Advising Against the Odds Advising Students Interested in Limited Enrollment Programs Cathy Martell-Straight & Erika Coker Introductions

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What Does Limited Enrollment Mean? Career-Technical Education programs with applications. We refer to them as “limited enrollment” programs at Chemeketa. Discussion of terminology other schools are using. We may also use this term to explain transfer programs that are competitive (pre-professional) as in pre med, pre engineering, physical therapy etc.

The Odds! We have the most data on nursing other programs have different statistics. Why is nursing school so hard to get into? The need for faculty and clinical sites. Nursing faculty must have a masters degree in nursing in order to teach nursing and the salary as a registered nurse is higher than the faculty pay. In addition there is also limited clinical site availability in the area.

https://www.polleverywhere.com/multiple_choice_polls/cPQGeyuYSTbk8SR The answer is 2. 18%. We received about 220 applications for 40 spots during the 2017 nursing application period and our selection is based on a points system as indicated on the Chemeketa Pre-Nursing Worksheet. This is about the same statistics for other nursing programs in Oregon. When talking to student about nursing school we encourage students to apply to multiple schools.

“. you can not value dreams according to the odds of their coming true “...you can not value dreams according to the odds of their coming true. The real value is in stirring within us the will to aspire.” - Sonia Sotomayer Those stats are bleak but do we discourage students to pursue their dreams? No!

Agenda Roles and Relationship Building a Plan Selection and Plan B Limitations

Rah-Rah – Realist! Balance is the Key! There’s a balance between encouraging (being the students personal cheerleader) and being realistic about what it’s going to take be selected. The advisors role is like being the cheerleader and the coach. Personal story about student that was selected this year and was appreciative of the honest information. I told her she wasn’t competitive to apply last year and developed a plan for her to be the most competitive this year. Being honest builds trust and rapport. When students know the target to hit they are more likely to aim right and hit the target or they will be thinking of an alternative plan earlier rather than after applying and not being selected. Balance is the Key!

The Educational Plan The Ed Plan creates a visual aid for students to follow and ask questions along the way. You have a few examples that we’ve developed over time with students as we discuss their plans. What’s the importance of having an education plan? It outlines classes, illustrates deadlines, gives a real context as to when the student will be competitive to apply.

While creating an education plan we identify short-term and long term goals. We also begin to develop alternative goals. The plan should identify deadlines and application year. I will build an ed plan with overlapping classes for the schools the student has identified as their goal. I have also developed some strategic planning with courses that work well together (ex. BI231 & PSY201). Additionally I discuss classes that might be helpful towards the students goal, as well as, complete requirements for the Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer degree (ex. PHL205 biomedical ethics for arts and letters). This is why it’s important to be familiar with your schools courses to be able to offer suggestions for classes that are appropriate towards their goal in other areas as well. The AAOT is good but has some limitations. I usually create a plan that includes prerequisites to apply to 2 nursing schools (Chemeketa and OHSU) because they are similar and add-in courses to complete the RN-BSN bridge program with Linfield while also completing the AAOT degree. It is also important to discuss any limitations the student may be facing while creating the plan (ex. Works full-time, raising a family – single-parent). Identify possible roadblocks and strategies for success and the realities of the program itself. It’s hard to get in and also hard to stay in, so if a student is working full-time and their school plan is at part-time it’s a good idea for the student to be aware of the time commitment once selected and to begin thinking about that now.

Differences and Changes the Pitfalls of Advising in Advance I use a metaphor to explain the competitive process of programs. Nursing selection is like a game. When you get a new board game you open it up look at how to set up the board, this is the ed plan. Then you look at the directions and figure out how to win the game – at Chemeketa this is the pre-nursing worksheet that states the points system by using the scoresheet. Every nursing program has a different selection criteria and they could change that criteria from year to year. So you can see if we make a plan to apply for the application period in 2020 some things could change and they do! For example OHSU changed to have BI234 as a prerequisite instead of a graduation requirement and Chemeketa removed the BI234 requirement from our selection. There was also a recent change in the selection criteria for OHSU and Linfield in regards to retaking anatomy and physiology.

Limitations Alternate Plans Transfer Courses (equivalency & credits) Financial Aid Courses Offered (timing) Having a conversation early regarding alternative goals is best in order to possibly plan that. An alternate plan could mean more courses depending on the new goal. Transfer courses (some schools/programs have specific deadlines for transferring in coursework and some classes may not be equivalent – it’s always best to refer to the school the student wants to apply to for more information and selection info not presented online. Financial Aid can be limiting for students (ex. The student that completed an AAOT right after HS and didn’t know what they wanted to do and now they need certain classes for prerequisites and FA won’t pay for it. We discuss other options for funding those classes (ex. Working and just taking one class at a time and paying out of pocket, scholarships etc.). When classes are offered is a limitation depending on the students goal – example Pre-Med or Engineering – prereqs and certain classes are only offered during certain terms.

Turning Rejection into Redirection We discuss other options with students like identifying if they still want to pursue the original goal and reapply the next year and what they might need to do to be more competitive. Also, applying to more than one school next time. We discuss other programs as well including Medical Assistant, Pharmacy Tech, Anesthesia Tech, Surgical Tech, Dental Assisting etc. or do they want to finish the AAOT and transfer to a 4 year school and what Bachelors degree might they be interested in. We discuss being able to help people in settings other than healthcare (ex. psychology, sociology, social work). This conversation might come after their first application/rejection or most often once they begin the science classes and hear from other students.

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