Admission to the Nursing Program to be RN

Hime · Jun 23, 2011

It might be difficult to be done at 20 (unless you can actually take dual-credit college classes before you graduate h.s.), but 21-22 is entirely possible for a 2-year RN program. There is a girl in my class who will graduate at 20 or 21. My 2-year program is typical of many others. There are 3 prereqs: chemistry, a&p (a one-semester combined a&p is okay for our program), and intro to psych. In our school, you have to take chemistry before a&p, so you could take chemistry & intro to psych in the the summer after h.s. graduation, then a&p in the fall. Then you could apply for the nursing program in January (for the following fall semester), so if you get accepted at that point, you would be starting the 2-year nursing program about 15 months after h.s. graduation, putting you at 21 when you're all done (if you graduate h.s. at 18).
Our school has a point ranking system that decides if you get admitted to the nursing major. I guess a lot of community college nursing programs are going to similar types of points systems. The points are based on your gpa for prereq classes (4 points if you have a 4.0 for those classes). You can get 1 extra point for having your cna, and 1 extra point for having taken microbiology before applying for nursing. In our program, you pretty much have to have one of the two extra points in order to get in (either CNA or microbiology), and if your prereq gpa is less than 4.0, you probably want to have both of those extra points when you apply for the nursing program. But the advice they give is that once you have the bare minimum prereqs done, start applying to the program when the application period comes up. In the meantime, keep working on things that will raise your points in case you get denied the first time and need to reapply the next application period. So, as you're waiting to see if your January application got accepted, take Microbiology during that spring semester (it's a heavy course, so it really is worth getting it done beforehand so you don't have to take it alongside your nursing courses).
If you can fit it in your schedule, I strongly recommend taking the CNA course soon after h.s. - before your first application to a nursing program. Many of these courses are 8 weeks - they really aren't hard, mostly common sense. They have classroom & clinical time. Most community colleges offer it, and a lot of high schools allow you to earn it also. You might want to ask your school guidance counselor. In addition to helping you get into a nursing program, I think the clinical component of the CNA course will give you some great experiences that might help you decide if you really like nursing. The CNA certificate will also help you get a part-time job as a nursing assistant during nursing school. That experience can really help you with your nursing school clinicals and it really helps to get your foot in the door at a hospital or other facility before you graduate. That will increase your chances of getting hired as an RN.
If you want to pursue a 4-year BSN, you really shouldn't have that hard of a time getting general "admission" into the university and the pre-nursing track. Still work hard for the rest of your h.s. classes and raise your gpa as much as possible, but getting into a pre-nursing track shouldn't be harder than gaining general admission to the university you're looking at. These schools typically admit far more students into the pre-nursing track than the nursing major itself. When you apply for the actual nursing program (after your first year) is when it gets competitive.

Thank you much for the info! I really want to pursue the 2-year nursing, but I don't think my parents will allow me to go to a community college. Will the CNA program help me get into the 4-year BSN nursing program? And how do you earn the CNA in high school?

AJPV · Jun 23, 2011

You might want to talk with your parents about both options. The 2-year option is definitely still an option if your end-goal is to get a 4-year BSN degree. The 2-year option has a huge financial advantage over doing a 4-year degree at a traditional university. First, the tuition you'll pay at a community college is waaaay cheaper. My school's tuition is $82 per credit hour, compared to 4-year schools often averaging $300 or more per credit. Keep in mind that at a traditional university, many of the first year courses for which you'll be paying that wonderful $300/credit tuition will be humanities, english, sociology, a foreign language and the like. My entire 2-year ADN degree will cost me around $12,000. You could expect to pay that much or more each year at a 4-year university.

Second, the financial advantage on the back-side of a 2-year ADN degree is by far the greatest money-saver. After getting your 2-year RN, you'll be able to earn about $40,000 to $50,000 per year if you work full time. If you consider how much you could make during the 2 years when you would otherwise still be sitting in classes at a 4-year university (without your nursing license and unable to earn nursing wages), you could pocket $80,000 to $100,000 that you otherwise would not have earned.

Even if the 4-year BSN is your final goal, by making your first step a 2-year RN degree, you stand to "save" at least $100,000 over jumping straight into your BSN. You can bridge into a BSN completion after earning your 2-year RN. Many programs allow you to do the bridge courses at your own pace (anywhere from 1 to 5 years). In the meantime, you're making the wages of an RN as you work on your BSN.

All of that aside, please don't think I'm discouraging you from going straight into your BSN. That is definitely the right choice for a lot of people - especially if you're not sure if you'll have the motivation to keep going and actually finish a bridge program later. Also, if the social side of the "college experience" is important to you, it might be a lot more rewarding to be on a traditional campus - although be careful to not let it distract you from studying hard :)

As far as CNA in high school - I would talk with your guidance counselor. Also, try calling a bunch of community colleges in your area and tell them you're still in h.s. and ask their advice on how you could get your CNA in your community. The instructors tend to know all the options and could give you great advice.

