Nursing FAQs

ADN Associate degrees (two-year programs) are offered at technical schools, community colleges or universities. They focus on the core of nursing information, sciences, and general education to support nursing. These programs provide the foundation to enter the nursing discipline at a beginning level.

BSN Baccalaureate degrees (four-year programs offered at colleges and universities) prepare nurses to provide comprehensive service to individuals, families, groups, and communities. These programs are designed to develop critical thinking and nursing skills at a higher level.

GWC offers a BSN Concurrent Enrollment Pathway (CEP) with CSUSB hosted at GWC campus. 

*All programs prepare students to sit for the same National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). The difference is in the academic degree conferred by the college or university. Many facilities hire RNs from any level; others hire only those with baccalaureate degrees or higher. Most management opportunities go to those with the higher degrees. A baccalaureate degree in nursing is needed to pursue graduate nursing education.

GWC School of Nursing is currently approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) https://rn.ca.gov/ 

GWC School of Nursing is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) https://www.acenursing.org/.

Golden West College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACCJC) https://accjc.org/.

Updated results can be found at: https://www.rn.ca.gov/education/passrates.shtml scroll down until you see Golden West College. You can also review our program stats found at the bottom of the Nursing Page under the Achievement Data link.

No, all information regarding the application, eligibility, the selection process, cost, etc. can be found on the gwc nursing website GWC Nursing

The Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) exam is an ATI pre-admission nursing exam used by nursing programs to assess competency in Math, Science, English, and Reading.

Applicants must save a copy of the unofficial test score and attach it to application, including ATI TEAS completed at Golden West College.

Only admitted students will have to submit an OFFICIAL copy electronically from ATI.

GWC School of Nursing offers the ATI TEAS Examination. Check the nursing website for dates and times. If the exam is not being offered, please contact ATI Testing directly for exam dates offered at other locations.  

Golden West College School of Nursing does not have a counselor in the School of Nursing office. Contact the Counseling Department directly where nursing counselors are available to assist you with educational planning, course selections, and transcript evaluations.

GWC School of Nursing does not currently offer individual nursing courses. All nursing content must be completed in its entirety as a Program. 

Students must contact each university directly. GWC Nursing is an ADN (Associates Degree in Nursing) program, we do not offer a BSN (Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing). Students must be accepted and enrolled in our program before they can co-enroll at a university. Co-enrollment schools: Grand Canyon University. Co-enrollment does not happen automatically; you must follow up with the university’s application process.

Please review the information on our website, https://www.goldenwestcollege.edu/nursing/index.html by scrolling down & clicking on the links. Most of your questions can be answered there. We accept applications once a year for Fall and Spring admission. We do not maintain a waitlist. Selection is based on meeting the eligibility requirements and the Multi-Criteria Guidelines but does not guarantee admission. Please refer to the Application Information tab for the application and detailed instructions.

Review the Application Information tab for the updated filing dates.

We receive approximately 250-400 applications during each application cycle.

We do not maintain a waitlist. Qualified applicants who are not selected for entry are encouraged to reapply during the next application period.

All complete applications that are submitted by the deadline are evaluated based on the Multi-Criteria Guidelines. Qualified applicants are ranked based on points earned in the Multi-Criteria. Admission is awarded to applications with the highest points for the total number of cohort space available. Lottery/random selection will be awarded to qualified applicants based on space availability.

A limited number of alternate applicants are also selected to replace any selected applicants who do not meet requirements, deadlines, or decline their offer.

Each new cohort can accept 80-100 applicants per semester.

The number of alternates admitted varies each application period. Alternates are only offered an open seat into the cohort based on availability.

Students will receive and fulfill the program requirements once the student has officially accepted into the program and receive admission instructions from the GWC School of Nursing.

Th required documentation including health requirements is listed on the GWC School of Nursing Application checklist. Please do not start the health requirements until the student receive an official notification from the GWC School of Nursing.

The GWC School of Nursing accept transfers based upon space availability and applicant eligibility.

Please refer to the Transfer/Advanced Placement section of this website. The student can only apply to the nursing program during the Transfer/Advanced Placement application period.

For further information www.goldenwestcollege.edu/nursing/transfer-students/

The applicant is eligible to apply as an incoming new student.

“Transfer” refers specifically to a student enrolled previously in another college’s nursing program. If you have not enrolled in another nursing program, the student is not considered a transfer student.

A new applicant is a student who is applying for initial admission into the GWC Nursing program. You are considered a new applicant even if the prerequisite courses were complete at another college other than GWC.

The applicant is eligible to apply to GWC School of Nursing. If admission is offered, the student is required to complete a background check to determine eligibility to participate in the clinical training courses of the nursing program.

Students with an active court-ordered probation may not attend clinical training. Ineligibility to participate in clinical training will lead to non-progression in the program.  All theory and clinical training courses must be completed concurrently in the program.

