I am from California and am applying to a medical school in Philadelphia and I need to choose which hospitals I would like to do my 3rd and 4th years at. My choices are: 1. Crozer Chester Medical Center in Chester 2. Geisinger Health System in Danville 3. St. Luke’s Hospital in Bethlehem 4. Western Pennsylvania Hospital in Pittsburgh I don't want to live anywhere rural or "in the middle of nowhere." So, Pittsburgh seems suitable, but it's so far west and there aren't many big cities around it. I want to stay around the Philadelphia area because I can drive to New York and the surrounding cities. I am also looking for a city with diversity. In addition to considering the city where the hospitals are located, I need to consider the quality of the hospital. I want to work in a big busy hospital that has a good reputation. Please give me your suggestions as to which hospitals I should choose based on my city and hospital preferences. Thanks!!
Philadelphia - 6 Answers
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1
St.Lukes in Bethlehem is where you want to be.Bethlehem is a great area,you can get to Philly in an hour or NYC in 1 1/2 hours. You dont want any part of Chester,and Danville is in the middle of nowhere.
2
Chester is essentially in Philly and Bethlehem is only an hour or so away from Philly. The only city mentioned thats "in the middle of nowhere" is Danville.
3
Actually, the Crozer-Chester Medical Center is in a secure and safe location and is a great and highly respected hospital. Don't feel like you have to live there - it is minutes from the interesection of I-95 and I-476, so it is easily accessible from a LOT of places. You know, except when the traffic is bad on 95 or 476 (known locally as "the Blue Route" - it's a long story). To me, Bethlehem is, if not in the middle of nowhere, no more than a short drive there. Danville is closer still. West Penn is a good hospital (my dad was a pathologist there years ago) and Pittsburgh is a nice place but if you want to get to New York, it becomes a tedious all day drive. So my vote goes to Crozer Chester. You could live just about anywhere in Philly (check other questions in this section for discussions) and be able to get to work in a reasonable amount of time, the Jersey shore is an hour or 90 minutes away and New York is a two hour drive.
4
I don't know a ton about the other places, but I can tell you that Western Penn has a fantastic reputation. Nearly every dept is top notch there, and they are especially well-know for their burn unit. Pittsburgh is a fun city, and there is a lot to do there. It's just a little over an hour to Cleveland from Pittsburgh. Philly is a cool city and there are plenty of things do there and nearby. If you're most concerned with that, then definitely go there. Geisinger is a great hospital as well, but it is in a very rural area. It's not incredibly far from Philly, but there aren't a ton of things real close (some outlets and amusement parks are within a rather short driving distance).
5
St. Luke's in Bethlehem......no question. Bethlehem/Allentown has almost everything you need. You'll meet people in the same situation you are in and you'll find things to do. Also, as previously mentioned......1 hr drive to Philly..........and 2 hr drive to NYC.
6
I've been to 2 of the 4 hospitals you've mentioned. I took my ex to Crozer Chester. It's totally disorganized. It's in Chester, which is a big time drug area. So you'd be dealing with a low class of patient. I've visited many family members at Geisinger. It is bigger than Crozer Chester. From what I've seen it's a world class operation. It is also where many doctors in PA outside the 2 big cities send their patients for the more complicated procedures. It is in a rural location, but is a quick 2 hours from New York and Philadelphia and 3 hours from Washington and Baltimore. It's in Danville, which is primarily doctors and is actually quite diverse. I've heard of St. Luke's in Bethlehem but don't much about the hospital. Bethlehem is an old steel town about an hour from Philly and New York. I've never heard of Western Pennsylvania though. Pittsburgh is in western Pennsylvania and is actually closer to the midwest than the Northeast Corridor cities. It's just over 4 hours from Philly and almost 6 hours to New York.