Hope that helps - good luck!

Annaiya, NP · Jun 24, 2011

As someone who started law school at the age of 20, I can tell you to stop looking at your career and education as a goal that needs to be reached by a certain age. Go to a 4 year university and look at the experience as a time for you to transition from being a child to being an adult. It's great that you want to go for nursing, but be open to what you like and what your strengths are. Invest your time into your studies and work toward getting good grades. Being an RN is a huge amount of responsibility. There are so many ways that your actions can have severe consequences for your patients, so taking your time to really learn everything you need to know is a good thing. It will not help you to rush to being an RN only to find yourself overwhelmed, stressed out and burned out by 23.

cherrybreeze, ADN, RN · Jun 24, 2011

I am very curious as to why you have your sights so set on being an RN by a certain age. May I ask why that is so important?

Obviously, if you pursue a BSN, there is no way you can do that and be an RN by age 20 (and likely not by 21). I got my ADN, and started as an RN at age 21 (I did the 2 1/2 year program in 3 years, since I also had to work almost full time while I was in college). For a BSN, you would be 22 when you graduate....that is not so bad?

Is there a reason your parents wouldn't "let" you go to community college? In terms of being a BSN vs ADN, you still have the same license at the end. You can always start with your ADN and then go back for your BSN (I still say I'm going to someday, lol). It is certainly less expensive to get your ADN, and for any "first" job, an ADN would suffice (well, a lot of people on here say that "most" hospitals require a BSN, but it depends on the area you live....that is not the trend where I am). Later on, if your interest is in nursing management, etc, you'll need your BSN, but like I said, that can still be obtained later on.

I agree with discussing all your questions with your guidance counselor, s/he will be a wealth of information and be able to point you in the right direction.

As far as being a CNA, this would definitely help you later on (both with getting a job/having the experience, and with your schoolwork). As for helping you get in to school, I don't know how much that would help. Some programs are now requiring students to get certified before starting the nursing program (the first part of the program is essentially learning the same things, so it just speeds up the process). I think the most important thing you can do right now, though, is continue keeping up the grades, and graduate with the best GPA you can.

You can absolutely become a CNA at your age. Where I live, you can take the class through the Red Cross. It lasts several weeks; you would have to find one that fit in with your school schedule and didn't adversely affect your time for regular schoolwork.

Another thing your guidance counselor can help you with is to see if there are any programs in your area for high school students. I participated in a Youth Apprenticeship program through my area's Chamber of Commerce my junior and senior years. It involved going to high school for half the day (one year it was the afternoon, the other it was the morning) and the other half of the day, I took classes at the tech school that were healthcare-related. We also then worked at a location that corresponded with the class we were taking. The first semester of that (so, the first semester of my junior year) was the CNA class and certification, and then I worked in a nursing home (this nursing home hired me after the semester, and I worked there until I was done with college, from age 16 through 21). After that, the classes were in radiology, lab, physical therapy, and medical records. It was a lot of fun, and I learned a TON. I would never have had the chance to gain so much knowledge AND experience in each of these areas otherwise. The knowledge base I gained (in general pathology, medical terminology, and also, just how each of these areas function) was invaluable. Even just the CNA part would have been helpful, you learn a lot by observing. If you were to work as a CNA in a hospital, all the better (to see patients with more acute conditions). The nursing home still helped, though, too, since it can and does take some time to get comfortable doing patient care when you're brand new to it.

Good luck with everything, hope my rambling helped!

Hime · Jun 27, 2011

Hey, thanks for the infos and sorry for the late response

Hime · Jun 27, 2011

You might want to talk with your parents about both options. The 2-year option is definitely still an option if your end-goal is to get a 4-year BSN degree. The 2-year option has a huge financial advantage over doing a 4-year degree at a traditional university. First, the tuition you'll pay at a community college is waaaay cheaper. My school's tuition is $82 per credit hour, compared to 4-year schools often averaging $300 or more per credit. Keep in mind that at a traditional university, many of the first year courses for which you'll be paying that wonderful $300/credit tuition will be humanities, english, sociology, a foreign language and the like. My entire 2-year ADN degree will cost me around $12,000. You could expect to pay that much or more each year at a 4-year university.
Second, the financial advantage on the back-side of a 2-year ADN degree is by far the greatest money-saver. After getting your 2-year RN, you'll be able to earn about $40,000 to $50,000 per year if you work full time. If you consider how much you could make during the 2 years when you would otherwise still be sitting in classes at a 4-year university (without your nursing license and unable to earn nursing wages), you could pocket $80,000 to $100,000 that you otherwise would not have earned.
Even if the 4-year BSN is your final goal, by making your first step a 2-year RN degree, you stand to "save" at least $100,000 over jumping straight into your BSN. You can bridge into a BSN completion after earning your 2-year RN. Many programs allow you to do the bridge courses at your own pace (anywhere from 1 to 5 years). In the meantime, you're making the wages of an RN as you work on your BSN.
All of that aside, please don't think I'm discouraging you from going straight into your BSN. That is definitely the right choice for a lot of people - especially if you're not sure if you'll have the motivation to keep going and actually finish a bridge program later. Also, if the social side of the "college experience" is important to you, it might be a lot more rewarding to be on a traditional campus - although be careful to not let it distract you from studying hard :)
As far as CNA in high school - I would talk with your guidance counselor. Also, try calling a bunch of community colleges in your area and tell them you're still in h.s. and ask their advice on how you could get your CNA in your community. The instructors tend to know all the options and could give you great advice.
Hope that helps - good luck!

