The floor you're on makes all the difference... - Nurse Extern and Student Penn State Health Employee Review

3.0
Jan 23, 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

-large academic medical center (you learn a lot!) -nice location (safe)

Cons

-if you are a person of color you will not get hired on more "prestigious" floors. The children's hospital nurses are all rich white sorority girls, and unless you fit this criteria you will not be hired...no diversity at all no matter what they tell you through their slogans (besides the doctors and med students which the managers cannot control). This also depends on the floor you're on. I've seen floors fully staffed with blacks, asians, whites (everyone basically and usually med-surg floors) and then you go to the children's hospital and it's the opposite. Sad that this is a reality for people of color here... -turnover!! when I was a nurse extern my preceptor was the nurse there the longest (she was a new nurse with 2 years of experience) and even she ended up leaving shortly... -the pay is absolute garbage. I took my first RN position somewhere else bc i was getting paid 5 dollars more there than what i would have if i stayed in hershey...

Explore other reviews about Penn State Health

5.0
Apr 20, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

the people are very inspiring to work with.

Cons

The pace is very slow.

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Penn State Health Response
1mo
Thank you for sharing your positive 5-star review and for the kind words about your colleagues. We're glad that comes through. As an academic health system, research is central to who we are. The work you and our research teams do every day touches patients and communities across the region and beyond. Thank you for being part of Penn State Health.
3.0
May 4, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Decent company to work for depending on your department. Benefits and pay are average, enjoy(d) what I do each day and my peers were supportive.

Cons

We recently began losing a lot of great technicians over the last year. HR doesn’t hold management accountable for policies involving harassment and retaliation. Our department was always top notch but began failing significantly beginning in 2025. Now everyone is leaving or being fired for unwarranted reasons. Growing concerns over outsourcing due to lack of accountability in management.

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