danaryn

Yes, there will be a guaranteed maternity placement for either your first or second rotation in Year 1! However that said, placements/consolidation at U of T have been cancelled since mid-March and may not be resuming as normal this fall either. Theoretically you could do your acute care placement and consolidation in maternity/L&D however most of the community placements aren't in hospital. Community would be half of your second year, either the fall or Winter semester, and acute care (ex. L&D) is the other half). There may be the opportunity to request something like a new baby wellness clinic however. I did know one person who was placed on a lactation team at SickKids as well so there are a handful of maternity-related opportunities in the community rotation.

Hi! I'm a second year student at U of T and just wanted to clarify some things regarding the second year placements. For NUR 460 and NUR 461 you'll only be able to choose one section per course; you either do community first in the fall and then acute care in the Winter or vice versa. Both NUR 460 and NUR 461 have clinical days twice per week for the entire 3 month rotation (12 hours per day for NUR 460 and usually 8 hours for NUR 461). Unfortunately there's no guarantee that you'll get the section you want, especially if it's popular (pediatrics and labour & delivery). Course selection opens up at 6am on the selection day and everyone just tries to click their choices as fast as possible. ?‍♀️ First year maternity is usually one 12 hour day per week on a postpartum floor with one shadow day on L&D. To do a final consolidation placement in L&D you have to apply and be interviewed (and selected) by the unit manager. That being said, I'm not sure when placements will resume again due to the pandemic but best of luck in what you decide either way! ?

Hi there! I'm currently a second-year U of T student. The in-course scholarships are for students currently in first year and are awarded at the beginning of Year 2. If you Google Bloomberg Nursing Admission Awards it should pull up the page for the admitting class awards, however I think the application for those ones was due with your original application in February ? Hope this helps!

Hi there! I'm also a 2nd year student in U of T's program and I was in the Summer Research Program. Although externships are very popular as well (I applied to both) the research positions are still competitive as there were only ~15 positions this summer but many more applicants. Although it's definitely more of a desk job than bedside nursing I still found it very valuable! I was able to learn about the research process, I'll be a co-author on an upcoming publication, I made a good connection with my supervisor who does research in my area of interest and I was able to continue on in a casual work-study position. I think that the chances of getting a position depend on how many applicants there are and how 'popular' your preferred research topics are. For example, I know some students who interviewed for the same job but didn't get the position, whereas I was able to get my position after a brief discussion with no prior research experience. Let me know if you have any questions about the summer research or the nursing program in general! ?

Not sure about UNB, but previously U of T has started sending out acceptances on the first or second Monday of April. They're sent out on a continuing basis until the end of June. I'm a second year nursing student at U of T right now so feel free (everyone!) to ask me any questions about the program ?

I’m not sure about specific course requirements, I would reach out to the faculty regarding that!

Hi @chloe235! coffeeboi answered most of these but I'll throw in my two cents lol I chose U of T in part because it would work out better personally for me and I wanted to move to the city, but mostly because of the good placement opportunities and the fact it's regarded as the 2nd best nursing school in world. I thought it would provide great experiences and so far, it has! ? Yes, you're guaranteed pediatrics and mental health placements; those two in particular are in second semester, so any period from January-June. They take into account your address, commute time/method when deciding. Further on, they also take into account how far you've had to travel in past placements and try to make it as fair as possible to give equal opportunities to everybody at downtown hospitals. The placement I finished today was about 15 min away from me, however my next one will be closer to 70 minutes away from me (the furthest I've had to travel so far). Aside from two placements ~1 hr away, the other three have been around ~30 min or less. Public transit isn't included unfortunately; a student TTC pass costs $122.45 per month ? BikeShare is something you could look into for the warmer months if you're further than walking distance from classes and are hoping to reduce commute costs

Hi @JessicaO! I'd say my least favourite part would be that there are a fair number of assignments/essays as personally I prefer taking exams. That being said, it's still manageable! I've loved the program thus far and don't have too many bad things to say about it. My favourite part is probably having such diverse placements at great hospitals! It definitely helps you decide what kind of nursing you want to go into and I've loved the experiences I've had so far; everything from bathing newborns, watching births, helping with rehab care, observing ECT, giving injections, doing complicated wound dressings, watching angiograms and even spending a day in a Neuro ICU! There's definitely lots to observe and lots of different aspects and types of care to participate it ?