Yeah, I think I'll try to persuade my parents about the two year community college and hopefully they will listen! And thank you so much for all the advices, it really helped a lot!

Hime · Jun 27, 2011

As someone who started law school at the age of 20, I can tell you to stop looking at your career and education as a goal that needs to be reached by a certain age. Go to a 4 year university and look at the experience as a time for you to transition from being a child to being an adult. It's great that you want to go for nursing, but be open to what you like and what your strengths are. Invest your time into your studies and work toward getting good grades. Being an RN is a huge amount of responsibility. There are so many ways that your actions can have severe consequences for your patients, so taking your time to really learn everything you need to know is a good thing. It will not help you to rush to being an RN only to find yourself overwhelmed, stressed out and burned out by 23.

Haha, I think i can handle all the stress and hard works. Thanks anyway

Hime · Jun 27, 2011

I am very curious as to why you have your sights so set on being an RN by a certain age. May I ask why that is so important?
Obviously, if you pursue a BSN, there is no way you can do that and be an RN by age 20 (and likely not by 21). I got my ADN, and started as an RN at age 21 (I did the 2 1/2 year program in 3 years, since I also had to work almost full time while I was in college). For a BSN, you would be 22 when you graduate....that is not so bad?
Is there a reason your parents wouldn't "let" you go to community college? In terms of being a BSN vs ADN, you still have the same license at the end. You can always start with your ADN and then go back for your BSN (I still say I'm going to someday, lol). It is certainly less expensive to get your ADN, and for any "first" job, an ADN would suffice (well, a lot of people on here say that "most" hospitals require a BSN, but it depends on the area you live....that is not the trend where I am). Later on, if your interest is in nursing management, etc, you'll need your BSN, but like I said, that can still be obtained later on.
I agree with discussing all your questions with your guidance counselor, s/he will be a wealth of information and be able to point you in the right direction.
As far as being a CNA, this would definitely help you later on (both with getting a job/having the experience, and with your schoolwork). As for helping you get in to school, I don't know how much that would help. Some programs are now requiring students to get certified before starting the nursing program (the first part of the program is essentially learning the same things, so it just speeds up the process). I think the most important thing you can do right now, though, is continue keeping up the grades, and graduate with the best GPA you can.
You can absolutely become a CNA at your age. Where I live, you can take the class through the Red Cross. It lasts several weeks; you would have to find one that fit in with your school schedule and didn't adversely affect your time for regular schoolwork.
Another thing your guidance counselor can help you with is to see if there are any programs in your area for high school students. I participated in a Youth Apprenticeship program through my area's Chamber of Commerce my junior and senior years. It involved going to high school for half the day (one year it was the afternoon, the other it was the morning) and the other half of the day, I took classes at the tech school that were healthcare-related. We also then worked at a location that corresponded with the class we were taking. The first semester of that (so, the first semester of my junior year) was the CNA class and certification, and then I worked in a nursing home (this nursing home hired me after the semester, and I worked there until I was done with college, from age 16 through 21). After that, the classes were in radiology, lab, physical therapy, and medical records. It was a lot of fun, and I learned a TON. I would never have had the chance to gain so much knowledge AND experience in each of these areas otherwise. The knowledge base I gained (in general pathology, medical terminology, and also, just how each of these areas function) was invaluable. Even just the CNA part would have been helpful, you learn a lot by observing. If you were to work as a CNA in a hospital, all the better (to see patients with more acute conditions). The nursing home still helped, though, too, since it can and does take some time to get comfortable doing patient care when you're brand new to it.
Good luck with everything, hope my rambling helped!

The reason why I want to start my career ealier is because I'm from a disadvantaged background family . But the main reason is that I have a father that can't wait for me to die and move out of his house. He asked me if i'm 17, i replied that im only 16, and he said "no your 17, and your moving out next year". This really meant a lot to me, and it gave me the idea to start working ealier. However, I have a mother that loveme a lot and always support me. Not that she won't let me go to community college, but I don't want her to be disappointed.

Thanks for the advice anyways!