OSF Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing, owned by the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, is affiliated with and located on the campus of OSF Saint Francis Medical Center (OSFSFMC) in Peoria, Illinois. The College is a private, non-profit, specialized nursing college offering upper division undergraduate and graduate nursing programs. The College of Nursing is the only Catholic college of nursing in the Peoria Diocese. OSF Saint Francis is one of the largest Catholic health care facilities in the United States and the second largest employer in Peoria. The tri-county area, including Peoria, has a population of approximately 365,000. Peoria is known for its leading downstate health care facilities. The College which had its beginnings as St. Francis Hospital School of Nursing was organized in 1905, for Sisters only. The School's diploma program was approved by the State of Illinois in 1915, and opened to lay students in 1918. The School maintained continuous State approval of the diploma program. In 1950, the School received accreditation of the diploma program from the National League for Nursing (NLN), which continued through graduation of the last class in 1987. From 1905 through 1987, approximately 3400 students graduated from the diploma program. The College of Nursing was established in November 1985 with approval of the baccalaureate program by the Illinois Department of Professional Regulations. The College enrolled its first students as juniors in August 1986. The first class graduated in May 1988. The College has graduated 2279 Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students as of December 2013.We believe the Judeo-Christian tenets underlying the nursing education at Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing promote values essential for the development of a personal and professional philosophy of God and humankind. These values, inculcated throughout the curriculum, guide the learner to evolve into an ethical and ac...