Moving to Philly.Need help with programs

U.S.A. Pennsylvania

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Hi everyone

I'm trying to figure out where to apply for school once I get to PA. I was actually going to apply to harcum but Ive heard such bad things about it on this forum. I was also thinking about Delaware CC for the ADN program and then Applying to for the RN-BSN.

Someone said something about one of the BSN programs only being 6 months longer than the harcum ADN??

I'm so confused on this and have no idea where to go. I'm looking for a full-time program and would really like to start working asap which is why I wanted to do the ADN first. I may going all the way to anesthesia which is what I really want to do but it all depends on how long it will take and how burnt out ill be.

I just want to make sure I get into a good program whether its ADN or BSN. I'm starting from scatch so I would think id have a better chance doing my prereqs at a CC or even both my prereqs and ADN then transferring out.

My thing is the quicker the better but I don't want to sacrifice going to a crap school just to get out faster either.

Please any advice would be great.

Also do they have any schools that contract you to a hospital once graduated? They do that here in FL

Haha yeah. I will def pass. What do u mean by programs...?

They take around 50 students twice a year. I think about 250-300 people apply each time. I'm unsure how hard it is to get in...? It was the first school i applied to and i was accepted the first time.

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Thanks so much for the info.

This is so confusing because I keep getting conflicting advice. I have a friend who is a doctor in Philly and him along with 3 other doctors continue telling me I will have no problem getting a job after graduation even with an ADN. He continues to say there is a huge shortage and there's a lot of jobs open and will be in the future.

Then on the other hand I continue hearing the opposite on this board!!

Your docs are partly right but mostly wrong. The Philly job market for RN's with experience is OK - but certainly not great - irrespective of whether they are diploma, ADN or BSN nurses. It is the job market for new grads that is very tough. My educated guess is that 9 out of every 10 hospital job postings says something like "at least one year of experience required" (many state 2 or more years) and even some Phila area LTC facilities now also require experience for any new hires. Getting that all-important year or 2 of experience has become a huge stumbling block for new RN's.

There is a lot of data that say that there are very few new nursing jobs being created in Phila at the same time there are historically high numbers of new nursing graduates. The job statistics for 2008 and 2009 (the most recent years that the government has provided complete data for) show that there were a total of 200 new nursing jobs created - about 120 in 2008 and 80 in 2009. There are 23 nursing programs in the Phila area (diploma, ADN and BSN) and the Commonwealth BON reports that for the same 2 year period, over 4,000 new graduates from those programs passed the NCLEX. While this presents a somewhat misleading picture, it's pretty safe to say that the supply of new RN's greatly exceeds the demand for new nurses. Point the docs to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and PA BON websites where they'll be able to see for themselves what the data say.

If I choose to go the BSN route where would you suggest I apply?

I'm not as concerned with price as I am with education level and time. I dont want to end up in a program where I'll end up failing the NCLEX.

In my opinion, NCLEX pass rates are determined more by the individual student and not so much the institution. In addition, the statistics on pass rates can be misleading. Unless you are an exceptionally gifted person - or attend a school that requires extensive NCLEX review as a condition of graduation from the program - you will need to review for the exam. In my view, if you make a resonable study plan and review enough questions, you'll likely pass, If you don't spend some time reviewing, you won't, regardless of whether you went to Harcum or Penn.

If I choose the ADN, would DCC be ok education wise?
I'm a DCCC grad and have only good things to say about the program. The classroom instructors were all pretty good but with only one or 2 exceptions, the clinical instructors were outstanding. I'd caution you that admission is quite competative and you will need reasonably high scores on the admissions test (I think they now use the TEAS which may be a bit easier than the NET that was used previously). I have quite a few friends who are great paramedics but couldn't get high enough NET scores to get in to the DCCC program. So the moral of that story is, do some nursing school standardized test review so you only have to take the admissions test once (you only get 3 tries).

As far as BSN programs, if you are a good student with high SAT scores and have a lot of financial resources, my advice would be U Penn. The program is no better or worse than any other but Penn is an Ivy League school with an international reputation. Another advantage to Penn is that they have their own hospital system, so at least some of your clinicals will be in their world-class hospitals. Second choices for me would be Villanova or Thomas Jefferson followed by (Hahnemann) and maybe Temple. All but Temple will still require deep pockets however. Full disclosure: My BA is from Temple and I'm a Drexel MBA, so my views may be a bit biased. In my opinion however, with only a few exceptions. you will get a good nursing education at any of the Philly-area nursing programs - including the diploma programs (which by the way generally have the highest NCLEX pass rates).

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Wow thanks for all this info!

I may be making a mistake in going to school up there since FL schools offer direct 2 year job contracts with many top notch hospitals. I haven't heard anything like that in PA.

