University of Nebraska Medical Center

About us
A vital enterprise in the nation's heartland, the University of Nebraska Medical Center has its eye on improving the future of health care in Nebraska and beyond.

As Nebraska's only public academic health sciences center, UNMC is committed to the education of a 21st century health care work force, to finding cures and treatments for devastating diseases, to providing the best care for patients, and to serving our state and its communities through award-winning outreach. UNMC also is committed to embracing the richness of diversity, and is a major economic engine for the state of Nebraska.

Led by Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., UNMC has six colleges and two institutes, serving more than 3,400 students in more than two dozen programs. Our primary care program was recently ranked 6th in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, and our rural health medicine program ranked 12th. The university's physician assistant, physical therapy, pharmacy, and nursing master's programs also were ranked as among the top in the country.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center builds on a rich, vibrant history that dates back to the end of the 19th century. UNMC continues to be committed to its mission to improve the health of Nebraskans and beyond.

From the state's first medical college in 1880 to a dental college (1903), pharmacy college (1908), nursing college (1917), allied health training programs (early 1930s) and the Graduate College (1942), UNMC not only expanded to meet the needs of future health professionals but also consolidated several of its colleges into an Omaha campus destined to sustain its growth.

Expansion includes College of Nursing brick-and-mortar sites in Omaha, Lincoln, Kearney, Scottsbluff and Norfolk, Nebraska. They were built to advance nursing care and address predicted critical shortages of nurses and nursing faculty.

In 2006, UNMC formed its newest college: The College of Public Health. Its state-of-the-art building -- named the Harold M. and Beverly Maurer Center for Public Health opened in 2011.

Other major building projects over the past 15 years include:

• The Lied Transplant Center, which opened in 1999, combines the latest in transplant patient care with innovative research areas;
• Twin research towers - the 10-level Durham Research Center, dedicated in 2003, and the Durham Research Center II, which opened in 2009;
• The Michael F. Sorrell Center for Health Science Education, which opened in 2008, is the home of the UNMC College of Medicine;
• The Weigel Williamson Center for Visual Rehabilitation, a not-for-profit center designed to assist adults and children, opened in 2008;
• The Home Instead Center for Successful Aging - which combines geriatric care and a community-style center - opened in 2010;
• The Center for Nursing Science expansion to the UNMC College of Nursing Omaha campus opened in 2010; and
• A student plaza - complete with an ice rink and campus art ("Hope" tower) feature - was dedicated in 2011.

These projects were built with generous gifts from philanthropists, alumni and faculty.

UNMC Mission
The mission of the University of Nebraska Medical Center is to improve the health of Nebraska through premier educational programs, innovative research, the highest quality patient care, and outreach to underserved populations.

Diversity
Along with patient care, research and education, outreach is a cornerstone of our mission.

Whether faculty teach students how to care for patients who ask for alternative treatments or researchers partner with rural or urban neighborhoods to address health concerns, our goal is to work toward the well-being of everyone in our state. As part of a global health community, we recruit students from around the world and here at home who have an interest in caring for underserved patient populations.

Our work includes creating an environment of inclusion for patients, visitors and employees. When you step foot on this campus, we hope you feel valued, respected, connected. It is through enriching experiences, events and discussions that we get to know each other a little better and realize we are more alike than different.

Policies
UNMC policies exist because they are required, as policy, by

• a regulatory agency, commission, or accrediting body,
• federal, state, or local statute,
• regental or executive action,
• campus-wide UNMC decision concerning everyone's obligations and boundaries within UNMC.

Policies are effective when they are well promulgated by various means and when those affected by them

• can understand their origins and rationale,
• can easily comprehend them,
• can easily comply with them.

Draft policies at UNMC are submitted to the Policy and Procedure Coordinator, who manages the process and seeks review by contacts in each UNMC unit before final approval and signature.

Procedures

• Procedures, practices, and guidelines are usually process descriptions created by a service provider within UNMC, and are produced for everyone
• as tools to help and inform people about how to accomplish their work within current systems, and
• to help in decision-making, to ensure appropriate consistency, and to avoid wasteful re-invention.

It is expected that each service provider

• create its processes and process guidelines in consultation with those who use the service;
• achieve any procedure's true purpose by selecting the most effective and appropriate means to serve users;
• maintain the accuracy and currency of information, assuring that users are aware of changes; and
• will probably use a variety of marketing, communication, and educational approaches.

University of Nebraska Medical Center Degree Programs :

Medicine

Dentistry

Nursing

Video Presentation

History in Photos - The Nebraska Medical Center

The Nebraska Medical Center's roots go back to 1869 when Bishop Clarkson opened the state's first hospital in downtown Omaha. When the University of Nebraska opened its medical school here several years later, a rich history of great patient care, research and education was born.

University Hospital and Clarkson hospital each grew on their own for decades until 1997 when the two hospitals merged to form The Nebraska Medical Center. As partners, The Nebraska Medical Center and UNMC form a large and important part of Omaha, occupying more than five city blocks and millions of square feet of building space in midtown Omaha. These photos show where it began and how medical care and technology has progressed over the years.