advice for highschool student

[future_nurse_parent]

My son (age 15) has been talking about medical school for years and now Nursing. There is a vocational program offered at the highschool level that will allow them to be CNA certified after one year. That program can be taken Junior or Senior year. We're now trying to decide whether he'll jump toward that program (it's half a day for a year) or continue his other studies. He's in the TAG program, takes a lot of AP coursework, and excels in most subjects (not foreign language!). If he moves toward the vocational program, it will drastically affect his class choices. If he continues with his regular school, he'll keep harassing the counselor for AP Bio and Anatomy and Physiology. I'll think he'll have some Dual Enrollment opportunities in 12th grade, too.

I'm trying to do everything I can to encourage him in these pursuits. I'm a single parent and quite literally in the midst of a fight for his life with the ex-family. He needs self-confidence and knowledge that he's going in the right direction. I know that he needs to be able to stand on his own asap to withstand family pressures to be unsuccessful at life. Yes, you read that right.

So my questions - what direction should he take? From previous discussions, I don't think CNA is what he's aiming for. A lot of posting I've read online said CNAs land in nursing homes with low pay and butt wiping certifications? Hmmm. Is that typical? He hasn't read those postings, thank goodness. :)

He has talked extensively about traveling, peace corps, doctors without borders, etc. Should he aim for an RN or other certification/degree? Is there a good site that lays out all the various certifications, typical skills used, % of day doing what, salaries, and more? We've talked a little about whether he might want to shoot for a Physician Asst degree/cert, too. He would not do well in a highly competitive area, so I don't think anything MD is wise.

Finally, I'd like to keep him busy over the upcoming school breaks. What sort of volunteer or paid opportunities exist for his age? Maybe reading to patients in nursing homes? I'd like him to have some exposure to the atmosphere of medical workplaces.

[ellymay]

i don't know exactly what advice to offer. he is only 15 after all. if he thinks he may want to be a nurse, however, starting as a cna would give him an opportunity to see what nurses do. rn's are ultimately responsible for everything a cna does in addition to the things that only they, as rn's are allowed to do. he may also be able to find volunteer opportunities in your local hospitals. good luck with whatever you two decide to do.

[That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

Wow he sounds like me. I took the "med prep" vocational class which was more nursing prep but was a great class! We had the option to take our CNA test at the end of it too. We spent the 2nd 6 months working in the hospital 4 hours every morning. After that I said not nursing not ever again because I didnt really know what nurses do, i thought it was all bed changes and baths. If he does decide to do the program please PLEASE encourage him to shadow nurses in other units to see what nurses can really do. I regret that it took me this long to finally realize this is what I love ( I know I will be doing CNA stuff because well, it is a nurses role first ) but at that age I said hell no, not for me. That program really opened a lot of doors for me and should me a lot which was great and what I needed.

[CuriousMe]

I would encourage him to stay with his TAG classes. Getting his academic foundation now will benefit him much more than learning his basic care skills a couple years early.

Also, check out your state's Board of Nursing website for CNA requirements in your state. He might be able to do his CNA training without the votech program (at a nursing home or community college in the afternoons/weekends). It's unlikely that he'll be able to do the TAG coursework by himself and get as much out of it.

[Music in My Heart]

CNA is a drop in the bucket, and something that you can knock out in just a few weeks if you do it full time (mine was 3 weeks).

If he wants to go to college, be it nursing school or head down the premed route, then he should seek the academic classes and work to excel at them.

If he decides to work his way through college as a CNA, he can quickly get certified any time he'd like to.

[future_nurse_parent]

Thank you all. These are exactly the kinds of responses I was seeking. I do believe a strong academic foundation will take him wherever he wants, so I'm leaning more toward him staying in his present school. He can take AP Biology, Anatomy/Physiology, Psychology, Microbiology, Nutrition, and some technical classes. I'm in the IT industry myself, but he has very little technical education. I believe no matter what field you enter, you need more and more computer skills and knowledge than the previous generation. There's so much that his current school offers that will provide him a more rounded education.

I'll talk to him more this evening.

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

I would encourage him to stay with his TAG classes. Getting his academic foundation now will benefit him much more than learning his basic care skills a couple years early.

Also, check out your state's Board of Nursing website for CNA requirements in your state. He might be able to do his CNA training without the votech program (at a nursing home or community college in the afternoons/weekends). It's unlikely that he'll be able to do the TAG coursework by himself and get as much out of it.

I 2nd this- if you're concerned about keeping him busy during breaks, you could look in to CNA certification through the red cross. At 15 he might be too young, and if so he could look in to volunteer opportunities. When I was in 8th grade I led bingo at a local nursing home- basically operated the number machine and called out the numbers and chatted with residents. He could also look in to non-health care volunteer opportunities as well. Community service experience will be great especially if he's interested in Doctors Without Borders. When he gets closer to college, have him double check their website for what certifications they'll accept. I don't recall if they take PAs and can't remember if you need a BSN as a nurse or not. But that's way in the future.

