nursing schools in Oregon

I think if you have already decided that you want to get your BSN,

why waste your time with ADN courses, go straight to OHSU.

Yeah, I actually just graduated in May of this year w/ a degree in Journalism - I was considering Chemeketa because I need to do prereqs to get accepted to a nursing school - stuff like chemistry and anatomy and physiology

...I thought, correct me if I'm wrong on this....

Right now I'm attending Clackamas Community College, and they have a deal with OHSU that once you gain admittance into Clackamas' program, you are automatically accepted into OHSU if you wish to go on for a bachelor's degree. Some of the other community colleges may have the same kind of deal. One of my classmates was looking into Chemeketa, and currently they seem to have a good reputation.

As far as competiveness goes, at Clackamas I know they normally receive about 200 applications but only have 40 spots. This year there are only 28 of us because they increased the qualifications for applicants.

And to clarify about the OHSU deal, if I wanted to, after my second year at Clackamas, I could go straight to OHSU, attend only one more year, and have a Bachelor's degree. They have a few more pre-reqs, but if it's something you know you want to do, you have time to complete them before you transfer.

That is cool that Clackamas CC has that option of transfering into OHSU for a bachelors.

How has Clackamas CC been so far in their Nursing program? Mostly good teachers? How many males in your class?

Michael - what nursing school are you going to, or considering going to/ how far along in program...(doing prereqs/accepted to school, etc)

btw - where in OR are you - I'm near Salem....

Im not in Nursing school yet. Have not even started pre-reqs. I am considering going to Clackamas CC.

Michael -

So far I really love Clackamas CC (of course, I may be somewhat partial). There are only 28 of us in the class (4 males) and we have about 6 instructors (all fantastic). In recent years, Clackamas has had a great pass rate for the board exams, and the college has just built new facilities for the program.

I guess the main reason I like it so much so far is the teacher to student ratio; there's always someone to help you out. Plus, we went into the hospital the third week of school, and I really like hands-on learning.

If you have any questions about pre-reqs or the program, I'd love to answer them!

Excellent. That's good to hear! I'd be more than happy to ask you abunch of questions.

Why is it that their is only 28 people in your class? I thought CCC held upwards of 40 at one time in the Nursing program?

What type of grades did you and some of your fellow classmates get on pre-reqs to become accepted into the program?

How was the difficulty of pre-reqs? Namely, Math/A&P.

Where did you begin your Clinicals and what area?

What specialty areas will you focus on in your clinicals in the next two years? Do you have any say in what areas you want to learn more about during clinicals?

Thanks ahead for any questions you have time to answer! Any info would be greatly appreciated!!

I graduated from OHSU...if you have any questions, please feel free to pm me...There are four (but mabye soom three) campuses across the state. I didn't know about the program that states that you will be accepted, but I do know that without that program, it can be hard to get accepted, too many people for too few spots. Anyway, good luck in you decision.

How was OHSU's program overall? How many males in your class?

Also, where are the 4 locations located in Oregon? I always thought there was only one - up on the hill.

Hi, Michael -

You're right, there are 40 spots available for the CCC program. This last year they increased the standards that you had to pass in order to be granted an interview, so they ended giving only 50 interviews for 40 spots. The school accepted 40 people with 10 alternates. However, 22 of those people had applied to more than one school and were accepted at OHSU, Linfield, etc. The school took all 10 alternates, and still only ended up with 28 students. I'm sure they'll do something next year to prevent the same thing from happening, but I'm not sure what.

I think that most of my classmates got A's and B's for their pre-reqs. You are given points for your GPA (for pre-reqs only) during the acceptance process, but as long as you get a C or better, they don't put too much weight on good grades. If you ask any of the staff they will tell you that they believe that a person can be a great nurse and not have to be a straight-A student.

As far as the pre-reqs go, some of them were tough (especially A&P), but they are definitely passable. More than anything, they require lots and LOTS of time (time studying outside of class).

I'm doing my clinicals at Providence Milwaukee in the med-surg unit. Others in my class are at OHSU, Legacy Meridian Park, and Willamette Falls. What area you begin in really depends on which hospital you're at.

You have a chance during your second year to participate in preceptorships, where you spend time in a specific area that is of interest to you. Also, if you have an area you're interested in, the instructors are really good about trying to expose you to that field.

I think that covers about everything you asked! I know when I was starting my pre-reqs, it was SO helpful to get info from people already in various programs. Because of that, I'm very happy to answer any questions.

If you live near Clackamas and are interested in the transfer to OHSU, there's a counselor at CCC who specializes in the nursing program and has info on it. Her name is Jean Deveney and she is very helpful.