Why is Nursing a great career?  It is a rewarding career offering excitement and flexibility.  Nurses assist in care for the physically or mentally ill, injured and disabled or patients in hospitals, nursing care facilities, and mental health settings.  Why is the job flexible? High employment demand, due to an aging population, helps create plentiful opportunities for these positions. Nearly one in four nurses work part time, and because patients might need care 24 hours a day, work hours are available at nights and on weekends.

Nurses have exciting jobs because you can work in areas such as trauma centers, emergency rooms, operating rooms, and other various units throughout the hospital.  Nurses may confront life-and-death situations every day. They must provide quick and accurate assessments of in-coming patients and care for them under stressful conditions.  The work of a nurse is never done because treating patient conditions, dispensing medicine, and providing comfort to a patient is a full-time job.   Here at Goodwin College, we offer both an Associates Degree in Nursing (with RN Certification) and a Bachelors Degree in Nursing.  Students interested in this program should contact the Academic Advising Center in Room 133.  Prospective students should contact the Admissions Office.

Why wait and put off an exciting career any longer!?

(Information from this article was extracted from Yahoo! Education).

Potential of Advising:  

“Academic advising is the only structured activity on the campus in which all students have the opportunity for an on-going, one-on-one interaction with a concerned representative of the institution.” –Wes Habley 

Advising as Teaching and Learning:  

Advisors teach students…

·        To value the learning process
·        To apply decision-making strategies
·        To put the college experience into perspective
·        To set priorities and evaluate events
·        To develop thinking and learning skills
·        To make choices

Three Basic Types of Conversations Advisors Have with Students:

1.     Conversations that are informational

·        University policies and procedures
·        Requirements
·        Important dates and deadlines
·        Programs of studyAll too often advising conversations stop here and do not progress to the next two types.

2.     Conversations about the individual student

·        Core values
·        Aptitudes/interests
·        Strengths
·        Areas for improvement (study skills, time managements, etc.)
·        Level of involvement in the life of the institution 

3.     Conversations about the future…Goal setting and posing questions:

·        What do I want my future to be? (career and personal life)
·        What steps do I need to make this future a reality?
·        How am I changing as a result of my education?

Authored by Marc Limata

Distance learning has been in existence since the 1800’s.  Today, distance learning is at an all time high.  Distance learning has been proven to be equally successful as learning in a classroom.  It takes a unique student to be successful in an online setting.   Distance learning allows flexibility for full time employees to accomplish their academic goals by not having to sit in a classroom. 

To be a successful online student you must possess great organizational skills, time management skills, motivation, and the initiative.  For these reasons online education may be more rewarding than a typical college class. 

With online learning you must set aside time for learning, be able to participate in discussion boards, write research papers, and do weekly assessments.  Students must be able to keep up with the demands of the course so they do not fall behind.  Due dates are usually strictly enforced for online classes.  Here are some great tips to be a successful distance learning student:  http://www.elearners.com/guide/how-to-be-a-successful-online-student.pdf

Goodwin College now offers a variety of online classes for students to take.  Students can check out the new courses being offered in the Fall Semester, they are: Computer Literacy, Math For Health Science and Public Speaking  Anyone who is interested should talk to their advisor about signing up for an online class.  Once signed up for an online class student should:

·        Log in to Blackboard on September 5th, 2010.  By logging into the Blackboard platform you are simply confirming that you have access to the course. Please do not start any assignments until the class officially begins on Tuesday, September 7^th 2010.  If you have any problems with logging into the Blackboard platform you may contact the Technical Support Office at 860-832-3887 or by e-mailing them at support@ctdlc.org.

·        Please join us for an on-campus, one-hour Course Welcome Session on Wednesday, September 1st, 2010.  The sessions are scheduled from 10:00AM - 11:00AM or 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM and will be held on the 1 Riverside Drive campus.  Please report to Community Room.  This is your opportunity to meet your classmates, to get a brief hands-on orientation to the Blackboard online learning system, and to see how we will be using Blackboard for this course. This Course Welcome Session is strongly recommended, even for online veterans.

I hope you have found this information helpful.  Please do not hesitate to speak to your advisor if you have any questions. 

Late registration and schedule changes will begin next Monday, August 9, 2010. 

You must come into the Academic Advising Office between the hours of 10-12 and 3-5, Fridays 10-12 only.  These are the only times that you will be able to complete late registration and make changes to your schedule for September.  The only way to officiate this process is to meet with your advisor and see Financial Aid.  Meeting with your academic advisor is an important part of your academic success while attending classes at Goodwin College.  All students have been assigned an advisor, who will speak with you regarding your academic plan of study, discuss course selection planning prior to registration, discuss academic issues and provide information about support services and college policies and procedures. 

If you do not have an advisor please contact Frank Ruotolo, Office Manager at 860-727-6717 or fruotolo@goodwin.edu for assistance. If you have any questions regarding late registration, making a schedule change or an experience you had with the advising department that you would like to share, I would like to hear from you.  Best of luck as you complete the summer semester.