Starting Orange Cty BSN Oct. 2014, Orange County, CA

grrl · Aug 12, 2014

Congrats and good luck to you!

Valens · Aug 12, 2014

Thanks! It sounds like you have some good chatter among your Cedars group...all quiet down here in OC, so far. Best wishes for a strong start to your program!

SoonerBredExpat · Aug 12, 2014

Congratulations, Valens, how exciting! Do you know at which hospital you will have clinicals? Best of luck to you!

Valens · Aug 12, 2014

Thanks! I'm excited. I'm especially excited I was selected for Orange County, as I live in Huntington Beach, so the clinicals will be close to me.

From what I understand, I have to pass the "pre-nursing" portion of the program before I am officially admitted into the true Nursing Program (BSN). Clinicals are set to begin approx 9-mos from the start (I've been told), so maybe around May 2015? I don't think I get a choice of hospital, but there are three clinical sites that they are deciding between: Fountain Valley, Los Alamitos, or Lakewood. I'll take any of those over having to drive into LA or Pasadena any day!

nestea3 · Aug 12, 2014

I was originally planning to get into the Cedars cohort, but my counselor gave me the amazing news saying that I've been accepted into the OC cohort instead :) I'm so relieved and excited at the same time.

Valens · Aug 12, 2014

Congrats, nestea3!! Nice to "meet" you! Where are you living? I'm a childbirth educator and lactation consultant, but mostly I'm a homeschooling SAHM to a 6-yr-old (entering 1st-grade), a 4-yr-old, and a 1-yr-old. I know me, and the way I need to study...I'll be looking for some in-person meet-ups, for sure. Otherwise, most of my study-time will be between the hours of 12-3am. :sleep: Glad you got into the OC group!

nestea3 · Aug 13, 2014

Thank you, Valens! Congratulations to you as well :) I live in Baldwin Park. I'm not too sure if you are familiar with that area...but I actually work at Cedars-Sinai as an admitting representative. OC is a pretty far drive from me, but I'm willing to make the sacrifice and study groups sound amazing! Count me in :)

Carpiogirl1, BSN, CNA, LVN, RN · Aug 30, 2014

Hello. Just wanted to let you know that I will be apart of your cohort. I live in Santa Ana and would love to meet up for study groups!

ebolton · Nov 24, 2014

Hi Everyone, I'm looking to apply at WGU next year. My main goal was to apply for the Cedars-sinai cohort. Seems like most people are shifted towards the OC cohort. Is there a reason for this? Should I apply to all, or just to the cohort I'm interested in? Thanks for the feedback!

SoonerBredExpat · Nov 25, 2014

Hi ebolton! I'm currently in the pre-nursing term in the Cedars-Sinai cohort. You should definitely apply to the cohort you're interest in. Some students may be interested in the OC or Pasadena cohorts because they're closer to home. The application criteria are the same for all the locations I believe, but for Cedars-Sinai I think there are generally more applicants for fewer spots. So if you apply for Cedars you will need to score over a 90% on the TEAS, and it's very helpful if you have some kind of healthcare license or certification such as an LVN, CNA, or tech. Volunteering in a hospital or having healthcare employment is also beneficial. Having a bachelor's degree is a plus as well. (The TEAS score is extremely important!)

I had my heart set on Cedars so I read all the old posts and knew what I needed to do. I studied like crazy for the TEAS, got certified as a CNA, and I volunteer in a hospital ED. If you have an enrollment counselor, stay in touch frequently (like every three or four weeks), keep asking your questions and make sure you understand what is required because the pre-reqs might change over time. PM me if you have any questions. Good luck!

ebolton · Nov 25, 2014

Hi soonerbredexpat, I was unaware that one should be CNA certified. I currently work at Cedars-Sinai for 10 years now. I work in research but I'm not involved in the clinic, I work Admin. I do have a Bachelors. Can you give me some pointers on how you studied for TEAS? I ordered a book to start studying during my winter break before starting Microbiology in January. I have my heart set on Cedars because it will be easier to do clinical hours since I work there. Who is your enrollment counselor? I will look into CNA but not sure I will have the time to do that since I work during the day.