BCIT Jan 2013 Applicants

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Just wanted to get something started as I will be applying for this intake. Let's get this thread going. Fill me in on who you are and why you are applying bcit's nursing program.

I was told that BCIT is the most recognized institution of all nursing schools in BC. There clinical hours which I like and it's a 3 year program. It is also the most competitive, therefore the brightest, smartest, and well rounded individuals will be there. I want to be associated with a competitive environment, makes me work harder and we can learn from each other.

I am currently at kwantlen completing my pre reqs. I have completed my 1st year english and 1st year psych. I will be taking libs 7001 and 7002, 200 level psych course and 2 other bio courses.

Hey everyone! I am currently in Level 1 at BCIT and I absolutely love it. I remember being in your shoes not long ago and the waiting was the worst part. If anyone has any questions about the program or transfer credits, or anything related to level 1, I can do my best to help!

Hey Smiley65

What can we expect when we enter the program?

How intense is it?

Is the workload equivalent to 5 university courses?

How supportive is the faculty?

How many days of clinical are there in a week and how many hours?

Are there any organized events for stress relief?

Are there any organized fundraisers to support charity?

Does the program offer students the opportunity to study abroad (Africa or any developing nation)?

How many hours do you put into studying?

Thanks!

Hi Chhun3.

expect the unexpected.! The program is not like other University programs. Every class (I am currently in 8) is intertwined to make the other classes make sense. You have lab where you learn a skill, SIM lab where you practice, and then clinical where you perform. You are in clinical 2 days a week. For us it's Tues/Wed. I alternate mornings and afternoons. So on mornings I am at the hospital from 630-130 and afternoons I am there from 11-5. This will vary with your clinical placement and instructor. The workload is extremely intense. I am a single Mom and was working part time for the first 8 weeks....I DO NOT recommend working if you can help it. My only regret is that I didn't heed that advice when I entered the program. The work can be challenging, especially if you don't have a Science background. So it is VERY intense, not super difficult all the time, there is just ALOT of volume and the expectations are very high. I manage about 3 hours of homework a night (because I also have to be a Mom) and I still never feel like I'm 'finished'. There is always something that can be worked on. The workload is more than 5 regular courses. You are dealing with patients from the second week and the emotional aspect of that is quite huge. We have lost 9 or 10 students from our intake so far. Every class is small group (8-12 students) with the exception of Patho which is the entire group. The faculty has completely blown my mind with how knowledgeable and supportive they are. Stress relief events? not really....there is a pub on campus :)...also a gym that you get to use for free.... AND we get FREE councelling...A service costing the general public up to 180 bucks an hour. My schedule is this- Monday-830-330 then home to do at least 2.5 hours of patient research and prep for clinical on Tuesday. Tuesday Wednesday- clinical x 6 hrs. We are just getting into giving meds and will be taking on 2 patients next week. Thursday-830-230 and Friday 1030-12 *some students volunteered for a 7 am start on Thursday so they go from 7 -430 and get Fridays off.....Before you get too excited at this idea, there were quite a few mandatory meetings and sessions held on Friday afternoons so those people had to come in anyways. There hasn't been anything official for studying abroad, however, I am currently working with some classmates to organize a 2 week trip to Africa next summer. It is ALOT of work. It goes very quickly so you need to be on the ball. Frontload as much as possible, get any pre reading done that you can. I honestly cant believe how far I have come in the last 10 weeks The first 6 weeks you take a class called 1019-assessment skills. This is where you will learn how to take vitals and perform a head to toe assessment- if you don't pass this, you cannot move on- I suggest don't work....maybe if you need to have a job, do it for the last half of level 1 since the learning curve in the beginning is sooo big. BUY NURSING CENTRAL. I love this APP and use it for the majority of my clinical research. The bookstore offers it at a discounted rate. If you are going to buy scrubs in advance, make sure the pants have LOTS of pockets...you need them!

I love Nursing, even more than I expected and I am so thankful to be in this program. It is highly competitive for good reason. No other school offers hands on learning so quickly, and in such a thorough, systematic way. You read, you listen, you watch, you practice, you apply, you reflect. I have made some AMAZING friends, and although the course is not easy, it is soooo worth it!

Thanks for that beast of a response. When you say part time, how much were you working? I have a job at a pharmacy I would like to keep because they allow me to work once a week (Sundays 11am-730pm every week).

Thanks in advance smiley65! =)

Wow, Thank you!

I do have a couple more questions if you don't mind.

Can you practice in the SIM lab when ever you want or do you only have a specific time in which you can practice?

You mentioned it's good having a science background. Were you referring to just biology or chemistry and physics as well? If it's just biology, is it human anatomy and physiology or other bio background such as heredity, ecology, etc.

How much of the program is based on the biology aspect (Human Body)? I had lunch with a UBC nursing professor and she focused more of her attention on patient advocacy. So do nursing programs focus more on human anatomy or more on ethics, relationships, social concepts etc?

What is the ratio of women to men?

Much appreciated!!

bahaha....I am just really excited about the program! I was working 2 and 3 nights a week at a bar. So I had zero time on the weekends to study. In 8 weeks, I had 2 days off. Some people in the program are still working 1 shift a week. It is totally a personal thing. Personally, with a little munchkin, and limited time as it is, I just couldn't do it. The stress got to me, but I think as long as you are good at time management, 1 day a week should be ok....you said Sunday so that's ok. DONT WORK MONDAY NIGHTS. These are the heaviest nights for homework. And the first 6 weeks is the most intense, so I would say keep the job, but be open to letting it go if the demands get too high. Like I said, some people are totally fine working a little, while some of my friends are having a hard time just keeping up with the demands of the program and wouldn't dream of trying to work.

