SMC Nursing Program Resumes In Fall

Santa Monica College (SMC) nursing student, Marisa Elkin, on the SMC main campus, on Monday, May 18th 2020. (Marco Pallotti / The Corsair)

All Santa Monica College (SMC) clinical nursing classes were cancelled for the spring 2020 semester due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19), thus, students found themselves lagging behind for their nursing degrees. The SMC Nursing Program will gradually restart clinical classes that allow nursing students to practice, and will continue all theory-based classes online this fall. In the meantime, new applicants are still standing by for admission.

“Without any visual teacher instruction, whether that be on Zoom or in person, it is very hard to obtain a good grade in the class. Nursing students may have to push off their classes another semester, and not be able to take clinicals in person," said SMC Registered Nursing major Mushka Cunin. "Being in the healthcare profession and taking healthcare classes does not work online-simply because you need in person and proper instruction.”

Eve Adler, the Associate Dean and Nursing Program Director of the Health Sciences Department, confirmed that students are able to enroll for fall classes at the moment, however, the schedule is subject to change according to their hospital affiliates availability. Timing is important for nursing students, according to Adler, as classes are only available in either eight-week or four-week periods and students are required to be present for their classes four days per week.

This year the nursing program postponed the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) during the spring semester, due to the pandemic. This exam allows SMC students to become Registered Nurses and receive an Associate's Degree in Science, while they are prompted to transfer for a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing.

“I feel that since SMC has canceled a few nursing classes, it has definitely hindered the progress of current nursing students from passing and taking the NCLEX, having to push that off and take it at [a] later date, basically putting their progress and goal on hold,” Cunin said. “This doesn’t directly affect me in the nursing program but it did affect me from finishing my prerequisites on time.”

“Nursing takes a lot of self-motivation and let me tell you there is no ‘spoon feeding’ when it comes to nursing classes," said SMC nursing major Marisa Elkin. "To be a nurse you must be willing to put yourself in very uncomfortable situations. You must know how to take direction and not to panic. Nursing is a very challenging and intense job, as a nurse you must learn and act as an advocate for the patient.”

SMC is working with the California Board of Registered Nursing and with hospital facilities in order to enable the nursing students to return to their practicum classes as fast and as safely as possible, according to Jennifer Merlic, Vice President of Academic Affairs. “We are absolutely committed to our nursing students -- to ensuring their health and safety, to ensuring they are able to graduate with as little delay as possible, and to help the health of our community by continuing to graduate cohorts of highly skilled, empathetic nurses,” Merlic said.

“Hospital facilities are slowly reopening their doors for pre-licensure students to practice. This means many of our clinical courses may be able to resume,” Adler said.

Current Nursing Program applicants are still waiting to take the Nursing Pre-Admission Exam RN (NLN PAX RN), a necessary entrance exam for prospective nursing students, for admission. Students were told their applications are “frozen in time,” according to a follow up email that Elkin received on May 14 from one of the nursing program’s counselors.

“As of now they have no date in which they will let students take the NLN PAX exam. This means that I will not be starting until possibly spring [2021]; from my understanding the nursing program needs to be able to graduate their existing class in order to bring in a new cohort,” Elkin said. Under these circumstances, she is also looking at private options in order to accelerate her graduation as a nurse.

“I think the hardest part for me, and probably for the rest of the college’s leadership team, is making decisions that impact our college community so profoundly while so much is unknown to us,” Merlic said, while affirming that decisions about courses and activities may not become definitive until the fall semester.

“​I am so very proud of all of our nursing students,” Adler said. “They have been thoughtful, creative, and eager to help during this pandemic. We are trying our very best to make sure they stay on track, complete their education, and join the ranks of registered nurses who are among the healthcare providers taking care of our nation during this challenging time.”