Reputation of BSN nursing schools in Philly

kdrose01 · Mar 28, 2011

Without a doubt, Penn has the best reputation and is consistently ranked within the top 10 nursing programs in the US. This is just my guess, but I think Jefferson and Villanova have a longer reputation for being excellent nursing schools, whereas Drexel's nursing program has grown to be more reputable (I think their program is much younger). Funny thing is, I just told a well-known physician specialist that I'm attending Jeff's nursing program and he told me what an excellent school it is. When I told him that Penn actually has one of the best nursing programs in the country, he was a little shocked. So I think some of it depends upon who you talk to, but some schools are more regionally known and others are more locally known. While Drexel's nursing program may not be widely known, my engineer cousin in CA said it would be well-regarded there because it would be associated with the reputation of their engineering program, which is highly regarded. However, I've noticed non-healthcare types don't know about Jefferson, but they know about Drexel, since it offers more programs.

I think Temple's program may be good, but I've never heard much about it. The other schools would most likely be known only regionally. I hope that answers your question.

kdrose01 · Mar 29, 2011

"So I think some of it depends upon who you talk to, but some schools are more regionally known and others are more locally known."

Sorry, meant more nationally known versus regionally.

soraji · Mar 29, 2011

Wow, that is surprising. I thought U Penn would be the best regarded due to its Ivy status!

I was accepted to Drexel and La Salle and I'm leaning toward La Salle due to them having a good locally known Nursing program (and it's quite a bit cheaper than Drexel's accellerated program), but I was concerned about people possibly not ever having heard of it and how that might adversely affect job placement in the future.

kdrose01 · Mar 29, 2011

Penn has its Ivy reputation, but they've also built an outstanding nursing program and are ranked with Yale, University of Pittsburgh, University of Washington, UNC-Chapel Hill, and UCSF as the best overall nursing programs. There are a few others, but I can't remember them just now. That said, you can still receive an excellent nursing education at lesser known programs. My mom's a nursing professor and knows some of the staff very well at both Drexel and LaSalle and she recommended both programs to me. If you're planning on staying local, then I wouldn't worry about someone not knowing LaSalle, since it'll be known. And if you leave the area after you've gained some experience, I doubt most anyone will care, especially for a BSN.

My mom always said she'd never advise anyone to pay top dollar for a BSN because no one in nursing really cares where you went. But if you want an Ivy education or a big name, expensive school, you should choose it for your graduate degree, especially if your employer is paying. My mom taught at Penn and her BSN students, much to their dismay, did their clinicals with community college students, so you'll be in the same facilities anyway. So choose the school you feel will offer you the best program and don't let money be the sole factor in your decision. I was going to attend a program because it was $10k cheaper than another school I preferred, but when I looked into the quality of the faculty, their facilities, and their students, none of it met my expectations. So I decided to go with my first choice because it offered excellent faculty, a much better reputation, excellent facilities and a higher caliber student body, especially considering that they had gone through more rigorous pre-reqs. I'm happy with my choice. But do what is best for you according to what you want to get out of your program.

BGsparkle82 · Nov 19, 2011

Hi there,

Which school did you end up choosing? I am torn betwwen paying less for ASN (at Roxborough) and then transffering to on-line BSN or just go for BSN which is $66 000 at Jeff. What do you think? How do you like your program now?

Thanks

PaNrse · Jul 6, 2012

I know these are old posts so you have probably decided, but I do think that tuition cost is a great concern these days! Most of the Philadelphia area schools have good reputations and you can't really go wrong with any of the names on that list. I would definitely investigate NCLEX pass rates, and also what is required to graduate. Some programs hold up your ability to take the NCLEX based on what you score on a standardized exam like the HESI so I would ask about that! One Pa area school holds up students sometimes for a year or more if they don't get the required score on the pre graduation exam. That adds expense and frustration to the program. Some also have wonderful new buildings.. but that is supported by high tuition. Holy family is a smaller program with less tuition and an excellent NCLEX pass rate (100% December 2011 graduates passed NCLEX first time). Whatever you decide.. I would say go with a BSN program.. many hospitals are going for "magnet" status..and that requires a majority of the nursing staff to be BSNs so they are not hiring diploma or associate degree grads! Associate and diploma grads are going back to school for their BSNs! Good luck!!