Getting around the 18 y.o requirement

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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My 14 y.o daughter has 21 college credits and is currently enrolled full time in a community college. She would very much like to be a nurse but does not want to start an Associates degree in nursing at 18. ( All AS nursing degrees require you to be 18 to start clinicals) We know she can complete the handful of non clinical classes before 18 but is there a beneficial avenue in which she can complete a bachelor's degree before 18 and go back for a limited time after 18 to get the nursing done?

What is the best bachelors that will let her transfer to a BSN easily or is there another method to best utilize her time in college before she turns 18?

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

My daughter is also a minor and has been accruing college coursework since 16, and will have her associate's degree before 18. She is taking nursing pre-requisite coursework now and by the time she is actually (hopefully) in a BSN program, will be just over 18 and maybe an RN by 21. You should be speaking to college advisors, not a board of nurses. THIS is where you get pointed in the right direction, not getting opinions and maybe a few tongue-in-cheek answers.

Good luck; I homeschooled mine with good results and they had college work before 18. Both were in public high school after being homeschooled for 4 years.

Your daughter is advanced; Nothing wrong with that; but when in college, ask the EXPERTS!

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.

There were two 18 year olds in my LVN program. Maybe one was 17... I don't remember exactly but I know they were a little bit younger than me (I was 20/21 at the time). Either way, your daughter probably won't be able to enter a nursing program until she is 18. But to get a better & detailed answer I would suggest what every other PP has & go straight to the source - the school.

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Specializes in NICU.

Okay, so I'm a long-time lurker, but when I saw this thread, I had to actually create an account and post.

I have been exactly where your daughter was, as I started college when I was 14 and, no, I didn't home school. I graduated with a bachelors in a double major shortly after I turned 19 and just passed the NCLEX in the past few weeks after going through nursing school. I am 22 now and I absolutely think that taking the time for a bachelors first was invaluable. While I can imagine that your daughter is highly intelligent and that shouldn't be wasted, there is a lot of growing up to do between 14-18, even if she doesn't think so.

I wouldn't have been a good nurse if I had somehow managed to circumvent the requirements and gone early. My years volunteering in the hospital, and later working as a CNA, matured me immensely. I wouldn't give up the 4 1/2 years I spent as a CNA while in school for anything, as that shaped me as a person, much more so than school did.

So, while I can definitely understand why your daughter wants to rush through and get it all done, it just isn't a good idea. Have her get a bachelors in a related field. Mine was in biology, which took care of many of my nursing credits. She may be able to comprehend things well above her age, but only time and experience can give her the maturity that she really needs.

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Specializes in IMC, school nursing.

Check with your state board of nursing, there may be age requirements there, also.

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
Okay, so I'm a long-time lurker, but when I saw this thread, I had to actually create an account and post.

I have been exactly where your daughter was, as I started college when I was 14 and, no, I didn't home school. I graduated with a bachelors in a double major shortly after I turned 19 and just passed the NCLEX in the past few weeks after going through nursing school. I am 22 now and I absolutely think that taking the time for a bachelors first was invaluable. While I can imagine that your daughter is highly intelligent and that shouldn't be wasted, there is a lot of growing up to do between 14-18, even if she doesn't think so.

I wouldn't have been a good nurse if I had somehow managed to circumvent the requirements and gone early. My years volunteering in the hospital, and later working as a CNA, matured me immensely. I wouldn't give up the 4 1/2 years I spent as a CNA while in school for anything, as that shaped me as a person, much more so than school did.

So, while I can definitely understand why your daughter wants to rush through and get it all done, it just isn't a good idea. Have her get a bachelors in a related field. Mine was in biology, which took care of many of my nursing credits. She may be able to comprehend things well above her age, but only time and experience can give her the maturity that she really needs.

This is such a great post, I wish I could like it more than once.

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Specializes in ER.

Keep in mind that finacial aid rules have changed and she may run out of time for her degree. All the credits she acures now may count towards satisfacotry academic progress or SAP. Some schools are lenient and will give waivers. Some do not.

I was one of those kids who had enough credits to be considered a junior in a university before I graduated high school. My school was lenient since I also took firefighting classes as a volunteer ff which added to my college credit count.

Realistically, she will not be a nurse before she is 18. She could research schools and take non-major classes such as general education credits. She should not be completing the clinicals due to the liability.

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To the OP, I don't think you do get around the 18 year old requirement. But I think you have gotten a lot of good advice. She can proceed with her education in the sciences; it will only help her later. She may even decide she actually is not interested in pursuing nursing. Her more broad STEM education might well lead her into a different field altogether. Most of us did not know what we wanted to do with our lives until we had matured.

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Specializes in ER.

I don't see anything wrong with the mother of a young prodigy trying to find out information for her. She is only 14. Even 18 yr olds get guidance from their parents.

Having said that, I agree that it's best to let the girl get some real world experience. Guard yourself, mom, from getting too attached to the idea of your daughter being ahead of the normal timetable. Let her grow into a balanced human being. And, start fostering her independence from you. Sometimes parents of gifted children can smother them. I've raised 6 kids and have seen a lot of hover mothers in my time. Nothing wrong with being involved, but don't let your pride get in the way of balance.

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If daughter is so mature and accomplished, and wants to be a nurse so badly, how come Mom is here asking the questions instead of her? If she's mature and motivated enough for Mom to be looking for a way to bypass the established requirements for getting into nursing programs, surely she's mature and motivated to be investigating this herself??

Mom didn't say she was mature enough. Thinking mom does not realize what all it takes to be a nurse. There is much more involved that book smarts. Hopefully OP will get that from her responses here.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

My family has had some academically gifted students and my sister was an elementary school teacher with a special interest in gifted children. Here is what they/we have done: focused on using those high school years to develop "well-roundedness" and emotional maturity. So my gifted niece (who has always been a math and science whiz) participates in sports and paints. Her younger brother (with an even higher IQ) played in Little League to develop social skills and is now entering beginning high school with a plan to try out for the tennis team as a means to develop his body as well as his social skills.

The goal is not to push through to PhD as fast as possible with a narrow range of experiences that warp the genius's perspective to just science and math. The goal is to happy, productive adults who are healthy in every way -- emotionally, socially, spiritually, and academically.

I suggest the OP first make sure that her daughter is involved in activities outside of academics so that she develops well in all dimensions, not just science and math. I'd also encourage her to take courses in the social sciences and humanities to develop those areas of her mind. Regardless of her eventual career path, understanding people and all that human life involves will enrich her career and her personal life. Things like art, music, literature, etc. can engage her daughters mind and help her develop into all that she can be in every aspect of intellectual life. Physical activity and a social life will also help her live a full life.

Then, look for a good university that has a great honors program for gifted students.

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Specializes in LTC, Rehab.

It doesn't seem that way when you're 14 - or 24 - but life goes by very quickly. No disrespect whatsoever to your daughter, but even if she's very sharp, which she must be if she's in a community college at 14 (I don't know how that works or how that came about, but that's not the topic of this thread), I don't think she should rush to become a nurse at a younger-than-allowed-anyway age.

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Certainly, continuing to take science classes would very beneficial. She could earn a normal Bachelor's degree then enroll in an accelerated BSN program, I say this because your description implies a gift for academics.

May I ALSO suggest courses in Literature, philosophy, ART, or other humanities to help round out her mind as well as her academic profile? She can also take classes in Yoga or Dance.

Make sure she chases her personal interests too, like dance, collection, or whatever.. Mine is a trivia team :) Being a good Nurse includes the science and brains, but the heart and sense of self will keep you a Nurse.

:)

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