I was going to go for RRT first but changed it to RN BC everyone told me there are far less job openings than RN have. I'm still bouncing back and forth in my decision. I'm more afraid of burn out or not enjoying my job that I'm afraid of. I'm used to working long shifts on my feet as a bartender but so many people say how horrible the hours are and how exhausted you constantly are. If its 3 12 hour shifts a week I don't think I'd be too exhausted, unless those hours are just a myth. Haha.

If RNs need experience out of school how would you guys suggest I get it while in the program?

Let me ask the RNs (I may have to post this somewhere else as well) but for the nurses who have responded....do you enjoy your jobs?

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Aria is a 2 yr 10 month program. BUT that depends on how many classes you have coming in, and how many you complete during.

Like i said earlier, i already had my associates. So that cuts me down 2 semesters. So I will be done in 2 yrs and 8 weeks. The 8 weeks is called a capstone course. You spend 2 months working side by side with an RN and u follow her schedule. My teacher said it will count as experience on your application after u graduate.

Here is a link of classes

http://www.ariahealth.org/default.aspx?pageid=3515

Illl stop talking your ear off now.

Aria all the way!!! :D

Can you enter a masters program with this sort of degree? Or is it more of an associates.

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These classes go for your associates at penn state. after i graduate ill need just 5 more classes for my bachelors from penn state.then from there u can go for your masters.

The nursing program is different in florida than it is up here. i know this because my step sister was going to start at jefferson in philly but then she moved to florida. now she needs to take way too many classes to get in their program there (cause it requires diff and more courses) so now shes just going to be an ultrasound tech instead.

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Oh and the TEAS test is NOT easier than the NET in my opinion. I thought the NET was cake, percentage wise, i got a 97 percent. I took the teas, and got a 76 and i didnt study for it or prep at all. the TEAS reminded me of the SAT test

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Oh gotcha!

And wow what a bummer!! I didn't know the amount of classes required were different. I thought it was about the same. So if you were to get your RN in PA and then move to FL would u be able to work or wouldyou have to take further classes ???

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Oh and the TEAS test is NOT easier than the NET in my opinion. I thought the NET was cake, percentage wise, i got a 97 percent. I took the teas, and got a 76 and i didnt study for it or prep at all. the TEAS reminded me of the SAT test

Truth be told, both tests are pretty easy, much easier than the SATs or the ACTs. Since so many folks struggle with standardized tests though, I always recommend to prep before sitting for either. I usually do well on standardized tests and so didn't feel the need for any advance preparation. My overall score on the TEAS was in the 99th percentile but on the NET I only managed the mid 90's. Given that my score was lower and since I've seen lots of folks struggle with the NET, my feeling was that it was somewhat more difficult or put another way, the TEAS somewhat easier. YMMV.

I still stand by my original suggestion to prep for either the TEAS or the NET unless you're very sure of yourself. Just like the old saying goes - Better safe than sorry.

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For what it's worth, I'm currently in an accelerated BSN program, and all I hear on the clinical floor is that hospitals are not hiring new grads unless they have a BSN. Considering the glut of applicants, they have to find a way to weed through resumes. Also, with so many hospitals in the area applying for Magnet status, they need to hire BSN grads in order to meet the Magnet requirements, so you will find it difficult to find a job without a BSN in this area. Of course, even new BSN grads are finding it difficult to land a job.

A family friend recently graduated from Harcum's ADN program and can't find a job because it's not a BSN - that includes the facility where she worked for several years while completing her degree. They'll keep her as a CNA, but they won't hire her as a nurse. Regardless of whatever bias one has regarding the BSN/ADN/Diploma programs, the reality is that new grads are not being hired unless they're BSNs. Even before the market tanked, I had friends who graduated from Villanova and who found it difficult to find jobs due to the glut of nurses in this region. So, my advice is to make yourself as marketable as possible and go for the BSN.

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Ugh. Maybe I should just go to school for something else. Lol

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No you can still work anywhere with your RN...nevermind its too much to explain.

I took the NET test after i took a bunch of college classes so i scored high. Then i procrastinated on applying to nursing schools for 3 years. Then when i was ready i took the TEAS. SO i was rusty. Maybe thats why i thought it was harder...

IndecisiveinMiami....start your prereqs and you will figure out the details as you go along. By the time you are ready to enter a nursing program, ARIA will be a bachelor program so everything will be different.

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Thanks so much for the info.

This is so confusing because I keep getting conflicting advice. I have a friend who is a doctor in Philly and him along with 3 other doctors continue telling me I will have no problem getting a job after graduation even with an ADN. He continues to say there is a huge shortage and there's a lot of jobs open and will be in the future.

Has your doctor friend been looking for work as an RN with no experience recently?

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