Hi @pawwlla! I'm not entirely sure what you mean by courses to study before the first day of classes. Do you mean different summer courses or just studying the nursing courses before class starts? Either way, I don't think you need to prepare too much as the courses will cover everything you need to know ? The first three courses you'll take will be a course that covers assessment skills, therapeutic skills (wound care, injections, etc) and relational work, a course that covers the theories and profession of nursing and either a geriatric care or maternal/newborn care course. You can research some of that in advance if you want but I don't think there's too much preparation required! Sorry if that was unhelpful and let me know if I misunderstood your question lol

No problem! And some of the courses have multiple classes, so there are three lectures (Monday morning, afternoon and Tuesday morning) for that class- the lectures are different

No problem :) In first semester there’s class 9am-4pm on Monday; the Tuesday/Wednesday schedule depends on whether you have geriatrics or maternity first and when your 2 hour lab slot is. The class would be 12-3pm either Tuesday or Wednesday and the lab is sometime after Tuesday’s morning class or sometime on Wednesday. For example, you could have a lab Wednesday morning and class Wednesday afternoon and be done at 11am on Tuesday. Some people had class in the afternoon on Tuesday and their lab right after and therefore had no classes/lab on Wednesday. You can’t change your class time but some people switch lab sections when it’s mutually beneficial :) Clinical is typically 7am-3pm for geriatrics and one 12 hour day (either Thurs or Fri) for maternity In second semester you have a patho/pharm course that runs Jan.-Jun., a community nursing course that’s Jan.-Apr. and then you rotate through the three placement rotations (mental health, acute care and pediatrics). Class is 10am-3pm Monday until community nursing ends (then it’s just 1-3pm). Tuesday is 9am-3pm and Wednesday is 9-11 or 10-12 depending on which placement you’re in. Acute care requires 2 hours of hospital time Wednesday afternoon and pediatrics has a 10 hour Thursday clinical day

It really depends on the person; some work and volunteer every week, some do neither. I think a few hours a week towards volunteering and/or working is manageable, but multiple shifts every week may be too much for most. On the Bloomberg website you can look at the course timetables/schedules for each semester but for example currently I have class 1-3pm Mon., 9am-3pm Tues., 9-11am Wed. and clinical 7am-3pm on Thurs. and Fri. to give you a breakdown of how much time classes take up (the schedule is a bit more full in first semester and earlier in the year). In terms of studying, ultimately it comes down to each person again. I think many attend each class, take good notes, and typically start their 'real' studying for tests the during the week prior to the exam. It's always good to stay on top of the material though and review regularly when you can to make it easier right before the test. On average I guess I'd say a few hours each week and a few hours each day in the days leading up to an exam. Again, it's individual though ?

I'm a first-year in U of T's program so I can't speak to McMaster's but I don't think you'll be at a disadvantage choosing either program! I can tell you that for my first-year class the grade averages for the 3 courses in first semester were A-, B+ and B+. There are quite a few essays - about 7 in first year - so if that's not your strong suit that would be another factor to consider. There are free appointments you can make at the university with writing instructors that are there specifically for the nursing program and its assignments so that's a resource you could take advantage of if you choose. That being said, it is still possible to do well! Personally I've maintained a 4.0 GPA (all grades 85%+) so choosing U of T doesn't necessarily mean you won't be able to attain a high GPA ? It depends on each person and how well they're able formulate their assignments and apply the course material on exams. Toronto has lots of amazing placement opportunities at major hospitals which is great but I've heard good things about McMaster's placements and program as well. Even if they aren't at the 'big city' hospitals, it'll ultimately come down to what you make of it either way! Also, Toronto rent is very expensive so that could play a big factor if you're able to live at home and save $$$. Let me know if you have any specific questions about U of T's program or placements and I'd be happy to share what I know ?

