Fifty years after completing their nursing education, alumni of the York Hospital School of Nursing returned to WellSpan York Hospital for a guided tour, reconnecting with familiar spaces while seeing how the hospital has evolved to meet the needs of today’s patients and caregivers.

The tour welcomed 20 alumni from the Class of 1976 and their advisor led by Dr. Alyssa Moyer, vice president of WellSpan Health and president of WellSpan York Hospital, and Diane McFarland, vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer at WellSpan York Hospital.

 

Dr. Alyssa Moyer and Diane Mcfarland starting the tour in the garden area nearby the hospital's atrium. 

The York Hospital School of Nursing was established in 1894 in York, Pennsylvania, as part of York Hospital, responding to a growing need for formally trained nurses as health care advanced at the turn of the twentieth century. Students lived and trained onsite, combining classroom instruction with nearly three years of hands-on clinical experience. The curriculum emphasized bedside care, discipline and service, reflecting national nursing education standards of the era.

Over the decades, the school became a cornerstone of health care education in south-central Pennsylvania, supplying York Hospital and surrounding communities with generations of skilled, compassionate nurses whose impact extended far beyond the hospital’s walls. 

“WellSpan York Hospital has served this community as a place of healing and expertise for nearly 150 years – and it continues to evolve with our ongoing expansion efforts,” said Dr. Alyssa Moyer. “As health care continues to change, WellSpan continues to move forward, expanding access and capability so our community continues to receive exceptional care now and for generations to come.” 

The York Hospital School of Nursing closed in 1979 following broader shifts toward college- and university-based education. Its 85-year legacy, however, remains deeply woven into the fabric of WellSpan York Hospital. Alumni continue to be recognized through hospital milestones, commemorative events and history initiatives that highlight the school’s foundational role in building the hospital’s reputation for learning and clinical excellence. 

“It was so meaningful to see and learn about the changes over the past 50 years,” said Carolyn Mosser, a York native, member of the Class of 1976 who helped organize the visit and a former hospital team member. “WellSpan Health has always been staying up to date with health trends; the hospital's technology is very impressive.  I am proud to have been a part of this class and proud of where WellSpan York Hospital is today."  

During the planning and early construction phases of the hospital’s transformation, members of the York Hospital School of Nursing Alumni Association joined WellSpan leaders, team members, community partners and government officials for milestones such as the signing of the final steel beam for the new surgical and critical care tower. Many alumni, including those on the anniversary tour, stayed in and trained nearby the Marie Ketterman building, which once stood on the hospital campus and was removed to make way for the new tower, representing both progress and continuity.

To commemorate the Ketterman Building's importance to nursing education, WellSpan has donated 1,000 bricks collected from the demolition of the building to the York Hospital School of Nursing Alumni Association.  

Members of the York Hospital School of Nursing Alumni Association joined WellSpan leaders to commemorate the Ketterman Building's importance to nursing education through the brick donation. 

In addition to the physical additions, the class learned about WellSpan’s latest innovations like virtual nursing, the Fresh Take Eatery robotic technology and other tools like Aidoc that utilize artificial intelligence to help care teams identifyconditions as quickly as possible. 

Today, WellSpan York Hospital is a leading teaching institution offering residency and fellowship programs, hands-on clinical training and a state-of-the-art medical simulation lab. Learners train alongside expert care teams using advanced technology and evidence-based practices, strengthening care delivery while attracting top talent.

In 2025, WellSpan York Hospital was named one of the nation’s top teaching hospitals by The Leapfrog Group, recognizing excellence in medical education, patient safety and clinical innovation.

WellSpan is also investing in the future nursing workforce through its partnership with Jersey College, offering a two-year, hospital-based associate degree program with hands-on clinical training at WellSpan York Hospital. This initiative expands access to nursing education, supports career changers and early-career learners and helps build a sustainable pipeline of highly trained nurses, with the inaugural class proudly set to graduate this August. 

To learn more about WellSpan York Hospital’s transformation, visit WellSpan.org.