Education
West Penn Hospital School of Nursing
Accepting Applications for August 2013!
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School of Nursing offers a 22-month RN Diploma program with:
Founded in 1892, the school is one of the first to be accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission Inc. (NLNAC). West Penn Hospital is the first in Pittsburgh to achieve Magnet Recognition! Visit us on Facebook! For our Alumni. Request a Transcript. |
Click on this link for the Net Price Calculator to estimate your cost to attend the first year at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing. Figures are based on the academic year 2009/2010. |
Cost of AttendanceTranscripts
Graduates, download a Transcript Request form.
Alumni
Check the Alumni Association web page for the association newsletter, current officers and other alumni information.
View photos of the Alumni Tea and Open House held to showcase the newly renovated school.
Please keep in touch - follow us on Facebook
Magnet RecognitionOn Dec. 7, 2006, The Western Pennsylvania Hospital achieved Magnet Recognition status from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). West Penn is the first hospital in Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania to receive this prestigious recognition, held by only about 6% of all healthcare facilities in the nation. West Penn Hospital became the first in the region to be redesignated Magnet on Sept. 14, 2012. |
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The Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing is an active member of the National League for Nursing (NLN).
West Penn Hospital’s 2-Year Diploma RN Advantages
The following chart is to help you determine if a 2-year Diploma RN program such as West Penn Hospital School of Nursing (WPHSON) is for you compared to a 4-year BSN-RN program.
Note: 2-Year Diploma RN graduates and 4-year BSN program graduates take the same Registered Nurse licensing exam (NCLEX-RN) - required to enter practice.
| Characteristic |
WPHSON 2-Year RN (Diploma) Program |
College 4-Year RN (BSN) Programs |
| Quick introduction to direct patient care |
By about the 4th week into our program, you will begin to interact with patients. By the end of our first 10-week term you will know not only how to talk with patients to obtain a health history but also how to:
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In most 4-year programs you begin to interact with patients in the 3rd year. Some programs are beginning to place initial experiences within the end of the 2nd year. |
| Confirmation of your decision about a nursing career | With an earlier clinical/ hospital experience, you can more quickly determine if nursing is your preferred career. | You might not be able to determine if you prefer nursing until well into the curriculum of a BSN program. |
| More clinical/hospital hands-on experiences |
Our diploma program will give you a greater number of clinical/ hospital hours and a larger number of hands-on experiences before you graduate. Simulation experiences are used to enhance learning but do not substitute for hospital clinical experiences. Actual hospital clinical experiences far outweigh simulation within the program. |
4-year nursing programs may offer fewer clinical/ hospital hours compared to a 2-year program. A shift to simulation lab and community-based clinical experiences is occurring in some BSN programs, resulting in less hospital experience being offered. |
| Less expense |
Our 22-month RN diploma program will cost less than a 4-year nursing program. Federal and state funding is available. |
4-year (BSN) nursing programs are more expensive due to their increased program length. |
| More one-on-one contact; smaller school | Our small-school atmosphere allows for more one-on-one contact with nursing instructors. Being a smaller school, we offer a more student-supportive environment. | College/university nursing professors may have insufficient time to address individual student needs. |
| Nursing instructors on clinical | Our RN nursing instructors are present with you during the clinical /hospital experiences; they remain on the clinical / hospital nursing units. Exceptions to this are the precepting experiences in the Community and Management nursing courses in the senior year, when students are learning to become more independent. | 4-year nursing programs may have more clinical/ community-based RN preceptors as clinical instructors. College/ university nursing professors are not generally required to be on-site with students at all times during the clinical experiences. |
| Knowing your classmates | Since our nursing classes are smaller in size, a camaraderie develops among the students; they become an internal support system. | In a 4-year program in a college/university setting, you might have difficulty becoming familiar with the members of the nursing class. |
| Diversity in clinical/ hospital experiences | Diverse clinical/hospital experiences are arranged to cover a variety of nursing specialties, including:
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4-year nursing programs often do not offer the diversity of clinical experiences found in diploma/ hospital-based programs. Some clinical/ hospital experiences (for example, Operating Room) may not be included in a 4-year nursing program. |
| Earn your RN faster |
You can graduate within 2 years and enter the workforce with your RN once you pass the licensure exam. As a working RN, your employer may help you pay for earning higher nursing degrees. |
A BSN student must complete all 4 years to be eligible to take the RN licensure exam and enter the workforce. |
| Faster entry into workforce |
Upon graduation you can enter a nursing job in the specialty of your choice. Advanced degrees in nursing may not be necessary for bedside specialties like Pediatrics, Operating Room, Intensive Care Unit, etc., depending on the specific facility's hiring policies. |
A BSN is needed for certain nursing jobs in some hospitals/ healthcare facilities, for example, becoming a nursing unit manager. |
| Continuing education | You can build on the RN Diploma by earning a BSN and higher degrees. Usually you would need only 2 more years to complete the 4-year BSN degree. An associate degree is not needed to enter a BSN program - the RN is. | An MSN is needed to become a nurse practitioner (family, pediatric, etc.), a nurse educator, a nurse administrator, a nurse midwife, and a nurse anesthetist. There are fast-track RN-to-MSN programs available. |
| Salary | The earnings of a 2-year RN graduate will probably differ from those of a 4-year graduate by a couple of thousand dollars a year. | Some institutions pay a BSN graduate slightly more than a 2-year RN graduate. |
| Special to WPHSON |
Unique to WPHSON’s 2-year program are
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To contact us:
The Western Pennsylvania Hospital
School of Nursing
4900 Friendship Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
Telephone: 412.578.5538
Toll-free: 1.877.33NURSE
Facsimile: 412.578.1837
Email: sonadmissions@wpahs.org
To visit us:
The Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing building is located across South Millvale Avenue from the main entrance to The Western Pennsylvania Hospital.
School History
West Penn Hospital's School of Nursing, founded in 1892, was the first nursing school in the nation to admit male students and one of the first to receive accreditation from the National League for Nursing.
On Dec. 7, 2006, The Western Pennsylvania Hospital became the first hospital in Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania to achieve Magnet™ Recognition Status from the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
Dedicated to academic excellence, the School recently redesigned its curriculum to ensure continued leadership in preparing professional nurses to meet the challenges of patient care today and in the future.
To learn more about The Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing, please view the School Catalog and Application Information online or contact us.
