RNoverMD

I'll be honest with you, it is pretty unlikely they will accept students without a degree this year. BCIT has always favoured those with extra credits and/or existing post-secondary accreditation. They rank applicants on a point scale, and the most points are awarded to degree holders. It's still possible to be accepted but very unlikely in this application cycle due to how competitive nursing schools have become. Keep your hopes high though, if you haven't been rejected yet, there is still a chance.

Update~ Just received an email from BCIT at 4:36PM to check My Communications. My best guess is that this is the 3rd wave of acceptances and there is probably one or two more waves in tomorrow.

I also got an acceptance notice but no email. I will be calling tomorrow to withdraw my application though so hopefully someone can take my spot. Good luck everyone~

I do not deny that you would probably be better prepared when you go to BCIT over UBC. Having an additional year of preceptorship will certainly help you slowly ease-in into the role of a nurse in the future. But this doesn't take away the fact that there are still distinct advantages with choosing UBC. Personally, I believe that having real-world work experience, additional salary, and building seniority is more valuable than an additional year of "student nurse" experience at BCIT. I also work in healthcare, and I have spoken with experienced and new-grad nurses about their perspectives on BCIT and UBC. I've heard a mix of opinions advising me to go with either choice. At the end of the day, clinical experience is what you make out of it. It's the same as completing a bachelor's degree over a 4-year term vs a 6-year term. If you are dedicated and driven to learn as much as you can in your clinical rotations, you will feel prepared and do well as a nurse. The amount of clinical experience won't be the deciding factor to your success or preparation as a nurse. We all come from different backgrounds, so If you truly believe that additional clinical hours will greatly enhance your nursing skills, choose BCIT. But if you believe you can benefit from what UBC offers, I believe the clinical experience given at UBC is sufficient. Your dedication to learning during clinical sessions will make a bigger difference than being in a preceptorship for an extended period of time. At the end of the day, no amount of "student nursing" will prepare you when you become an actual RN who is responsible for all your patients without the guidance of a clinical instructor. I wouldn't worry about finding a nursing job with either institution. With older nurses retiring, Canada's ageing population, more hospitals/clinics being built, and more importantly, an insufficient number of nursing graduates annually to meet the increasing demands from the nurses' job market. You will find a job regardless of which nursing school you choose at this time. Therefore, I wouldn't let the ease of finding a job be anyone's deciding factor in choosing any nursing institution. Our industry has more jobs than there is a supply of new graduates each year.

I've never said that BCIT is not a good nursing school. I'm simply stating that if one of your long-term goals is to apply to NP or other advanced nursing programs, UBC is the better choice. If you look at the states, there are many for-profit and illegitimate nursing programs/institutions (https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=JnmiisV7k1Q&t=193s. For this reason, nursing institutions abroad do give preference (albeit minor pref) to students who come from a more recognized nursing institution. If you are applying abroad, it is more preferable to have a degree at UBC, though your work experience will matter more at the end of the day. But it's still hard to make a case that BCIT is as recognizable or renowned as UBC if you are applying to institutions abroad (US, European countries, etc.). This same logic applies to BCIT vs UBC Computer Science programs where UBC students are clearly favoured abroad (in the US), but there is no real-world difference when applying to jobs locally (within BC). As for clinical hours, UBC has already increased their clinical hours to match other institutions. The only advantage you get is the additional clinical experience from the 3rd year preceptorship (which is less than 10% of a new grad RN's full-year salary). Building seniority early on is also very important when you work in a local health authority such as VCH. Higher seniority grants you better working hours, more OT opportunities and preference in unit selection. In the context of VCH, say you work as an ER nurse and you want to transfer to become an ICU nurse, having the most seniority in the internal job application will grant you the job, not your experience or references. These things may seem inconsequential right now but they will matter in the long run when you seek better opportunities within the field of nursing. Your experience and learning during clinical sessions are not the same actually partaking in the role of a nurse. Yes, in theory, clinical sessions SHOULD prepare you to be fully equipped as a nurse. But in practice, bad clinical instructors, short clinical rotations in intensive specialties, reduced responsibilities as a student nurse prohibit you from being fully prepared as a nurse. Many nurses I've spoken to are still learning even after more than 3-5 years as full-time nurses. The argument that having an additional year of preceptorship will prepare you to a greater degree than having a year of work experience is difficult to make. Again, I think BCIT is a fantastic choice, and everyone will come out as an RN. But I want to lay out my rationale for those who are debating between UBC and BCIT.

I got accepted into UBC as well. Many people have already mentioned the specific advantages of choosing UBC over BCIT but I'd like to also just highlight that many of the true "nursing skills" aren't acquired through education or clinical. You have to learn them on the "job" itself. For this reason (among others mentioned), I would advise people to choose UBC over BCIT. You finish 16 months faster, earn more than a year worth of salary, and get an early start to building your seniority with the nurses union. Plus, if you decide on the NP route, having a degree from a recognized university is always more preferable to a polytechnic institute when applying abroad. IMO, a longer commute is a small price to pay for all the other benefits it offers. At the end of the day though, there is no wrong choice. BCIT is still great if you'd like to gain more experience prior to stepping into a RN career.

They always sent out waves of acceptance and rejection at random periods throughout the week. I suspect that if there is no NCQ, they would continue to send letters till June 15th.

For those of you who got in, what time did you receive the email?

Does anyone want to create a facebook group for the class of 2023?