School of Nursing Career Development

Nurses with 21st-century skills are in high demand. Our central focus at the School of Nursing is to ensure that your experience here prepares you for an exciting career after Quinnipiac. With dozens of clinical partnerships at local hospitals and clinics that specialize in different areas of health care and plenty of one-on-one guidance from faculty and advisers, you’ll open pathways to careers in numerous specialties and settings.

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You’re in high demand

A female student holding a folder speaks to someone off camera

Maybe you will forge a path as a registered nurse, nurse practitioner or nurse anesthetist. Or perhaps you will pursue a more specialized area, such as population health. Whatever your goals are and wherever you are in your career, you’ll gain the skills, experience, confidence and contacts needed for immediate success upon graduation.

This is due in large part to our dozens of clinical partnerships, extensive advisory program and long list of professional resources.

Our numerous career development services are designed to help you with your job search or future academic plans — and give you a competitive edge in the job market. You also will have the distinction of graduating from a program endorsed by the American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation. Quinnipiac is 1 of only 17 nursing schools in the nation with this endorsement.

Design Your Career Path

Find a job or internship on Handshake

Quinnipiac is now partnering with Handshake to empower students as they explore new career paths and discover amazing internships and job opportunities. With the help of our career advisers, students will leverage Handshake's comprehensive suite of features to navigate the job market and design a career path that aligns with their interests and aspirations.

With an abundance of career-focused information and resources, the career advisers within the School of Nursing support students as they expand their professional networks and attract the attention of prestigious employers.

Learn more about Handshake

Visit Handshake

Funding for Handshake is generously provided by Travelers

Additional career-building resources

Personal advising throughout undergraduate and graduate programs
Assistance with resume writing and interview preparation
Alumni networking opportunities

Assistance with grad school applications
Career fairs that connect you with potential employers

By the Numbers

95% Success Rate

Percentage of our 2022 nursing graduates who are either employed or enrolled in a graduate program six months after graduation.

300+ Clinical Affiliation Sites

The number of clinical affiliations where our students gain practical experience, including hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation centers and other health care settings.

+6% In Demand

The projected percentage change in employment from 2021 to 2031 for registered nursing jobs. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022)

In Their Words

Amy Zou ’20, Accelerated BSN

Yale Oncology

“I do not know if it is possible to convey in words the sense of gratitude I feel. The practice interview was super helpful in preparing for my first interview after graduating from nursing school.”

Meghan Coakley ’20 BSN

Brigham and Women's Hospital

“Quinnipiac positions you to work wherever you want, so long as you put in the effort. Nursing students receive job opportunities before and after graduation all over the country.”

School of Nursing student flipping through a textbook outside on the North Haven Campus

Hannah LeFebvre ’17

ER nurse in a level-1 trauma center

“Through various clinical experiences combined with challenging classroom lectures, I feel Quinnipiac has extensively prepared us not only for the boards but for real hospital experiences that we will come across as entry-level nurses in any specialty.”

Career Paths

Avg. Salary: $73,300 / Bachelor of Science in Nursing

QU offers both a traditional and an accelerated BSN program.

The Baccalaureate Generalist Registered Nurse is prepared to practice with patients, including individuals, families, groups, communities and populations across the lifespan and across the continuum of health care environments.

AACN: The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice (2008)

Avg. Salary: $83,000 to $107,000 / Master of Science in Nursing

Quinnipiac offers an MSN in Operational Leadership.

The master’s level demands expert application of evidence-based practices, quality improvement methods, outcomes measurement, systems knowledge and leadership skills. Registered nurses who obtain a master’s degree possess advanced knowledge in the discipline and leadership skills to improve health outcomes in a number of current and emerging roles. Possible roles include health care administration, nursing informatics and nursing education.

AACN: The Essentials of Master’s Education in Nursing (2011)

Avg. Salary: $115,800 / Master of Science in Nursing

Quinnipiac offers a Family Nurse Practitioner and Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner program.

Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) are registered nurses educated at the master’s or post-master’s level and in a specific role and patient population. APRNs are prepared by education and certification to assess, diagnose and manage patient problems, order tests and prescribe medications.

Quinnipiac offers a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program. There are 2 programs to choose from: Care of Populations and Nursing Leadership.

Doctoral programs in nursing fall into 2 principal types: research-focused and practice-focused. Most research-focused programs grant the doctor of philosophy degree (PhD), while a small percentage offer the doctor of nursing science degree (DNS, DSN or DNSc). Designed to prepare nurse scientists and scholars, these programs focus heavily on scientific content and research methodology and all require an original research project and the completion and defense of a dissertation or linked research papers.

Doctor of nursing practice programs are designed to prepare experts in specialized advanced nursing practice. They focus heavily on practice that is innovative and evidence-based, reflecting the application of credible research findings.