I can't speak for this year, but I know last year (and from what I've heard for years prior) it's very much on a rolling basis rather than batches like most schools do. For example, last year (from what I know) acceptances were sent out each weekday for the first week, April 9-16 (I was accepted on the 16th ? ). The acceptances would even vary in time each day with some getting emails in the morning, some in the afternoon, etc - they were very much on a rolling, continuous basis . After that second Monday there seemed to be a bit of a lull and the acceptances rolled out on a less consistent basis (maybe every 1-3 weeks or so? - I'm not entirely sure). It's definitely anxiety-inducing but try not to worry and hopefully everything will work out! I know of people who were waitlisted and got accepted at the very end of August so there's always hope even if you don't hear back right away ? Good luck to everyone!

Hi JessBeeee! coffeeboi answered most of these already but I'll add what I can: 1) How would you find your class distribution of who got in? In terms of prior experience, GPA, or masters applicants? There's definitely a mix of people; a lot of people had extensive volunteer work and research experience although U of T looks at the entire application as a whole when making their decision. I had a fair amount of volunteer experience (mostly at one pediatric oncology camp), no research experience and a 4.0 GPA and I was accepted in mid-April. I know a couple of people who have Master's degrees but overall I'd say lots of people in the program come from diverse backgrounds and experiences! 2) How is the class dynamic? Is it a community or are most people the type to go to class then go home without any socializing? There's definitely a sense of community in the class; U of T accepts about 175 people per year so the group isn't that large. ? Many people will share class notes or recordings with each other and are very supportive! Lots of people definitely like socializing and others are more homebodies so you would probably be able to choose either. 3) Are your preceptors in your placements nice? helpful? Personally, all of my clinical instructors have been wonderful and supportive! I I know a few people whose experiences haven't been as great but overall I'd say the CI's are quite good. 4) What is the biggest challenge you've experienced in 1st year that you have learned to overcome? Overall I'd say just mastering some of the clinical skills and working on time management. 5) I heard there are many papers due each semester. How long are they in length? I think there's about ~7 papers overall for first year and most are 6-9 pages in length. Some of these are just essays and some are more 'projects' such as a community health assessment and nursing care plans which require additional templates and charts to be filled out on top of the page limit. 6) Are there opportunities for work/volunteer? (ie. research with profs, etc.) I'm not sure of any related work opportunities during the school year but there are a few summer employment opportunities. These tend to be very competitive and include the Bloomberg Undergraduate Research Program (accepting ~12 people this summer), and externships at hospitals such as SickKids, Holland Bloorview and Michael Garron. In terms of volunteering, Bloomberg has a Nursing Undergraduate Society (NUS) that people run for positions in and opportunities at a student-run clinic called Imagine. Being in Toronto there's lots of other opportunities at local hospitals and organizations as well. That being said, the program schedule can be quite heavy at times so don't commit to too many things early on as it may be overwhelming! 7) Are you having an overall positive experience? Can you make any generalities in terms of your first year class - ie. are the majority liking the program? My experience has been great so far! I've had awesome placements at hospitals such as Baycrest, Mount Sinai, St. Michael's and Toronto Western. I think overall people really enjoy the program. 8 ) Was there anything that surprised you or that you weren't prepared for? I think overall the program prepares you well for clinical, but it's important to take initiative to review your skills and advocate for opportunities to practice them during your placements and make the most of it! 9) Why did you want to pursue nursing? I always knew I wanted a career in healthcare but wasn't sure exactly what. I volunteer for a pediatric oncology camp and that helped me decide that I really wanted a hands-on career working with patients and nursing was the best fit for that!