For now, definitely focus on academics and being a high schooler.

[UVA Grad Nursing]

Mom:

Thanks for coming here to ask questions. It is great to see your support for your son.

I've been a member of undergraduate and graduate admissions committees for 25 years at two major universities (Virginia and Georgetown). I readily accept that my experiences at these universities (N=2) do not reflect all admissions committees at all schools in the country. However, I have read thousands of admissions files over the years and been a part of thousands of admissions decisions.

I would encourage your son to stick with the academic focus. Schools and faculty at university programs expect applicants to push themselves, and count on a strong academic background. My university admits students directly into the BSN program from high school (nursing classes are spread out over all four years); we like people who taken the toughest classes their high school offers (APs, IB, etc). Success in a rigorous academic program is more important to us that hands-on nursing experience in high school.

[MissBrittanyRN]

If he wants to go into med school, I think whether or not he enters the high school CNA program depends on what the CNA program that the school offers is like. Working as a CNA may not be useful to him if he wants to be an MD, but it is very useful if he wants to be an RN. The reason I say that the program may be good even for a future MD is because mine was. It was called "Healthcare Technology". You sat for your CNA if you wanted but it did not just teach "CNA stuff" It also taught anatomy and physiology, first aid, CPR, CNA skills, medical math, healthcare system structures, laws, etc, and even about the different roles of different medical personel, and it was two years. So it was a good high school start for many different future health careers. So, look into his program to see if it is basically for a future CNA/RN or if it is beneficial to several health occupations.

I also recommend that he shadow both an MD and an RN, and even an NP, PA, CNA....anyone. As for volunteer work, I just started at a primary care physicians office for about 2 hours after school everyday. I had zero medical skills but I just wanted to get aquainted with the setting. All that I did was sit in the doctors office and file medical records, but it gave me a foundation to build upon. Eventually I learned about some of the laws, what tests were for what dx, a few medications, and I just learned how to be comfortable communicating with several different medical staff members. Then I started taking patients back for vital signs (I know, simple, but I learned how to interact with people, I was very shy) Then I started working in the front office for a paycheck when I turned 16, and I checked patients in and out, I answered the phone calls, I learned about insurance, etc.

When I was 18 I worked as a CNA in Labor and Delivery and I learned so much more about acute care, went to nursing school, and now although I don't have a new grad job, I think it will get better, and I do have a few lined up. I did not intend to make this thread about my own accomplishments, but this is the path that I took, and I think it may serve him well, especially if he wants to do nursing. It depends on where you work as a CNA, but I wiped very few butts lol, although there is nothing wrong with hygiene care lol. The medical records is especially good if he has shyness issues because you start in a less interactive setting while you get started, and work your way through the office until you start interacting with the staff, and then if he takes a similar approach that I did, eventually he could get comfortable with patients. And in primary care he can learn about such a variety of health related topics.

If he has any questions, he is welcome to PM me!

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

I wish I could get you in touch with a friend of mine from school. He is 22, he was in something in High School that was actually taught by one of our now nursing instructors, anyway it sounds very similar to what you are describing because he became a CNA and worked as that for a few years and CNA's are in Hospitals not just Nursing Homes but CNA work is a lot of "butt wiping" for a lack of better words, also toileting in general, changing clothes, it's pretty much basic care. at least in the nursing homes from what I have seen when I had to shadow a CNA. But you get your feet wet somewhere and those skills will help him.

Anyway, my classmate did this and got a jump ahead on things and he is now 22 and started nursing school this semester, he has all co reqs already completed and a few other things for multiple degrees. He is one of the coolest people I have met for being so young, he has just had such a interesting life. Anyway, I guess their is a wait list for the peace corpse and he is on the list so hopefully when we are done with nursing school he will go right into that. He has no desire to do hospital nursing and has a lot of plans and goals.

From what all he told me it sounded like what he did in HS was a wonderful experience for him and got him a few steps ahead, he also did the EMT training and got certified as that and a few other things that I don't remember.

Anyway, I really like this classmate, he has become like a little brother to me and we study together and sit together so I have gotten to know him pretty well, when I read your post it seemed like you were describing him!!!

A lot of HS now seem to be able to do college core classes now for college credit and HS credit, I wish we ever had stuff like this when I was in HS.

Best of luck to your son and whatever path he takes.

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

Also I think if he is going to be a MD a CNA experience could be wonderful for him. I worked with a CNA that is going to go to Med school and he talked about how he wanted to be a CNA to keep him humble and have a whole other side of understanding when it comes to him giving care to his patients. I have also met a few wonderful Dr's that started out as CNA's and worked their way up.