The two types of doctoral programs differ in their goals and the competencies of their graduates. They represent complementary, alternative approaches to the highest level of educational preparation in nursing.

Roles include health care administration, research in nursing and health care, and university faculty position.

AACN: The Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice (2006)

Clinical Experiences

A nursing student wearing scrubs uses a stethoscope to check on a patient — Nursing student Julia McKenna ’17 cares for a patient at St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Your experiences will set you apart

You’ll have plenty of opportunities in the field to practice your skills, interact with patients and make a difference.

We share partnerships with acute care hospitals, long-term care facilities, clinical health networks, private primary care practices, specialty offices and community health settings. These experiences are what will set you up for success — and also what will set you apart from the competition in the field of health care. Below is a list of our primary clinical partners and a representative list of our clinical affiliates.

William W. Backus Hospital
Bridgeport Hospital
Bristol Hospital
Bristol Multi-Specialty Group Practice
Danbury Hospital
Greenwich Hospital
Hartford Healthcare
Hartford Hospital
The Hospital of Central Connecticut
Hospital of St. Raphael
Charlotte Hungerford Hospital
Institute of Living at Hartford Hospital
Lawrence & Memorial
Mercy Medical Center
Middlesex Hospital
Middlesex Hospital Homecare
Midstate Medical Center
Milford Hospital
Natchaug Hospital
Nuvance Health System
St. Francis Hospital & Medical Center
St. Mary’s Hospital
St. Vincent’s Medical Center
Trinity Health - New England
Yale Medical Center
Yale New Haven Health System

Birmingham Care 
Branford Hills 
Charter Oak Community Health Center 
City of Hartford Disease Prevention & Health Promotion Division 
Community Health & Wellness Center, Torrington 
Community Health Centers 
Community Health Services 
Concentra 
Connecticut Children’s Medical Center 
Connecticut Hospice 
Connecticut Multispecialty Group 
Elim Park 
Evercare 
Fair Haven Community Health Center 
Gaylord Hospital 
Generations Family Health Center 
Genesis Healthcare 
Greater Waterbury Primary Care Associates 
Griffin Hospital 
Grove Hill Medical Center 
Hartford Public Schools 
Hospital for Special Care 
John Dempsey Hospital at the University of Connecticut Health Center 
Manchester Hospital Masonicare 
Minute Clinics 
Montowese Health & Rehabilitation Center 
New Haven Department of Health 
Northeast Medical Group 
Northwell Health 
Norwalk Community Health Center 
Norwalk Hospital 
Optimus Health Care 
Pediatric Healthcare Associates 
Planned Parenthood of Southern New England 
ProHealth Partners 
ProHealth Physicians 
Southington Public Schools 
Staywell Healthcare, Inc. 
United Community Family Services 
United States Coast Guard 
University of Connecticut Correctional Managed Care 
VA Connecticut Healthcare System 
VNA Community Healthcare, Inc. 
VNA Northwest 
Wallingford Public Schools 
Waterbury Hospital 
Whitney Center

Make an Impact

A nursing student checks a patient's blood pressure

Strengthening communities, at home and abroad

Outside of clinical rotations, students in the Quinnipiac School of Nursing have many opportunities to build the diverse set of skills needed by today’s nurses and make a visible difference while they do it.

Participation in Joining Forces, a partnership program that encompasses an interprofessional group of students and faculty who examine the health issues affecting veterans
International service trips and study abroad opportunities to assist local health clinics in treating underserved populations
Annual Falls Prevention Awareness Day, helping local senior citizens learn how to prevent fall-related injuries
Participation in COVID-19 testing, contact tracing, and influenza clinics

Alumni Network

Our graduates are on the front lines advocating for patients all over the country. They are working as chief nursing officers, nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, policy makers, registered nurses and educators in a range of settings.

Acute care settings
Community health clinics
Home care agencies
Hospice programs
Hospitals
Long-term care
Occupational health
Pharmaceutical industry
Primary care settings
Public health departments
Rehabilitation care
Residential care facilities
Schools
Universities
Urgent care centers

Boston Children’s Medical Center
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Bristol Hospital
Cleveland Clinic
Community Health Centers, Inc
Connecticut Children’s Medical Center
Hartford Hospital
Massachusetts General
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Middlesex Hospital
New York Presbyterian
Northwell Health
Tufts Medical Center
St. Vincent’s Medical Center
St. Francis Hospital & Medical Center
Vanderbilt Medical Center
Yale New Haven Health

Contact Career Development

Bridget Dawn Rich

Assistant Dean of Clinical Education for Faculty & Students

Instructor of Nursing

Part-Time Faculty

Nursing

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Contact the School of Nursing

We're always here to help provide additional information and answer any questions you may have.

203-582-8600

SNURDeans@qu.edu

370 Bassett Rd.
North Haven, CT 06473

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