Nursing FAQ
Overview
Overview
Below is a list of common questions that we frequently receive. If you do not find the information you are looking for here, please contact us! Staff are available for in-person and remote assistance!
Contact Us!
Getting Started
What are my first steps as a new student?
As a new student, you should attend a Nursing Information Session and then schedule an advising appointment with the Healthcare Pathway Student Success Coach. If you are a transfer student, you are considered a new student at Olympic College. For more information and steps to enrolling in the college as a New Student, please visit the Admissions webpage.
How do I find out if my classes from another college will transfer?
Please follow the steps found on the Transfer Credit Evaluation page. An initial unofficial review can be provided by emailing all unofficial transcripts to @email
If you took your sciences (inorganic and organic/bio-chemistry; anatomy and physiology I and II; microbiology) or nursing classes out of state or The Evergreen State College, you would need to provide a syllabus for the course and an unofficial transcript to @email. These documents must be submitted before the application deadline for the pathway you are applying to.
- Inorganic Chemistry
- Anatomy and Physiology I and II
- Microbiology
- Dosage Calculations
- Pharmacology
(ALL course reviews must be submitted before the March 31 deadline for CM-PN, RN, and VL-BSN and August 31 for PN and LPN-RN. Please make sure your transcripts and syllabi are submitted promptly to ensure that they will have time to be assessed.)
When may I make an appointment with the Healthcare Pathway Student Success Coach?
You may make an advising appointment at any time, though we highly recommend attending an information session first. The information session should be attended within the past 12 months to have the most up-to-date information about the nursing pathway you are interested in.
If you have not completed college-level Math or English, visit our Placement webpage to schedule to take the assessment in English, Math, and Reading Comprehension before scheduling an advising appointment.
What is the process for completing the Petition to Extend Financial Aid Limits form?
Pre-nursing student working on prerequisites: A Healthcare Pathway Student Success Coach can help you complete the Petition for Extension and sign it.
If you have completed your prerequisites and have not yet been accepted to the nursing program, you are not yet eligible to complete the Petition to Extend Financial Aid Limits until you have received your acceptance letter to the nursing program. Once you have received your acceptance letter, a Healthcare Pathway Student Success Coach can help you complete the Petition for Extension and sign it.
Students currently accepted into the nursing program may email their extension paperwork to @email for completion. Please complete your part of the form prior to sending it.
For more information regarding the petition please contact Financial Aid at 360-475-7279.
Questions about Nursing Programs Applications
How do I receive an application to the Nursing Programs?
For all programs, you should first attend an Information Session. If you haven't attended a session within the past 12 months, it is highly recommended that you attend another one because requirements may change within a year.
Next, schedule an advising appointment with the Healthcare Pathway Student Success Coach to ensure you meet all application requirements.
Online MS Form Applications can accessed through each Program's Overview web pages. You may also contact @email for a copy of all the application materials.
How do I submit my application for admission to a Nursing Program?
Nursing program applications should be completed using the online Microsoft (MS) Form. Supporting documents can be uploaded within the application.
- Email: Send all application materials as a PDF to selectiveadmissions@olympic.edu
- In-person: Drop off all application materials to the Admissions Office, located at the Registration & Records counter in Bldg. 4 on the Bremerton campus.
Mailing address:
Olympic College
CC: Office of Admissions
1600 Chester Avenue, Bremerton, WA 98337
The Admissions Office will notify you if any required documents are not on file if your application is submitted more than three weeks before the application deadline. The Admissions Office cannot guarantee that applications received less than three weeks before the deadline will be reviewed for missing documents. Any missing documents will render your application ineligible for that year. Applicants are strongly encouraged to attend a Nursing Information Session and submit an application packet early.
What are the application deadlines for the nursing program?
- The application deadline for the CM-PN is February 14 annually.
- The application deadline for RN and VL-BSN pathways is March 31 annually.
- The application deadline for PN and LPN-RN pathways is Aug. 31 annually.
- For the RN-BSN pathway, applications are accepted year-round as space allows, though the priority deadline is March 31 annually for a Fall Quarter start.
It is strongly encouraged that you submit your application packets as early as possible and at least three weeks prior to the deadline.
When do I find out if I am accepted into the program?
All applicants are notified of the status of their application (including points) via email by the Admissions Office. Please do not contact Admissions or Nursing regarding the status of acceptance letters before the date listed below. After the listed date, you may contact the Admissions Department at selectiveadmissions@olympic.edu if you have not received notification of your status.
- Corpsman/Medic to Practical Nursing (CM-PN): May 1
- Associate in Technical Arts (RN): July 1
- Veterans/LPN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (VL-BSN): July 1
- Practical Nursing (LPN): Nov 1
- Associate in Degree in Nursing (LPN to RN): Nov 1
Is there a waitlist?
There is no waitlist for the Nursing programs. Each year, eligible applicants are entered into an applicant pool from which the next class is selected using the Factor System. Eligible applicants not accepted into a program may reapply the following year and receive a one-time factor point as a rollover applicant.
What do you think my chances are?
