questforstarfish Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 Hi everyone! I'm currently in BC in my first year of nursing, and I'm worrying about meeting the U of C requirements for a full course load. In first year I'm taking 4 courses in first semester and 5 in second, but only 18 of those are graded, because my school of course has our clinical rotations that count for credits but are pass/fail. In second year- 6 courses per semester (29 credits in the year but only 21 graded) third year- 6 courses (32 credits in the year but only 24 graded) fourth year- 6 courses per semester (22 credits total, only NINE graded because we're in clinical 5 days a week!!) I'm not really sure what to do :/ I love nursing and am doing well in it, but is this totally demolishing my chances at U of C because of all the pass/fail clinical rotations? Any help would be much appreciated! Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meds400 Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 No, you should be fine as long as you have some letter grades on your transcripts by the end of your degree (like 20 or so)...we have a few nurses in our class so I know U of C does not discriminate. I have to ask though - if you love nursing so much, why medicine? Good luck with your studies - both medicine and nursing are awesome careers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
questforstarfish Posted January 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 Thank you for the reply! I always wanted to do nursing because of the typical reasons (love people and working with them, want to help them as best I can, very interested in human anatomy and physiology, love trying to work with people to develop plans to help their quality of life, health and happiness). However, it's too limited. I realized that I wanted to do medicine last year, and while I'm loving the nursing program so much, it doesn't allow me to do the things I want to do. I want more autonomy and the education, training and ability to do more for people. While nursing is so lovely, I feel so limited in what I'm able to do to- a lot of it is letting the doctor make the big decisions and trying to implement those decisions into the care setting. I want to be able to diagnose and treat, not just implement. Physiology and pathology are incredible, and what we can do to alter them is just as amazing. I feel like in nursing, we're barely scratching the surface of what there is to know, and I want to know as much as I possibly can and use it to positively affect peoples' lives. I was given this beautiful life, with good health and access to good health care and education, so I'd like to "pay it back" in a way (not out of guilt of course, more out of the belief that we all need to work together in this world), by helping out people who maybe weren't as lucky as I was. I also love being in school and love studying, so the thought of that many years of school sounds wonderful to me, or at least doable I'm thinking that explanation may come across a little corny, but it's true, and I don't have much time between classes right now so I don't have the time to think of a better way of putting it that doesn't sound a little lame Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylamonkey Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 Well, hold on a second. UofC won't "discriminate" against nursing students, but you have to have a full courseload with 24 graded credits for it to count towards your GPA. Also, you need to have 2 or 3 yrs with this sort of courseload. You need to call the admissions office about this, I think, to figure out where they stand, just so you don't get caught when the time comes. UofC is remarkably good at looking at "the spirit of the rule", but please don't assume anything about what they will and won't count. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
questforstarfish Posted January 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Thanks Kyla, I'll fire them off an email or give them a call! I just realized how horribly few credits are actually graded, and I'm kind of freaked out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdmn86 Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Hi Questforstarfish, I am a nursing grad from a BC school as well and have run into troubles with UofC med application this year (2012 admission cycle). My GPA throughout the nursing program definitely met the UofC requirements, however, they did state that because I failed to have 24 'graded' credits I did not meet the minimum requirements of 'fulltime transcript courseload'. I was really disappointed and did feel as though the application selection process was completely unfair with these changes. Last year I applied and this was not a problem. I sent over an email and letter expressing my concerns about the school favoring students who have completed non-practical based programs. The director of admissions replied stating that they will review this criteria for the following 2013 admission cycle. Hopefully they do. When all is said and done, however, this has been the only problem I've had with applying for med with a nursing degree. All the other schools seem to be open to applicants with a background degree based heavily in clinical practice. Nursing is a fantastic career and I hope you continue along with the program if you are enjoying it. Fingers crossed that UofC will reconsider their application requirements for the next round! Best of luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
questforstarfish Posted January 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Ooh okay, thank you for the advice! It did seem like they changed it this year, and that it's quite an unfair change if I manage to maintain a 3.9 GPA. Working on the wards IS as much work as spending that time in a classroom, you learn much more (about technical things as well as patient contact which is very important), and there's nothing I can really do to get my university to change their pass/fail status in these rotations. I did email U of C and am waiting for a reply, but I'll mention to them if it is a problem that it's unfair. Maybe with enough concerns they'll review the rule! It sounds like they try not to be exclusive of any particular degree or walk of life, so I would think they would be open to considering nursing students. I appreciate the well wishes and will let you know what happens Nursing is awesome, I'm enjoying every minute of it and love my patients, and I know it will drastically improve my confidence and "bedside manner" if I do get into medicine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylamonkey Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Definitely keep us posted. UofC seems to be much more "fair" with this sort of thing than the other schools, and there really isn't much you can do about it. Keep us in the know, but I'm sure they'll be up front about any changes on their website too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marul Posted January 31, 2012 Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 For anyone who wants a fairly complete answer to the OP's question, please see the January 30th, 2012 entry by Dr. Walker: http://mdadmissions.ucalgaryblogs.ca/ Note that while this compromise does sound reasonably final, I suspect it still could possibly undergo some changes... so, if you are reading this six months from now, be sure to consult the updated applicant's manual or the admissions commitee! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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