Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania – PA

Click on a program of interest to find schools:

• CNA Programs in Pennsylvania
• LPN Programs in Pennsylvania
• ADN & Diploma Nursing Programs in Pennsylvania
• BSN Programs in Pennsylvania (Entry to Nursing)
• RN to BSN Programs in Pennsylvania
• RN to MSN Programs in Pennsylvania
• Master’s in Nursing Programs in Pennsylvania
• Nurse Practitioner Programs in Pennsylvania
• DNP Programs in Pennsylvania
• Featured Pennsylvania Nursing Schools

The nursing schools in Pennsylvania are some of the most well respected and well known in the country. However, Pennsylvania nursing schools are experiencing a severe shortage of nursing faculty which is limiting the number of applicants accepted each year to Pennsylvania nursing programs. This has been a major contributor to the actual nursing shortage in Pennsylvania. Ultimately, a shortage of nurses in the state creates greater health care costs and a lower quality of patient care.

How is Pennsylvania’s health care community reacting to and addressing the nursing shortage? Organizations including colleges, universities and hospitals throughout the state are working together to develop strategies. Strategies thus far include raising scholarship and grant money, awarding grant money to colleges and universities to help increase the number of nurses enrolled in nursing programs and projects to retain nurses in the workforce as well as bring new nurses into the workforce. The Highmark Foundation and the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future have been integral players in working toward solutions to the nursing shortage.

What does this mean for potential nursing students in Pennsylvania as well as veteran nurses in the state? It means that the field of nursing will continue to thrive in Pennsylvania. With grant and scholarship money, schools will be able to admit more students and ultimately graduate more nurses to the workforce. Nurses will continue to be in high demand because nurses are critical to the future of health care in Pennsylvania.

Online Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania

More registered nurses than ever before are heading back to school to earn their BSN or MSN to become nurse educators, advanced nurse practitioners, health care administrators and other positions requiring an advanced education. Many hospitals in Pennsylvania are seeking registered nurses holding baccalaureate degrees in nursing to meet new standards of care and handle the increasingly complex cases seen in the hospital environment. Registered nurses with a BSN or MSN have the potential make more money as well.

Start researching nursing programs in Pennsylvania. Use the search feature or navigation at the top of the page to find specific programs.

Pennsylvania Nursing Job Outlook and Salary Information

According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, an arm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Pennsylvania health care providers are experiencing a nine percent vacancy rate. By 2020, HRSA expects Pennsylvania’s vacancy rate to rise to 30 percent, or more than 40,000 nurse vacancies. Pennsylvania ranks as the 24th lowest state for nurse to patient ratio. What this means to you is that there has not been a better time to start or advance your nursing career. Health care agencies and hospitals are in dire need of highly educated registered nurses and are paying very good salaries, giving amazing benefits packages, offering signing bonuses and much more.

According to indeed.com the average annual salary for current registered nurse job openings in Pennsylvania is $61,000, this is 1% higher than the national average. The median annual salary for a registered nurse in Allentown, PA is $58,918, in Erie, PA $57,283, in Philadelphia, PA $63,303, in Pittsburgh, PA $59,347, in Scranton, PA $57,158. (median salary information acquired through salary.com).

Featured Campus Based Pennsylvania Nursing Schools

University of Phoenix School of Nursing

University of Phoenix offers accredited nursing degree programs at campuses nationwide. Campus locations in Pennsylvania include Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Levittown, Wayne, and Pittsburgh. Request information from University of Phoenix below.

Diploma and Associate’s Degree Nursing (ADN) Programs Approved by the Pennsylvania Board of Nursing

(Source: Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing)

Baccalaureate Nursing Degree (BSN) Programs Approved by the Pennsylvania Board of Nursing

Villanova University College of Nursing

The bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs offered by Villanova University are fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and approved by the State Board of Nursing of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Graduates of the BSN program are eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN licensure exam.

Programs Offered: BSN, Adult Learners, Second Degree BSN, BSN/MSN Gateway for RNs, MSN – (Concentrations: Adult Nurse Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioner, Geriatric Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Health Care Administration, Nursing Education, Nurse Anesthetist), Post-Master’s Certificates – (Concentrations: Same as MSN except for Health Care Administration), PhD

Villanova University College of Nursing,
800 E. Lancaster Avenue,
Villanova, PA 19085

(Source: Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing)

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