by Rose Creasman
February 4, 2008

Nursing major Taryn Green checks the blood pressure of Sri Lankans in Badulla, Sri Lanka, on a LoveWorks trip during the summer of 2006. Photo courtesy Jenni Steinke

For pre-nursing students, last Friday marked the final day to turn in an extensive application in to the PLNU School of Nursing.
         
Now all students can do is wait and hope they are among the 66 applicants accepted into the nursing program every year.
        
“It was really nerve-racking, knowing that one mistake on my application could keep me out of the program,” said freshman pre-nursing major Ellen Flecker, who started working on her application over Christmas break. “This is what I want to do with my life, so I take the whole application process very seriously. Who I am is in that application.”
          
According to Marsha Reece, chair of the School of Nursing selection committee, students are accepted into the program based on their overall GPA, qualifying prerequisite grades, letters of recommendation, answers to seven essay questions, writing skill and attention to detail in the application.
    
After the final deadline of Feb. 1, Reece and six other committee members begin the painstaking process of reviewing and evaluating each student’s application.
        
“We make all the decisions together,” said Reece. “I assemble a file on every student, and each committee member has a set of files that they review. One by one we present applicants to the rest of the committee and review them together in a series of meetings throughout the semester.”
      
Reece explained that PLNU pre-nursing students are always given priority over transfer students in the selection process and are usually informed of the committee’s decision in May. For some students, however, the committee waits until spring grades have been determined to make its decision.
     
“The program is very rigorous and demanding. We don’t want to set anyone up for anything but success.”
        
Sophomore nursing major Becca Sanders advised pre-nursing students to relax and stop worrying over the application process.
    
“It’s a great program, but it’s really challenging,” she said. “If you think you’re qualified, and you’ve done well in your [prerequisite courses], just stop stressing.”