clinical research institution.
The hospital is now known for its general and specialty surgical services, including:
- Cardiology
- Oncology
- Orthopaedics
- Vascular medicine/surgery
- Neurosurgery
- Otorhinolaryngology (ENT)
- Urology
- Obstetrics
- Neonatology
- Behavioral health
PAH continues to expand programs for cancer, cardiac care and bloodless medicine and surgery. The hospital has over 29,000 inpatient admissions and 115,000 outpatient visits each year, including more than 5,000 births.
A Culture of Opportunity and Collaboration
Pennsylvania Hospital has received Magnet designation twice recognizing PAH's commitment to providing the highest quality of patient care and dedication to continued nursing excellence. Pennsylvania Hospital's nurses provide patient-centered, evidence-based care and are highly respected members of the healthcare team. Nurses at Pennsylvania Hospital participate in shared governance and collaborate with interdisciplinary colleagues to make decisions about practice and clinical outcomes. Pennsylvania Hospital encourages all nurses to have influence over their work environment and supports clinical nurses' efforts to innovate and make changes to improve patient outcomes.
PAH nurses grow and excel in the following specialty areas:
- Medical/Surgical
Ranked as one of the top five most active centers in the area, the Med/Surgery department is broken down into distinct specialty units.
- Critical Care
State-of-the-art equipment and procedures allow nurses the opportunity to provide exceptional care to the patients within the Critical Care Services department.
- Perioperative
Known as a "Center of Excellence" for many surgical procedures, Pennsylvania Hospital offers nurses the opportunity to work as part of an interdisciplinary team with some of the finest surgeons in the region.
- Maternal/Infant Health
Welcoming more than 5,000 babies each year, the maternity program at Pennsylvania Hospital is the largest in the Philadelphia region and is nationally recognized for excellence in obstetrics.
- Behavioral Health
Nurses, physicians, social workers, and occupational and recreation therapists make up a highly regarded, multi-disciplinary team that works to improve the mental health of all patients.