Reaching High School Students

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Dec 27, 2001

Check out http://www.tobeanurse.com website sponsored by Thomas Jefferson Health system, Phila. PA

School of nursing lists can be obtained from PA SBON:http://www.dos.state.pa.us/bpoa/nurbd/mainpage.htm

colleen10 · Dec 27, 2001

Hi Zee_RN,

I am not a nurse, yet, but I did want to respond to your post because I really feel that it's important for health careers and especially nursing to be represented to young people. I really think that if you want to get as much interest as possible you should put your mind in a teenagers mindset.

Here are some things that I think young people should think about when considering careers and why nursing may be something they should consider. (these are based on my own experiences and the experiences of my younger cousins, I'm the oldest of 10) I am also 26 years old.

1) there are a lot of different areas in nursing, some that most don't even consider, you can go into new areas that interest you. You should talk about the different areas. I think a lot of students think that a nurse is just someone that walks around a hospital taking BP's.

2) demand for nurses right now is high. I know when I graduated college (not in nursing) it took me and most of my friends over a year to find real jobs and they weren't even that great anyway. Plus, when I wanted to find a new job it took even longer to find one.

3) With nursing you can go for 4 years (BSN) or 2 years (ASN). Paying for education is something that I think a lot of kids don't consider because what ever you can't afford after grants a loan will all too easily cover. If someone would have told me how much and for how long I would be paying back my student loan when I was 18 I would have definately reconsidered my options right then and there.

4) I am making a generalization here, but I think a lot of young people only look at careers that make money. Which can be bad because 5, 10, 15 years into their career they may realize that they don't really enjoy what they do. Kids choosing careers may deny their natural abilities and interests just to make some big bucks when they graduate.

5) A lot of people I know got degrees in areas that they thought would make them big bucks and unfortunately, they are not. Just because you have a degree doesn't mean you instantly get more money. I am making the same amount of money, sometimes even less, than people without degrees. A lot of it has to do with the career field, the area where you live, etc. For example, where I live people with degrees, whether it be business, teaching, etc. in general are not in high demand. I'm just saying for my area of the country and not about nursing degrees.

6) Most nursing, that I know of, is not like the T.V. show ER. I have two aunts that are hospital nurses and they have never had to crack a chest. Seems like on ER they crack a chest every 20 minutes. Remember when the T.V. show LA Law was on the air? The rise in people pursuing careers in Law went up dramatically. Can't say if this is the same for nursing and Emergency Care but students should have a reasonable expectation of what nursing is.

Aside from the above nursing is a career about people. If you don't like people become a computer programmer or something. I want to go into nursing because I am smart, hard working, love science and medicine, enjoy working with people even when they are not so nice, like work with a physical aspect to it (rather than sit at a desk all day), and do my best and get a natural high when I am helping others, even when they don't nessicarily want it or think they need it.

Don't mean to ramble on or give you too much information but this topic really peaked my interest and opinions!

Good Luck,

Colleen 10

Zee_RN, BSN, RN · Dec 28, 2001

Thanks for the sites, NrsKaren...I'm gonna print out some of that stuff and work it into a presentation.

Colleen10--you made some *great* points! I may even use some direct quotes, if you don't mind!

Thanks!

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Dec 28, 2001

Zee:

I have old issues of Nursing Spectrum and Advance for Nurses this past year that have covers featuring different Nuring careers that i can send you. Send email if interested.

Contact local uniform stores to see if they might have posters too....also attend job Fairs hosted by both of these Magazines Phila area issues to get stuff/ pics from shoe companies, stethascope/equipment companies, etc.... and promote your facility! Talk to people in your purchasing dept too for contacts.

another site: How to Become a Nurse

http://nursing.about.com/library/weekly/aa041801a.htm