Mission Statement
The mission of the Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing at Shenandoah University is to empower lifelong learners who provide evidence-based, compassionate care to promote wellness for all.
Vision Statement
The Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing at Shenandoah University will be a recognized leader in educational and professional development with dynamic diverse programs that span the continuum of learning. The humanitarian contributions embedded in the community by faculty and students will distinguish the School of Nursing as unique and strengthen the profession of nursing.
Philosophy
The philosophy of the School of Nursing is in accord with the purpose of Shenandoah University and has evolved from the belief that nursing, as an academic discipline and practice profession, leads care for diverse individuals and global society as an essential part of healthcare. Faculty believe influential nurses should demonstrate academic excellence, safe clinical care, competent technological skills, and consistently demonstrate compassionate leadership skills and professional behavior. Faculty value the uniqueness and individuality of all persons and encourage life-long learning, commitment, and integrity in our profession.
Inclusion, Diversity, & Equity
The School of Nursing values and respects diverse backgrounds. The diversity that students bring to the School of Nursing will be used as a resource, strength, and benefit. In courses, the SON requires not only student participation but student help in creating a safe and supportive atmosphere for everyone. Together, we share a commitment to embrace an all-inclusive environment where diversity is valued and respected.
Five-Year Strategic Plan (2024-2028)
Nursing Programs
Pass Rates & Accreditation
- View our Exam Pass Rates
- View our Accreditation Information
The History of Nursing at Shenandoah
Shenandoah University is a private University affiliated with the United Methodist Church that offers broad liberal arts programs and selective professional programs. The University is a Carnegie doctoral-granting status-professional program focus, with over 4,000 students in 2024.
The University began as the Shenandoah College and Conservatory, founded in Dayton, Virginia, in 1875. In 1960, the college moved from Dayton’s 62-acre campus near historic Winchester, Virginia. Winchester is located in the extreme northwestern part of Virginia and the upper part of the Shenandoah Valley. Shenandoah College and Conservatory officially became Shenandoah University (SU) in 1990. The main campus of the University has modern buildings, including academic structures, residence halls, conference halls, athletic fields, and theaters, as well as a student center, dining halls, a state-of-the-art library, and an athletic and events center. The University is located next to a 200-acre wooded city park. Four University buildings are located in downtown Winchester. The Health Professions Building, which houses the School of Health Professions and School of Pharmacy, is located near the campus of the Winchester Medical Center. An additional building and site (Loudoun) is located in Leesburg, Virginia.
The University’s academic programs are divided into six major schools: the Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing(SON), the School of Business, the School of Health Professions, the School of Pharmacy, the Conservatory, and the College of Arts and Sciences. The Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing opened in the Health Life Sciences Building in 2014. The building is shared with health life programs, including biology, chemistry, athletic training, and exercise science. The University follows an academic calendar divided into fall, January, spring, and summer sessions. The University has a rich tradition of responding to the educational needs of the rural region and our communities in the northern Virginia metropolitan areas. The tradition is evidenced by the expansion of a variety of academic programs, including graduate nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician assistant, communications, business, advanced teacher education, and pharmacy.
Shenandoah University is accredited by the Commission of Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), which was re-accredited in 2019. The general governance of the University is vested in the Board of Trustees. The Board appoints the President of the University to serve as the Chief Administrative Officer with responsibilities as described in the by-laws and policies of the Board of Trustees. The Executive Vice President oversees development and foundation, the Provost oversees academic affairs, and other Vice Presidents oversee the planning and institutional effectiveness, student affairs, student success and enrollment management, administration and finance, recruitment and creative marketing, and diversity and inclusion. Each school has a dean, and some schools are subdivided into divisions.
The Division of Nursing opened at Shenandoah University in 1962 when Winchester Memorial Hospital, later Winchester Medical Center, transferred its diploma nursing program to the academic setting. The program began as an associate of science in nursing degree (ASN). In 1981, faculty and program leaders responded to the American Nurses Association’s endorsement of the baccalaureate degree as the minimal educational qualification for entry into professional nursing practice by initiating a post-RN baccalaureate nursing degree program (RN-BSN). In 2000, the university opened a traditional baccalaureate program (BSN). The ASN program was phased out in 2001.
The nursing program has a rich accreditation history. In 1995, the Division of Nursing achieved initial National League for Nursing (NLN) accreditation for the associate degree and RN-BSN program and was reaccredited in 1999. In 1996, the Division initiated a graduate nursing program to meet the upper Shenandoah Valley’s need for advanced practice nurses. Three tracks were initiated: Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Nurse-Midwifery (NM), and Health Systems Management (HSM). Later, post-graduate certificates were added for the FNP and NM tracks.
In 2002, a postgraduate certificate track for a Psychiatric Mental Health Clinical Specialist was developed. However, to parallel national trends and certification needs, it was quickly converted to an MSN and postgraduate certificate in psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP). The Health System Management option closed in 2017.
In 2004, the graduate program received the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accreditation and has maintained accreditation since that date. Also, in 2004, the division opened an accelerated second-degree BSN program in response to the needs of the communities of interest in Leesburg and Winchester. In 2005, a post-BSN Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree (FNP, PMHNP) and a post-MSN DNP were opened.
The Division of Nursing became a School of Nursing in October 2012, was named the Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing in 2014, and moved into the Health and Life Sciences Building on Shenandoah University’s main campus.
In 2016, a DNP program focused on Health Systems Leadership was opened; however, it was put on hold in 2018 due to low enrollment and the need for faculty. Also, in 2016, with financial support from the INOVA Center for Personalized Health (ICPH), an Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP) program (MSN and post-graduate certificate) and a PMHNP program (MSN and post-graduate certificate) were initiated.
The School of Nursing received full accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) in 2019 for the BSN and MSN programs. In 2019, the AGPCNP program was closed, and the FNP program was added at ICPH. The SU graduate programs moved online in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and maintained an online delivery model for all MSN and PGC graduate nursing programs. The School of Nursing moved out of ICPH in 2021, and the RN-BSN program closed in 2022.
Additionally, in 2022, the MSN & PGC Adult Gerontology program and BSN-DNP & PGC for Health Science Leadership were closed. In 2023, the RN-MSN program closed. Finally, in May 2024, a substantive change was submitted for suspending the BSN-DNP program in all specialties.