I know that it's early, but I really wanted to get a jump on this. I have read the past two years' threads from start to finish and have seen the amazing support given by everyone involved. Considering how competitive it is for nursing school admission, it is extremely informative and heart-warming. I will be applying to all the schools in the Portland/Salem area to which I will qualify. This next year is going to be rough, but ever since I started on this journey I have loved every moment.
A little about me:
I am 33, married, no kids.
I live in Salem and have taken the bulk of my prerequisites at Chemeketa.
I have been working as a Dental Assistant for 2 years and feel that it is supremely unfair that many of the OCNE schools do not count dental assisting towards their "direct patient care" discretionary points. (I went to school for a year to become a dental assistant. I have dealt with medical emergencies, bodily fluids and have had my fingers in mouths on a daily basis! I'm grumbling, I know.)
I have a 4.0 GPA (so far) for all of the OCNE prerequisites (My single B in one of three Chemistry classes will haunt me when I apply to Linfield)
I am still one term away from finishing my prerequisites for the majority of the schools to which I plan on applying
I don't really think that I will be lucky enough to be accepted to any of the Portland-area community colleges due to my lack of necessary discretionary points (if any of you CURRENT students have found otherwise, I would be very interested to find out what you know!)
I will be applying anyway, because I know that I should at least make it onto a waiting list or two and as I have seen in previous threads - they do go through their waiting lists!
I sincerely hope that all my hard work will pay off and that I will be accepted SOMEWHERE
Again, I know this is early, but I look forward to seeing the responses from everyone!
You're quick, Missjordie. I have yet to get the hang of this forum--I keep forgetting that when you reply it gets tacked onto the end, and if you don't include the name you don't get through to your reply-ee. At least how I figured to do it. Maybe I am just dense. Anyway, I gather that OHSU/PDX has not chosen their cohort yet? What other OHSU locations have also not finalized? I was happy to hear from Monmouth so soon, but now I am waiting for Chemeketa and wondering whether to just accept OHSU's offer and get on with it. OHSU is such a nice school. It would be cheaper to go to Chemeketa, and I would be working sooner, but what if life happens and I never get my BSN done? It doesn't help my cogitations any that my husband just lost his job, and here I am contemplating entering a $45,000 program while we have no visible means of support. . . !
Embarrassing problem: My immunization records are lost in the sands of time. My mother has no idea where they are, and I have never in my entire adult life had occasion to need them. Our health insurance runs out this Wednesday. Here I go, to the nurse's clinic for a royal skewering on Monday! 8(
I wonder if nursing school would accept a note from my mom?. . . .LOL!
I have heard good things about Chemeketa. Deciding on a school is tough! I am really taking into consideration what clinical opportunities are available. Class size is a big one too. I want to get the best learning experience possible. I am trying to not think about the additional year with OHSU. I am going to get a BSN regardless. Something I have assumed, but not confirmed, is that the final year at OHSU in the BSN program will be in-class as opposed to online (which it is for the OCNE transition thing). I seem to have a hard time with online classes. I really learn a lot from teachers in person, less so online.
I have some waiting still before any decision making is in order anyways.
Have you checked to see if your high school might have a copy of these records? Or know where they came from? That's how I was able to track down mine last year.
There is a database on the Internet that shows all immunizations. I believe you need special access to get into it. When I was helping at my daughter's school I was able to search by name/birthdate and pull up records to record immunizations when parents didn't fill out the sheet. I am pretty positive a medical office would be able to gain access and print you a copy.
Also, I applied to OHSU pdx. It isn't my first choice due to cost and that year in school. I would rather have my third year online I believe. However, CCC is beginning to be my first pick but my points are way lower at CCC compared to PCC.
If insurance is still valid, you can have blood titer test done for Hep A & B, MMR, and DTP. Quant blood test for TB. Just another option instead of re-immunization.
@missjordie and @2ndwind I go to school at OHSU Monmouth and have clinicals with a lot of Chemeketa students. They are great students and there is no doubt that Chemeketa offers an excellent education. I just have some advice on choosing between a ADN and BSN program and why I choose the BSN path. First, a lot of new graduates get hired where they do their senior practicum or integrated practicum (what they call it depends on the school) Chemeketa really uses two hospitals Salem and West Valley in Mcminville. Salem is a Magnet Status hospital which means they are working towards having all RNs with their BSNs and are not hiring ADN new grads (their may be exception I am sure but overall). West Valley is an extension of Salem but I am not sure their status. Also Chemeketa has a partnership with Linfield (not OHSU) which again is a great school but the bridge program is incredibly expensive so when it came down to it the 45,000 I am paying at OHSU is not that much more than it would have been if I did the Chemeketa-Linfield bridge.
Also, @missjordie the final year at OHSU is really unique and why most people choose this program. The first term is in a class called Leadership where you are pretty much being prepared to step into leadership roles in the work place and the last 2 terms is called your integrated practicum where you spend 6 months working full time on the floor at a hospital (or other site depending on your desire and available placements. In that 6 months you earn almost more hours of clinical experience than many of the other programs in the state throughout their entire program. Most people I know who have stayed local get hired at their practicum site after graduation. During this time you come to campus usually twice a term to meet and touch base.
Whatever you two choose will be great, just really think about what is going to be best in the long run and about what kind of clinical sites each school offers because that is truly your best exposure for getting a job at the end of all this.
It is a perfect storm, missjordie. I was home schooled until high school, and by that time my mom was a huge anti-immunization advocate. My younger sibs didn't even get most of their shots, and I do not remember any records going to my school. Good idea, though--I will check tomorrow to see if they were able to pry anything out of my mom back in the '80s.
missjordie
127 Posts
I applied to the PDX campus.