If your background is not cleared prior to admission, the student will need to request a meeting with the Director of Nursing or designee to discuss your background situation. This is mandatory requirement for all students with any type of background records. All records must be reported to the Board of Registered Nursing after completion of our program regardless of expungement. 

For further information, visit the CA Board of Registered Nursing website https://www.rn.ca.gov/ .

**A student who completes the nursing program is not guaranteed their eligibility to sit for the State Licensing Examination. **

The application and filing instructions are posted under the How to Apply link: www.goldenwestcollege.edu/nursing.

Please read this section in its entirety and utilize the checklist found in the application.

For further assistance, the applicant can email the Nursing Office at NursingOffice@gwc.cccd.edu

All prerequisite courses must be completed with a passing grade of C or above prior to the time of application filing to be eligible for the nursing admission considerations.

A Social Security number is required for admission into the nursing program.

If Social Security number is not available, an ITIN is required for admission into the nursing program. An I-9 Visa may be required, if applicable.

A Social Security number/ITIN is required for clinical placement and for the State Licensing Exam with the CA Board of Registered Nursing.

Note: For further information, please review the application requirements. Failure to meet application requirements will result in an ineligible status of the admission application.

All prerequisite academic courses, including Microbiology, Anatomy, and Physiology, must be equivalent to GWC School of Nursing required curriculum. They are considered pre-requisites and co-requisites to the courses designated specifically to the nursing program curriculum. If the courses are not equivalent, your application will be deemed ineligible for admission considerations.

To request a transcript evaluation, the applicant must have a Student ID# from one of the Coast Community College District Colleges: Golden West College, Coastline College or Orange Coast College.

Interested applicants must an appointment with a Counselor and request an official transcript evaluation for previous course credit. Please contact Counseling and request an appointment for Transcript Evaluation. DO NOT send official transcripts to the GWC School of Nursing.

https://www.goldenwestcollege.edu/counseling/forms/index.html

Please contact the GWC counseling department directly if you have any questions regarding course equivalency. 

Students may also make an appointment with a Counselor and request an official evaluation for the meeting. This is more beneficial as you can work with a Counselor to apply your previous credit as you develop your Student Education Plan (SEP). Please contact Counseling and request an appointment for Transcript Evaluation. DO NOT send them to the School of Nursing.

https://www.goldenwestcollege.edu/counseling/forms/index.html

The minimum points required is 14 (9 for prerequisites and 5 for lowest TEAS score).  The total number of points of selected applicants varies based on the application pool as this is a competitive selection..

It is recommended to aim for the highest total points on the admission criteria to ensure your application is competitive.

Science courses must be completed within the last 7 years from the date of application.

Example: March 2024 application period for Fall 2024/Spring 2025 admission, the science courses cannot be older than Spring 2017.

Your application will be deemed ineligible if the total average GPA for Anatomy G220, Microbiology G210, and Physiology G225 is below 2.5.

Use the lecture grade to compute your points. The GWC Nursing Online application will automatically compute the GPA into points.

In order meet college and the multi-criteria guidelines eligibility,  a letter grade of C or higher is required and considered a passing grade for the coursework. 

It is highly recommended to apply to the college prior to sending official transcripts. The Admission and Records Department cannot guarantee your transcripts will be assigned to your student ID number account at the time of the nursing application evaluation.

Applicants will only need to resubmit an additional copy of the official transcript if there has been an update since the last application period, such as a new course grade or degree confirmation. Unofficial copies must be submitted with each application submission.

The applicant will no longer be eligible if our admissioncommittee is unable to review and evaluate your official transcripts during the application evaluation process.

The applicant must be able to provide official transcripts that reflects two years of high school coursework with a grade of C or higher. Test scores are also accepted; an AP score of 3 or higher or an SAT subject test score will suffice.

College level coursework of two semesters of more with completion of the intermediate level or higher is also eligible to meet this criteria. 

A letter stating your ability to speak a second language or native language cannot be accepted for the multi-criteria points on the admission application.

The Multi-Criteria guidelines provide a list of languages eligible for the nursing admission criteria.

The NUR G101 course is highly recommended for interested students to complete as an introduction to the nursing profession and to the knowledge, skills, and attitudes essential for success in the educational setting and the clinical environment. The course emphasizes on the nursing process, learning style, study skills, medical terminology, medication calculations, and the professional nursing role. 

This course is eligilble for points towards the GWC nursing admission.

To receive points on the multi-criteria, a healthcare volunteer and/or work experience must be within the last 3 years.

Direct patient care may include any aspects of the nursing care of the patient including the nursing intervention, mobility assistance (walking assistance, assistance with wheelchairs, etc.), patient education including care of the patient provided by a non-healthcare personnel.

For eligibility of points on the Multi-Criteria guideline for admission into the nursing program, a healthcare volunteer must complete their volunteer hours in a clinical or hospital setting with direct access to patients.

