Before the First Patient: Inside Westcliff University’s College of Nursing New Student Orientation

There is a particular moment in every nursing student’s journey when the path stops being theoretical and starts being real. At Westcliff University’s College of Nursing, that moment arrived across two mornings in late August 2026, when Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and Entry-Level Master (ELM) students gathered at the Corona campus for New Student Orientation, looked around at their fellow cohort-mates and understood, perhaps for the first time, that the next chapter had officially begun.

The two-day orientation brought together two distinct groups at two distinct crossroads. The first day welcomed BSN and ELM students who had completed their general education coursework and were transitioning into their Core nursing courses and clinical sites, a milestone that has been building since the moment they first applied. The second day welcomed an entirely new cohort of incoming BSN students stepping into Westcliff’s College of Nursing for the very first time. Different starting points, same sense of purpose.

Scrubs, Schedules and the Start of Something Real

If there is one image that captures what the week felt like, it is the scrub fitting. Students who had spent months in general education courses, many of them on Zoom, suddenly found themselves being measured for the uniform that says, unmistakably, that they are nurses in training. Pulling on scrubs for the first time was the physical confirmation of something they had been working toward for years.

Beyond the scrubs, the days were packed. Students received their new class schedules, met the faculty who would guide them through Core nursing coursework, connected with their cohort-mates and got a clear, honest picture of what clinical sites and simulation labs would actually demand of them. The dos and don’ts of clinical expectations were laid out plainly, and by the time each day wrapped, what had been an anticipation became a plan.

Valerie Bentley, a BSN student who describes nursing as a lifelong calling, put the moment in perspective as only someone who has waited a long time can:

“It’s the next piece of the big picture,” she said. “That next frame in the big scheme of things. The classes are challenging. They will make you think. You will be required to do the work. But when you finish the coursework, you come out with a better skill set. And so I’m grateful that I’m able to be a part of Westcliff University.”

The Stories That Brought Them Here

Across both days, every student who walked through the doors arrived by a different road. Some followed a family tradition. Some survived a moment that changed everything. Some simply knew, even when the path was long and the prerequisites were endless, that this was exactly where they were supposed to be.

Michael Smith, BSN

Michael is focused on mental health nursing and has his sights set on becoming a nurse practitioner. His mother works at Patton State Hospital, which gives his career goal a personal dimension that goes well beyond professional ambition.

“Definitely exciting. Anxious. A lot of different feelings are coming up,” he said. “It’s been a long time running.”

Melissa Gutierrez, BSN

Melissa completed her general education courses primarily online and came to orientation ready for the shift to in-person learning. A self-described hands-on learner with prior hospital experience, she was not intimidated by the scrubs. She was ready for what comes after them.

“Going into in-person, in-classroom and simulation lab settings is something I’m really looking forward to,” she said. “Actually leaning into the environment and being involved in the process is going to make me learn way better.”

Hadassah Haaland, ELM

Hadassah came to nursing by way of biology and a brief detour toward pharmacy school. Her whole family are nurses, and joining Westcliff’s ELM program as part of its third cohort felt like finally arriving somewhere she was always headed.

“All the professors, everyone we met, the dean, everyone was so amazing and supportive,” she said. “You can really tell it’s going to be a good time here. I always like to give new programs a shot, and it’s exciting to be a part of something new.”

Dylan Crocker, ELM

Dylan’s path to nursing started at a grocery store, on a night shift, when a coworker went into cardiac arrest and Dylan was one of the first to respond. He performed CPR for two minutes and helped bring the man back. That moment sent him looking for something more purposeful, and that search eventually brought him to Westcliff.

“It feels like a new start,” he said. “Being able to go out to different sites and learn from different nurses and hospitals and see how they run things differently will be very interesting to see.”

Lauren Almero, ELM

Lauren switched from computer science, inspired by her father’s career as a military corpsman and a desire to put her skills toward caring for people. A friend’s word-of-mouth recommendation led her to Westcliff, and by the time orientation arrived, years of work had finally come full circle.

“Better late than never,” she said. “But also do it. Just go for it. Don’t question it, don’t doubt yourself. If you’re thinking about it, just go and do it.”

What Comes Next: Core Courses and Clinical Sites

The transition from general education to Core nursing coursework is one of the most significant shifts a nursing student makes, and it is exactly the kind of transition Westcliff’s College of Nursing is built to support. For students from both days, those next steps are no longer an abstract future milestone. They are the next thing on the schedule, and Westcliff’s hands-on training model is designed to make sure they arrive ready.

Core courses go deeper into the clinical, theoretical and practical dimensions of nursing, and students who enter them with a clear understanding of what to expect are better positioned to make the most of the experience. Clinical sites are where textbook knowledge becomes patient care, and the faculty who will guide students through both are invested in their success from day one.

To get a fuller picture of what that preparation looks like, read Hands-On Nursing Training That Prepares You for Clinical Practice. And to see how Westcliff nursing students are already performing once they get to clinical settings, read Westcliff Nursing Students Show Readiness in High-Stakes Clinical Settings. The students in those stories were not long ago standing exactly where this cohort stands now.

The Road Ahead

New Student Orientation is a beginning, not a destination. The students who attended over those two days in August are stepping into one of the most rigorous and rewarding educational journeys available in healthcare, and the path forward from here is long, full of growth and worth understanding clearly.

Nursing is a career with more directions than most people realize when they first put on a pair of scrubs. The students who showed up on Aug. 24 and Aug. 25 already have what it takes to go far in it, the commitment, the purpose and the willingness to do the hard work.

To understand where that commitment can lead, read The Career Path of a Nurse: From BSN to Advanced Practice and start thinking about the kind of nurse you are working toward becoming.