As a new student in Penn Nursing, regardless of your program, you will need to set up three different accounts in order to take advantage of all academic resources and materials that are crucial to your success. These accounts will allow you to access emails, course information, and all of the programs and software applications you will utilize throughout your time at Penn. These accounts require proper account requests and setup. Your three accounts are as follows:

1. School of Nursing
2. PennKey
3. Penn O365

School of Nursing Account

First, you will need to request your School of Nursing email address and computing account here. It is important to regularly check your School of Nursing email account. Once you arrive on campus, it will be the School of Nursing’s primary means of communicating important class and clinical requirements, information about scholarships, jobs and internships, as well as School news and events. 

The computing account will also give you the ability to log in to the computer lab at the School of Nursing as well as access your shared drive – be sure to take a look at our Office of Information Technology’s information for incoming students, as well. 

For further details on setting up your Nursing account, watch the video clip here.

PennKey

Next, you will need to ensure proper PennKey setup, as this username will enable you to access course information through Canvas, the School of Nursing's learning management system (LMS). Your PennKey username and password are required to access many of the University’s electronic services. Learn more by watching the clip here.

Penn Office 365 (O365)

The last account you will need as a student in the School of Nursing is your Penn O365 account. PennO365 provides full-time Penn students, faculty, and staff with access to Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus services and applications. Office 365 ProPlus features a full version of Microsoft Office, which includes: Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneNote, Outlook, and more. Watch the clip here.

Remember, all three Nursing accounts will need different password combinations, and the University takes excellent security measures in order to keep your confidential information safe.

Account Security and Password Creation Best Practices

To start, Penn is requiring all faculty, staff, and students to enroll in Two-Step Verification to enhance security for University information assets and community members’ personal data. 

Two-Step Verification provides an additional layer of security to your PennKey account by requiring two methods to verify your identity. With Two-Step enabled, you will continue to log in with your PennKey and password; however, a second step will be required to verify your identity using a device in your possession--either a mobile phone or a key fob.

To enroll in the Two-step verification process, click here.

Additionally, view the instructional video here.

To further protect your password, the University has partnered with LastPass to supply LastPass Premium password management accounts to all members of the Penn community.  LastPass offers a secure vault for storage of your passwords and other secure information, allowing users to create stronger and more varied passwords for their various accounts, ultimately leading to a more secure environment.   

For more info, visit the LastPass website. 

Security tips provided by the University of Pennsylvania Offices of Information Systems & Computing.