A letter of verification on the organization's letterhead with the company contact number and email must be included in the admission package. The letter of verification must outline the total number of hours and the duties in the direct patient care setting.

This experience is eligible for points towards the admission application only if the applicant can provide a letter of verification on a healthcare agency letterhead documenting the duties of patient care and the total number of hours complete.

For course curriculum, units, and class descriptions please refer to the GWC catalog by visiting this link https://catalog.cccd.edu/golden-west/. Please review the School of Nursing Student Handbook for further details. 

The nursing curriculum is subject to change.

GWC School of Nursing is a fulltime program and does not offer an evening or weekend program. 

The nursing program is a full-time commitment. Each nursing semester includes theory, lab, and clinical.

Theory: onground courses at the GWC campus.

Lab Hours requirement: on-ground lab hours on the GWC campus.

Clinical Hours requirement: 8-hour and 12-14 hour shifts in clinical agencies (day, night, or weekends based on availability).

Lecture schedule and clinical assignment varies each semester of the program.

The estimated program cost can be found under the Getting Started tab of the GWC nursing website.

*estimated costs include materials & fees, books, stethoscope, uniform, tuition, parking, CPR, malpractice insurance, etc. **

Program cost is subject to change.

The GWC Simulation Lab covers the disciplines of Health and Illness, Environment, and Nursing with high-fidelity scenarios and high-fidelity mannequins. Emphasis is placed on healthcare concepts such as: fluid and electrolyte balance, metabolism, central nervous system regulation, oxygenation, perfusion, tissue integrity, infection, mobility, comfort, emergencies, safety & infection control, diversity, health promotion, communication, professional behaviors, clinical reasoning/judgment, healthcare system, ethics, and clinical competency.

The clinical sites are in the local region within the vicinity of the Golden West College campus.  

All clinical rotations are required to complete the program. Clinical assignments are randomly assigned. 

Please DO NOT start your clinical health requirements prior to admission into the nursing program.

What can I do to get myself ready for the nursing program?

Due to the lengthy process for vaccines and titers, the student can have their titers drawn for MMR, Varicella and Hepatitis B by their physician. If the results are negative, the student can either start the vaccination series over or receive a booster.

Positive titers proving immunity to MMR, Varicella and Hepatitis B are mandatory for admission to the nursing program. Lab reports for titers must have been dated within the past 3 years. Equivocal or negative results not acceptable.

Measles, Mumps & Rubella (MMR): Positive IgG antibody titer for all 3 components (lab report required). If your titer is negative, you must repeat the vaccination series or booster and provide a positive titer after completion of the series or booster.

Varicella: Positive IgG antibody titer (lab report required). If your titer is negative, you must repeat the vaccination series or booster and provide a positive titer after completion of the series or booster.

Hepatitis B: Positive IgG antibody titer (lab report required). If your titer is negative, you must repeat the vaccination series or booster and provide a positive titer after completion of the series or booster.

• Hepatitis B Vaccine - 3 Doses
• HEPLISAV B Vaccine – 2 Doses (This series is recommended)

TB Skin Test: One of the following is required:

• 2 step TB Skin Test (1-3 weeks apart)
• QuantiFERON Gold Blood Test
• If results are positive, provide one of the following:
• Provide a clear Chest X-Ray (lab report required) AND completed Symptom Review signed by a Physician.
• Negative QuantiFERON AND completed Symptom Review signed by a Physician.

Tetanus, Diphtheria & Pertussis (Tdap): Provide documentation of a Tdap booster within the past 10 years.

Influenza: There must be documentation of one of the following:

Flu shot administered during the current Flu Season (Lot # is required to be documented)

COVID Vaccination (subject to health facility requirements) 

CPR Certification: Provide your American Heart Association BLS Provider card. Your CPR card should have the emblem for the American Heart Association which is a torch with a heart on it. Your card will be good for 2 years.

Detailed Pre-Enrollment Requirements will be provided upon formal admission into the program. It is not recommended to start any requirements prior to the positive titers assessment.

A complete physical, background check and drug test will also be required upon admission. DO NOT start that process until being formally invited and instructions are provided by the GWC nursing program.

The LVN-RN Career Bridge Program is offered in the Spring semester of the academic year. Please review the nursing website nursing/lvn-rvn-program/index for updated information regarding the program and the application process.

The LVN-30 unit program is a non-degree certificate program consist of coursework of less than 30 units with an active Licensed Vocational Nurse. The program is only recognized in the State of California by the CA Board of Registered Nursing and is not recognized by national accreditation bodies. The certificate program is not recognized in other states outside of California and does not qualify for licensure by endorsement outside of CA.

Healthcare employers require that the Registered Nurse is a graduate of an accredited nursing program. The current labor market recommends students who are enrolled in the Associate Degree program to complete a bachelor degree in Nursing for higher marketability success.

Note: The LVN Bridge course is a requirement for the 30 Unit Option candidate. 

Program admission is on a space availability only.