Nursing program alters regulations

   A requirement for potential nursing majors to meet new standards is causing some students to look elsewhere.

   Beginning last June, Santa Ana College’s nursing program stopped accepting additions to their waitlist for first-semester students. 

   The freeze is a result of new requirements that students must meet prior to admission, said Associate Dean of Health Sciences and Director of Nursing Becky Miller.

   Under the new standards, it is not enough to maintain a high grade point average.

   “We have to look for life experience,” said Miller “The California Community College Chancellor’s office added these ‘multi-criteria’ requirements separate from good grades.” 

   The new standards include working in the medical field, internships, a student’s need to work, income status, and knowledge of multiple languages.

   Most nursing schools in the area follow an application-only process, while SAC has kept the waitlist formula. Only students who meet new requirements will be added to the list when space becomes available. 

   Mike Allen was on the waitlist six months before being accepted into the program. In the meantime he said, “I took other classes that were necessary for the degree, like math, speech, history and other electives.” With one semester behind him, he enjoys the program. “My favorite part is the clinical. Being hands-on in the hospital is fun.”

   “As of a few weeks ago, there are over a thousand names on the entry list,” said Miller. “We don’t want to wipe the entry list out, we just want to bring the new criteria in. We don’t like turning students away, but there’s really no choice.”

   For students, this may be bad news but instructors are optimistic. “It’s okay. It’s the logical thing to do,” said teacher Stacey Bass. Bass, who teaches OB/GYN and pediatrics to second semester students.

    Janette Mendez decided to be a nurse after seeing lack of proper medical attention her father received. “I think there’s a need for well-educated nurses in the medical field,” said Mendez, “and I want to be one of those nurses.” The 27-year-old would have completed her last nursing pre-requisite, microbiology, and been on the wait list by the end this semester. –That is if she were able to get her name on the waitlist.

   The program at SAC offers an Associate’s Degree in Nursing (ADN), which prepares students to enter the field as a registered nurse. Students have the option to transfer units and attend a four-year institution to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing.

   Now, Mendez is planning on getting her ADN elsewhere and then transferring.  Mendez’s plan is exactly what Miller suggests students do: go elsewhere. 

   “Look into other schools, work on getting another degree, or just keep taking general education requirements here if you plan on transferring,” said Miller. Since there is no end to this delay in sight, she said. “It’s the best thing we can offer.” The nursing department is expected to open up its wait list again within the next few years.

   “I have not given up on my dreams in becoming a nurse,” Mendez said.

 Students on the first semester wait list must reply to the nursing department’s letter or email by May 6, or be removed from the list.