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o mg trust me, I was in the exact same position. Prior to entering the program, I had no volunteer/job experience at a hospital and had no idea how to interact with patients. In my personal experience, it felt like we were just thrown into clinical! But, you're in a group with 3-4 other students who are in the same boat! And the clinical instructors are super nice and most, if not all the patients I've encountered have been very receptive to having a student be a part of their care! The very first clinical day is generally dedicated to orientation - learning to use the hospital's system, touring the hospital/unit, stuff like that! And the first day also usually includes some time to shadow a nurse - just observing and asking any question you may have. On the second day, you'll be assigned one patient and while it can feel overwhelming to just start caring for a patient, you start off with the basics, especially in the first placement! Taking vital signs, helping with activities of daily living (I.e. personal hygiene, feeding). And generally, with each week, you'll start to learn new skills and take on more of the patient's care. You're really not expected to know everything from the start, or even later into the placement! You have other students, your clinical instructor, and the nurses on the unit to always ask questions to - and everyone really is there to support your learning! I'd say don't go in trying to know everything, as that can be stressful, but just go in with an open mind to learn! I'm sure you'll do great and really get the hang of things ?

They do! I think someone may have posted a quick run down of what clinical looks like in first year, but I can also share here! I believe traditionally in first semester, half the semester was a geriatrics placement and the other half was maternity. However, due to covid this year, our first semester was either a mental health or geriatrics placement (not both). But we were still able to start right from September! We also had an in-person lab that ran once every two weeks in first semester (although I'm not sure how this compares this previous years). In second semester, we have three rotations: pediatrics, acute adult care (I.e. general surgery, general medicine), and maternity (or more specifically, postpartum). And no labs. I think under normal circumstances, the traditional schedule for first year has been: lectures + labs from Monday to Wednesday and then clinicals twice a week on Thursday and Friday. If anyone has any other questions, let me know - I'd be happy to answer them ?

Sorry I meant there are a lot of applications who aren’t* on or know about

I think it’s worth noting that there are a lot of applicants are on or know about this forum! But I do believe uoft does send acceptances every Friday!

Congrats to those who have received an acceptance to uoft!!? just thought I’d share, so you can be on the look out, but the nursing undergraduate society (NUS) at uoft makes a facebook group every year for people who are attending to connect and share important info! Last year, they posted a link in this forum once the group was made!

I’d have to agree with the person above me! This was something I also heard when entering the program, but I can’t say for sure if hospitals intentionally hire more nurses from uoft, as I’ve also met many nurses with different backgrounds! I can’t speak for other programs, but you really do get a lot of experiences at the downtown Toronto hospitals (like Mt Sinai, Toronto General, St Michaels, Sick Kids) right from the start at uoft! Even with the pandemic, we were still able to start clinicals in September. So I’m sure being in the program can at least help you get your foot in the door and get a good idea of the culture at these hospitals!

Yaa I checked this forum every day when I was applying and waiting too! haha And a little over 170 got accepted our year!

Hi everyone! Congrats to everyone who's received an acceptance and to those waiting, I'm rooting for you all! I'm in my first year of nursing at uoft and I thought I'd drop in to wish you all luck as the first round of acceptances come out this week! I'm not sure if someone's already mentioned it, but traditionally uoft acceptances continue to be sent out on a weekly basis on Fridays! Best of luck to all of you and as hard as it is, I hope you're able to distract yourselves in the meantime!! and if you have any questions about the program, I'd be happy to answer them ?

Hi there! I thought I'd share my personal experience with applying to Western! For reference, both my GPA for my last 5 FCE and cGPA were around 3.63/4.0. I'm not entirely sure how much they take the extracurricular section on OUAC into account, but I didn't have any research experience or volunteer experiences in hospitals. Although, I did highlight many other extracurriculars and part time jobs I took part in both on and outside of campus! This was my first year applying to nursing programs, so I can't say much on how things were before they added CASPer. But, after reading people's experiences with CASPer on many of these forums (for nursing and other programs that require it!), it seemed that many people don't feel overly confident about their performance after taking the test. However, they've also expressed that despite feeling that way, many of them have still gotten accepted into their respective programs! And I felt the same way too, especially when time is most definitely not on your side while writing the test! Since the application is mainly based on numbers (GPA and CASPer score) and the little info provided on OUAC, I didn't think my chances were very high, but I ended up getting accepted early June! I hope this provides some helpful insight for when you apply next year! Best of luck!! ?

@ceetee Hey! I’m actually in the exact same boat as @Gautham! Got an acceptance for Western yesterday, but will be declining my offer as I’ll be going to UofT as well! Hopefully this continues to open spots for you guys! Best of luck!!

Hi, I got my acceptance somewhere between 4-4:30! And the status on your application will change from "Application Received" to "Admitted" Best of luck!

Hi! I thought I'd offer my personal experiences living off campus in Hamilton. I would completely avoid Beverly Hills Apartments and the Glen Terrace Apartments, and not because the neighbourhood is unsafe. I've lived in both apartments and despite reading reviews about there being cockroaches in the past, I had friends who vouched for these places. However, both apartments (Bev more so than Glen) were infested with cockroaches. Management does offer treatments to get rid of them, but they're a hassle to have done and weren't of any use in the long term. I hope you're able to find a safe place that makes you comfortable! Good luck!!

Hi! I also got an acceptance to UofT today! I’m super excited and still in shock! I graduated last Spring and both my GPA for my last 5 FCE and cGPA were around 3.63/4.0. I have no research experience and don’t have any volunteer experiences at a hospital either. I was extremely doubtful that I would get in for these reasons, but for those of you still waiting don’t lose hope!! For my ECs, I was heavily involved in softball during my undergrad - played intramural softball and became captain within a different association - and really emphasized on that in my personal statement. I was also involved in a couple clubs on campus. I hope everyone stays safe and remains hopeful!

Hi! I'm in the same boat as the 2 posts above! Would anyone also be able to PM me the supplementary questions for UofT? I'd really appreciate it, thanks!