Acceptance into each Nursing Program is based on a factoring system that includes academic and non-academic metrics. Once applications and supporting documents are received, an admission score is determined according to a factoring system, and applicants are ranked according to the total number of factor points. Students with the highest number of factoring points are admitted into the program until capacity is reached. If you wish you review your transcript and current factor points, please email @email to schedule an appointment.
Questions about the placement exam - Reading Test
Where do I find information about the placement reading test?
The reading placement exam is required for admission into the V/L to BSN, ADN (RN), ADN (LPN to RN), CM-PN and PN programs regardless of past education history.
Please contact Assessment & Testing Services
- OC Bremerton: Schedule an appointment by visiting the Placement webpage. Walk-in’s also accepted; see website, email or call for more information.
- OC Poulsbo - by appointment only, visit Placement to schedule.
- OC Shelton - by appointment, visit visit Placement to schedule.
Which placement exams do you accept?
We accept scores from the Next-Generation Accuplacer only. Your score must be at least 260 to apply to the V/L to BSN, ADN (RN), ADN (LPN to RN), CM-PN and PN programs.
Do the results for the reading placement test expire?
The results do not expire for entrance into the nursing program. If you plan on using these results to enter an English/Math class, they will expire after two years. Please note that institutions may purge this information after two years, so be sure to get a hard copy of your results.
I took the COMPASS or TEAS Reading Test. Do I need to take the ACCUPLACER test now?
Yes, you need to take the ACCUPLACER. We do not accept the COMPASS, the TEAS, or any other placement exams for admission in the Nursing Programs.
Questions about Prerequisite Courses
Do I have to take NURSE 151 and NURSE 152 before I apply to the nursing program?
No. Students are not required to take NURSE 151: Dosage Calculations, and NURSE 152: Intro to Pharmacology before applying to the nursing program. Additional factor points are not awarded for taking these classes before entering the program. However, these classes must be completed before being admitted into the PN, RN, and LPN-RN pathways:
RN pathway: NURSE 151 and 152 must be passed with the required GPA no later than summer quarter before entering the program in fall.
PN and LPN-RN pathways: NURSE 151 and 152 must be passed with the required GPA no later than fall quarter before enter the program in winter.
If you do not complete NURSE 151 and NURSE 152 before starting the program, your provisional acceptance will be rescinded and you will have to reapply the following year.
Do I have to take NURSE 118 or NUTR&101 before applying to the nursing program?
No. Students are not required to take NURSE 118: Nutrition for Professional Nursing or NUTR&101: Human Nutrition, before applying to the nursing program.
If you do not take an approved nutrition class before being admitted into the program:
- RN pathway: You will take NURSE 118 during your second quarter in the program.
- PN pathway: You will take NURSE 118 during your first quarter in the program.
- VL-BSN pathway: You will take NUTR& 101 during your second quarter in the program
However, students are highly encouraged to take these courses before starting the program. If you choose to delay, they will be an addition to your full-time nursing course-load.
Is there a limit to how many times an applicant can take a prerequisite course?
Yes, there is. Student are permitted to take a prerequisite up to three times. For the purpose of factoring, if an applicant has retaken a course multiple times, only the most recent attempt will be considered up to the third attempt. If a student chooses to retake a course, the grade on the third attempt is what will be used for the Factoring System. Fourth or fifth attempts will not be considered. If the grade on the third attempt of a required prerequisite is below 2.0, that student will not be considered eligible for application to the Olympic College Nursing program. Only graded attempts are considered, withdrawals (W, WP, or WF) do not count as one of the three allowed attempts.
General Nursing Program Questions
When do the classes start once I am in the program?
- Nursing Assistant (NAC): Program offered in fall, winter, and spring quarters. No prerequisites, the program can be completed in one quarter
- Practical Nursing (LPN): Application deadline: August 31. Once admitted to the PN pathway, classes begin the winter quarter (January) and continue for four consecutive quarters (winter, spring, summer, and fall).
- Corpsman/Medic to Practical Nursing (CM-PN): Application deadline: February 14. Once admitted to the CM-PN pathway, classes begin the summer quarter (July) and continue for two consecutive quarters (summer, and fall).
- Associate Degree in Nursing (RN): Application deadline: March 31. Once admitted to the RN pathway, classes begin fall quarter (September) and continue for two years (six quarters – fall, winter, and spring).
- Associate Degree in Nursing (LPN to RN): Application deadline: August 31. Once admitted to the LPN-RN pathway, there will be a three-credit LPN-RN Transitions course in winter quarter, and then classes begin spring quarter and continue for four quarters (spring, fall, winter, and spring).
- Veterans/LPN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (VL-BSN): Application deadline: March 31. Once admitted to the VL-BSN pathway, classes begin fall quarter (September) and continue for two years (eight consecutive quarters – fall, winter, spring, and summer).
- Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science Nursing (RN-BSN): Priority application deadline: March 31. Once admitted to the RN-BSN pathway, classes begin fall quarter (September). Depending on the program course plan you choose to follow, the program will typically last from one to three years.
Helpful Student Resources
- Student Disability Services: Student Disability Services partners with the Olympic College community to foster a college culture that recognizes disability as a valued aspect of diversity and is dedicated to the inclusion and full participation of students with disabilities in all college programs, services, and activities.
- Financial Aid
- Academic Dates & Deadlines
- Course Catalog
- Class Schedule