Wow, Thank you!

I do have a couple more questions if you don't mind.

Can you practice in the SIM lab when ever you want or do you only have a specific time in which you can practice?

You mentioned it's good having a science background. Were you referring to just biology or chemistry and physics as well? If it's just biology, is it human anatomy and physiology or other bio background such as heredity, ecology, etc.

How much of the program is based on the biology aspect (Human Body)? I had lunch with a UBC nursing professor and she focused more of her attention on patient advocacy. So do nursing programs focus more on human anatomy or more on ethics, relationships, social concepts etc?

What is the ratio of women to men?

Much appreciated!!

The SIM lab has dolls with pulses, resp rates, even capillary refill. They breath and can be programmed to 'code'. There are 8 dolls I believe and they are insanely expensive. They are run by instructors, so for this lab, we have set times. The other lab, Skills lab, has less advanced dolls that you can practice assessments and skills, etc on. This lab has open times throughout the year.

As for Sciences-We have 1 science based course in level 1. Pathophysiology. I took anatomy and physiology before I started and I am finding that I am glad I did. We are starting to discuss more advanced issues and I certainly have to make an effort in this class. Some people in my program have degrees in biology etc and they are breezing through. Patho studies disease process in the body. We started with cellular biology review along with anatomy and physiology, and now we are getting into systems, neoplasia, nervous system dysfunction, etc. Next level we have patho and microbiology. Some chemistry knowledge will help with pharmacology.

In my class we started with 96 students, I think we have 87? left. There were (and still are) approx. 10 males.

Now for the biggie....Nursing is about caring for the entire person. You need sound knowledge of the human body, especially when you start to give medications. You need to know what "normal" is when it comes to vital signs, and what physical cues to look for when assessing for disease processes. You need to know about how certain meds affect the body and how certain illness affect the body. Nursing is also an art. You could be a rocket science and have crappy communication skills, and would probably not make a very good nurse. I can't talk to UBC's program because I don't go there....I only applied to BCIT. It is the only program where you start in the hospital in week 2. Nursing is SO much about patient advocacy....You sometimes have to be the calm in the centre of the storm for your patients. You need to have confidence at the bedside and when dealing with other healthcare professionals. Nurses do ALOT and you need to be compassionate, assertive , and a critical thinker. At BCIT in level 1 I have Patho (previously discussed), Pharmacology- all about drugs, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics etc, PBL-problem based learning where we decide on our learning issues and teach each other through presentations-and also learn to give and receive feedback, Professional practice-where we discuss things like CRNBC's standards, ethical issues in Nursing, Caring, and we are beginning to develop our professional portfolios. We have skills lab-where we learn how to do the fun stuff-dressing changes, administering meds, etc, Communications class-a whole class devoted to effective communication in Nursing, dealing with anger, empathy, active listening. We have the assesment class in the beginning that lays the foundation for clinical, and then we have 1030-Clinical where it all comes together and we get to apply what we learn each week.

This program balances both the art and the science of Nursing. There are mandatory courses that you have to take in ethics, psych or sociology, and coming in with some history in anatomy and physiology will only help you. If you haven't done so already, I suggest you take a look at CRNBC's website and look at the requisite skills and abilities as well as the 6 practice standards. These are elements that guide all Nursing education, as well as continuing competence.!

p.s.they shortlist and accept students in batches. People who get shortlisted later, have a different deadline to turn in documents :)

Thank you so much! Your awesome!!

I knew from the beginning that Nursing school would be hard. It seems you need to be organized and determined. I am planning to purchase Nursing Central before I enter the program so I can practice and get ahead. I have taken anatomy and physiology and done very well in them. I am basically a human anatomy junkie. I think I ready and I am very eager to get started.

My only real concern is about the program is the ratio of women to men. Not because I'm intimidated but because in single lol.

haha you'll be fine. I recommend to everyone, buy a big 3 month white board style wall calendar from Staples. Best 15 bucks I have spent so far! a few multi coloured pens to write down clinical hours, assignment deadlines, paper due dates, presentations, and exams and you will be good to go. Nursing central may not help as far as front loading goes, but i do suggest you buy the Jarvis text on physical exams and start reading.....major pre reading required in this course. Have you been accepted then? which intake?

I haven't applied yet. I plan on applying for Jan 2013. I know the application process is competitive but reading previous post, I think my application should be accepted. I also talked to a couple of students who are in the program and they said it should be no problem for you getting into the program. They also said that being male is a bonus, the UBC professor said that as well. What do you think? Here are my credentials by the time I apply.

Credits: 55/56

GPA:currently 3.61

Volunteer: BC Cancer Agency

I have completed Human Anatomy and Physiology

Completed psych 100/120 and two 200 level psych courses

Completed English 1177

Currently enrolled in Libs 7001 and just registered for Libs 7002 for the summer.

This should be all completed by Aug 31 which is the due date to hand in all documentation.

What was your application like when you applied?

yep that looks decent, just depends on the pool when you apply. Applying for january intake will force you to learn about patience! The wait from applying to being shortlisted was terrible! I applied in June and was shortlisted in November! What they really look for is most of the self scheduled courses to be done and some volunteer experience...life experience also helps and of course dedication and desire are huge. If you can make yourself stand out somehow, do it. There was over 600 applicants in my pool.

I applied with 63 credits, 4.0 GPA with both psych courses, both lib electives, english, libs 7001 all transferred. I completed libs 7002 and anatomy and physiology before I started so for my 2 summers, I only have to take 1 online course.

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