Recommendations for Second Degree BSN Programs

U.S.A. Pennsylvania

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I live in Bucks County, have my BS and am looking to go into Nursing. I have found that , Villanova, La Salle and Thomas Jefferson have programs. Does anyone have a recommendation as to any of these programs or any others in the area? I would appreciate the help. Also, Gwyned Mercy has a weekend program for two years that would allow me to take the test to be an RN but would only give me an Associates in Nursing. Does anyone know whether it would be the same as having my BS and being an RN or is there a difference in having your BS and BN? Thanks for any help!!!

West Chester University also has a 2nd degree program that will allow you to gain your BSN in 17 months if you have a bachelors in another field. I went there and graduated Dec 2008. My class was the first cohort and we had a 100% pass rate on the NCLEX, first try. I highly recommend this program. Great professors!

From what I read on this site a BS plus an ADN would not be the same as a BSN. There might be master's programs that would consider the BS, but you'd still be an associate's degree-level RN.

I 2nd checking out West Chester- affordable and when I called the HR department at Presbyterian (b/c I got in a flame war about whether there were hospitals that would only take BSNs) a couple of years ago, the woman I spoke with said West Chester turns out really great nurses. I didn't apply b/c they want all your pre-reqs done before you apply and everywhere else I was interested in would let you apply with some still to go. But if I could have applied while finishing pre-reqs I definitely would have.

I'm starting in the fall. They don't offer financial aid for ACE students other than loans except for a scholarship that you are apparently allowed to apply for near the start of the term, but the scholarship is geared towards minorities in nursing (so I don't know if it's something I'd be eligible for). Penn is supposed to be excellent with financial aid and from what I could gather from the open house I went to, they are really a supportive environment.

You can also search on the boards for opinions from students- those schools are talked about a ton here.

Dear hiddencat-

I also am going to ACE in Sept 2010. Can you tell me more about the scholarship at Drexel (when to apply, who is eligible, etc)?

Thank you :)

P.S. Did you apply to Upenn's program as well? I have not got any response from them. I also applied to Jefferson, but was told that I should know whether or not I got in by Dec 31st.

Drexel didn't offer us any scholarships this class- I hear in the past there's been a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation scholarship but we were not given the option to apply for it. Several weeks in to the term we were sent info about a scholarship from the University of Pennsylvania Health System that would pay full tuition in exchange for a 4 year contract in one of two specific departments (OR or cardio electrophysiology). I opted not to apply for that.

Other than that, there are federal loans and you can apply for private loans and scholarships. None of the other aid offered to first time undergraduates is available to us.

Howlwe, can I ask you a few questions about the WCU BSN2 program? I have had such a hard time finding real people to talk to about it. Was it an organized program? How many people were in your class at the beginning and the end? I keep hearing has such a high dropout/kickout rate and it really scares me. WCU is so close to my house and from what I understand the cost is great. Can I ask you how much (estimated) it cost for the 17 months total?

Drexel was not given the funding by the RWJ foundation for the 09 school year, hence the reason why it was not offered by the school.

Drexel was not given the funding by the RWJ foundation for the 09 school year, hence the reason why it was not offered by the school.

Did they apply or were they just not granted the funds? I can't remember- are you still at or have you already finished?

Drexel didn't offer us any scholarships this class- I hear in the past there's been a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation scholarship but we were not given the option to apply for it. Several weeks in to the term we were sent info about a scholarship from the University of Pennsylvania Health System that would pay full tuition in exchange for a 4 year contract in one of two specific departments (OR or cardio electrophysiology). I opted not to apply for that.

Other than that, there are federal loans and you can apply for private loans and scholarships. None of the other aid offered to first time undergraduates is available to us.

Hi Hiddencat, I was wondering if you had any more info on this scholarship that was offered by the Univ of Pa health system. I was due to start the program this fall but was unable to secure any funding. I rolled my admission over until the spring, but is still unsure if I would even get it then....If this could be a back up plan that would be great!!any info would be appreciated thanks!

how is it that UPMC/HUP offers money to other schools in the area but not to their own BSN students? from what i hear, u penn hospital is a great place to work.

Toya, if you pm me your email address I'll forward the email to you. We got it at the end of October but I imagine they'd do the same thing in the spring so maybe you could apply now.

can u please forward the information about U. of Penn Scholarship program

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