Pre-Nursing at WSU

Preparation for admission to the WSU College of Nursing requires completion of all pre-requisite courses, certification of community service hours, and a group of short essay responses. The deadline for submission is May 1 of the year in which you intend to begin the program.   

Applicants to the College of Nursing Traditional BSN program must have a minimum 3.0 GPA (based on prerequisite courses only), and a minimum grade of "C" or higher in all prerequisite courses. All coursework must be completed in order to be considered for admission. Admission to the program is highly competitive and completion of the pre-requisite courses with the minimum GPA does not guarantee admission to the nursing program. 

The use of a holistic approach allows the nursing admission committee to consider not only grade point average, but also community service and essay responses providing a clearer picture of a candidate's suitability for the nursing profession.

What does a nurse really do ?

Nurses assess patient health problems and needs, develop and implement nursing care plans, and maintain medical records. Nurses can also administer nursing care to ill, injured, convalescent, or disabled patients. They may advise patients on health maintenance and disease prevention or provide case management. 

What do nurses do? They are continuously monitoring and evaluating patients.  Nurses must be adaptive, educated and skilled in critical thinking. Nurses' responsibilities include coordinating with multiple specialists to ensure that their patients are adequately on the road to recovery. Through the different types of care, a nurse's capabilities extend past their stereotypical personas.  While many envision nurses donned in medical scrubs and running through a hospital, a nurse may come in many forms. 

Specifically, here are some of the things nurses do on a typical day: 

  • Conduct physical exams 
  • Take detailed health care histories 
  • Listen to patients and analyze their physical and emotional needs 
  • Provide counseling and health care education to patients 
  • Coordinate care with other health care providers and specialists 
  • Stay current with advances in health care options, medications, and treatment plans 
  • Draw blood, and perform other health-related testing 
  • Check a patient's vital signs 

Where do nurses work? 

Not all registered nurses work in hospitals. You can find a nurse in a wide variety of health care settings, including doctor's offices, urgent care centers, pharmacies, schools, and many other locations. Nurses have the ability to use their skills to meet the needs of their patients pretty much wherever they are located.  For example, many nurses now assist the elderly or disabled in their homes. Some common places where nurses work include: 

  • Hospitals 
  • Clinics 
  • Offices 
  • Schools 
  • Pharmacies 
  • Ambulance/Helicopter 
  • Home health care settings 
  • Senior living communities 

Pre-nursing drop-in advising

Join Helen Wilson every Friday for drop-in advising.  These weekly sessions, hosted on Zoom, are designed to answer general questions quickly!  Bring questions about the nursing application, class scheduling, application timelines and the nursing profession.  No appointment necessary.

Drop-in advising is held every Friday, from 11am-1pm.  Students may join the Zoom at any time between 11am-1pm.