Golden West College ADN Spring 2023

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It seems like every cohort/application cycle has one of these pages. I wanted to start a new thread for the Spring 2023 cycle so we can keep each other updated during the application period and ask questions. Best wishes to everyone applying! 

38 minutes ago, Jacq said:

I only have one more question haha I didn't mean to make you upset Kenji, questions come up at different times. Do we have to join any clubs for credit or do extra stuff outside the nursing program for credit?

What?! No, no, no, you weren't upsetting me! This is why email/DM is such a pain, it is so hard to convey any emotion other than anger?‍♂️. I wasn't sure if I was answering all your questions and I was quickly losing track of what I had and had not answered, and I didn't want to miss one!  Sorry if I offended ?‍♂️

As far as I know, there is no extra credit for anything. The points are the points, and you are only going to get them in class assignments, clinicals, assessments and mainly exams.

However, we do have a club for Nursing Students: the CNSA (California Nursing Student Association). No extra credit for participation, but you do get a purple cord for graduation if you remain active during the entire program. In fact I'm an officer in the GWC Chapter ?.

Like I said, we will have a booth at the Club Expo on Campus on Wednesday from 11 - 2. Come on down and you can ask us current students whatever you want. Best part, there won't be any miscommunication issues ?

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1 hour ago, Kenji12345 said:

What?! No, no, no, you weren't upsetting me! This is why email/DM is such a pain, it is so hard to convey any emotion other than anger?‍♂️. I wasn't sure if I was answering all your questions and I was quickly losing track of what I had and had not answered, and I didn't want to miss one!  Sorry if I offended ?‍♂️

As far as I know, there is no extra credit for anything. The points are the points, and you are only going to get them in class assignments, clinicals, assessments and mainly exams.

However, we do have a club for Nursing Students: the CNSA (California Nursing Student Association). No extra credit for participation, but you do get a purple cord for graduation if you remain active during the entire program. In fact I'm an officer in the GWC Chapter ?.

Like I said, we will have a booth at the Club Expo on Campus on Wednesday from 11 - 2. Come on down and you can ask us current students whatever you want. Best part, there won't be any miscommunication issues ?

Thanks for answering my questions. Sorry one more question and I swear I'm done haha when we're at clinicals are we tested or is it just the professor watching us do the clinicals?

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No need to apologize, I am the one who is sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable in any way. Ask as many as you need ?

More of like they are observing you (Professors will sometimes eval you for things like PA and if you are improving in certain skills) or helping you get your practice in. Ex: on some sites, our Professors have med access and have you administer meds to your assigned pt with their supervision. They might prompt you if you are forgetting a step (point to their hands if you forgot gloves), but will not interfere per se. Exception being anything involving safety (to you, the patient, Hospital personnel, themselves, etc), they will step in there.

They do assess certain skills and will provide feedback after completion. Ex: after my first PA, my professor explained what errors I had done and gave me a few pointers that would help after I finished and we left the patient's room.

So long story short: Clinical is both a time to get some real experience while you are still in the learning phase. Grades are more about your paperwork and if you are going out there and trying to acquire new skills/learning experiences. Does that help?

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28 minutes ago, Kenji12345 said:

No need to apologize, I am the one who is sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable in any way. Ask as many as you need ?

More of like they are observing you (Professors will sometimes eval you for things like PA and if you are improving in certain skills) or helping you get your practice in. Ex: on some sites, our Professors have med access and have you administer meds to your assigned pt with their supervision. They might prompt you if you are forgetting a step (point to their hands if you forgot gloves), but will not interfere per se. Exception being anything involving safety (to you, the patient, Hospital personnel, themselves, etc), they will step in there.

They do assess certain skills and will provide feedback after completion. Ex: after my first PA, my professor explained what errors I had done and gave me a few pointers that would help after I finished and we left the patient's room.

So long story short: Clinical is both a time to get some real experience while you are still in the learning phase. Grades are more about your paperwork and if you are going out there and trying to acquire new skills/learning experiences. Does that help?

For second semester are you on campus or clinicals 3 days a week?

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2nd Semeseter we are on Campus 2 days, and clinicals vary depending on rotation. Some of us have 1 day others have 2 days.

I had 1 clinical during September, but I will now have 2 clinical days for 3 weeks in October. Thankfully I will be done by early November, whereas some of my cohort don't have clinical until October and it will be for 1 day, but they go all the way to the end of the Semester with it.

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19 hours ago, Kenji12345 said:

2nd Semeseter we are on Campus 2 days, and clinicals vary depending on rotation. Some of us have 1 day others have 2 days.

I had 1 clinical during September, but I will now have 2 clinical days for 3 weeks in October. Thankfully I will be done by early November, whereas some of my cohort don't have clinical until October and it will be for 1 day, but they go all the way to the end of the Semester with it.

You were already at clinical in September? That seems early hahaha when did you do the skills testing?

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On 9/23/2022 at 10:33 AM, Adrilovesnursingg said:

So apparently there’s an “alternate NUMBER list” and then an “alternate list” 

Has anyone on the alternate number list received an email yet?

In case people on the alternate number list are wondering, I received my acceptance email yesterday and I was alternate #3!

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Wow that’s awesome! Congratulations!! I wonder what number they are on there! If anyone else on the alternate list can keep us updated that would be helpful. Thanks again! And congratulations @violet_flower

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Yes! Congrats @violet_flower!?

And thanks for the update! 

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22 hours ago, Jacq said:

You were already at clinical in September? That seems early hahaha when did you do the skills testing?

Yeah, it's a bit different for 2nd semester. 1st semester is designed to get you ready without overwhelming you. The first five weeks you will be doing basically 2 lab days in order to get you ready for clinical. Then you will start clinical around Week 6 and it will be once a week.

Our NEST day is both when we get assessed and our skills days. Also, because we get signed off in 1st semester, we have a bit of a 'refresher' assessment with our professors at clinical - they basically proctor the first time we do a skill like Accu Check, meds, etc - and then we get a bit more freedom after that. For any new skills we learn - ex. IV start - we get assessed on our NEST day, and if we pass, our clinical professor proctors our first attempt on the skill in clinical. Does that make sense or am I talking in circles?

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Congrats @violet_flower!! Welcome to GWC Nursing! If you have questions please ask!

Speaking of which, the GWC CNSA will be hosting a Q&A session on October 11 via Zoom from 1 - 3pm. I can't post that info here (Allnurses prohibits the posting of any other sites or social media except facebook), but if you made it to club expo then you have the info. We will also post that info on our website soon. Worst case, send me a DM with your facebook info and I will send you the info there. My cohort set up a FB and Discord channel and that helped us A LOT in coordinating/figuring stuff out since there was still bit of a shutdown mode last year.

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12 minutes ago, Kenji12345 said:

Yeah, it's a bit different for 2nd semester. 1st semester is designed to get you ready without overwhelming you. The first five weeks you will be doing basically 2 lab days in order to get you ready for clinical. Then you will start clinical around Week 6 and it will be once a week.

Our NEST day is both when we get assessed and our skills days. Also, because we get signed off in 1st semester, we have a bit of a 'refresher' assessment with our professors at clinical - they basically proctor the first time we do a skill like Accu Check, meds, etc - and then we get a bit more freedom after that. For any new skills we learn - ex. IV start - we get assessed on our NEST day, and if we pass, our clinical professor proctors our first attempt on the skill in clinical. Does that make sense or am I talking in circles?

What's the hours for the two lab days for second semester? Are you still on campus basically 3 days a week for second semester?

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