After high school, should I become a nurse?

Nurses Career Support

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I'm really thinking about becoming a nurse practitioner. Before I become an NP, I must become an RN first. I'm a freshman in high school and I love working with people and medicine.

The problem is that I'm really scared that after I graduate from a university with my BSN, I fear that it might take me months, even years to find a job. I've been reading many articles about nurses who have completed a BSN and still have an extremely difficult time finding a job. How can this be? The bureau of labor says that there is a huge demand for nurses, especially in rural areas. I am willing to re-locate for a job. I've also read that the unemployment rate for nurses is less than 2%, yet so many nurses are saying they can't find jobs?

I know that most NP schools and NP programs require a minimum year or so of experience as an RN. I'm really scared though, that since there are so many people becoming a nurse, doing nursing programs online, etc, that I won't find a job in years. If this is the case, I'll have to re-think my future career. I know everything in life doesn't come easy and that I'll have to work hard for everything, but I want everything that I've worked hard for to pay off.

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Dear future NP,

I hate to be the one to tell you this but SCARED? Lol you are a freshman in HS! You have plenty of time to worry about your future problems when you get there. For now have fun! Make good grades and if that nurse itch is too strong, volunteer at a local hospital. It will help in more ways than one. By the time you're ready the nursing field and opportunities will be greatly different! Take care! xoxox

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

It's great that you are beginning to be focused on your long-term goals. My advice? Make sure you take full advantage of your (FREE) HS education in a way that will give you a real boost when you're ready to move on to college. Take advanced science & math courses if they are offered. If you can CLEP some of your college pre-requisites, it will be a tremendous savings in terms of time & money. Work hard to maintain a high GPA. This will not only help you get into the college of your choice, it will help you develop the study skills that are so important in a nursing program.

Nursing is not the only health care profession, but it's the one that people are the most familiar with. Take a look at this list Healthcare Occupations : Occupational Outlook Handbook : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Here's a thought - most health care careers have a common set of college 'basic education' courses and pre-requisites which will pretty much take up most of your first 2 years of college. By that time, you will have a much better idea of the outlook for entering nursing. If it's still bleak, you can shift into a different health care profession without much difficulty.

Best of luck on your educational future.

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It's great that you are beginning to be focused on your long-term goals. My advice? Make sure you take full advantage of your (FREE) HS education in a way that will give you a real boost when you're ready to move on to college. Take advanced science & math courses if they are offered. If you can CLEP some of your college pre-requisites, it will be a tremendous savings in terms of time & money. Work hard to maintain a high GPA. This will not only help you get into the college of your choice, it will help you develop the study skills that are so important in a nursing program.
Along this line, see if you can do as much College Credits through your High School Dual Enrollment program, which is available in most States. By the time you are finish with High School, you should be able to amass close to 60 credits (get an Associate Degree from a local Community College). You can pretty much get all your pre-requisites done through the Dual Enrollment Program, knocking off 2-years of a 4-year BSN program....all for free (Tuition and books are covered 100% in most States)!!! In most States, you can start your Dual Enrollment program in your sophomore year of High School. I amazed at how few High School Students take advantage of these Dual Enrollment programs. In some states, you can take advantage of the 2-year on campus program at a local Community College, without setting foot on your High School campus.If your State has a Dual Enrollment Program (or whatever they call it), I would suggest this approach over taking AP courses. Do your research and you will understand why this is preferable to doing AP courses.
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Work on getting the highest grades in your school!

It's very good that you are doing your research about nursing before coming in.

Here is my suggestion if you want to work in nursing. I am going to pour out my wisdom on you. Sorry for the wall of text, lol :) I hope it helps:

While in high school: take some general ed AP or JC classes, but not statistics (that's why I say general ed). I regret taking AP statistics because most NP or CRNA schools do NOT accept AP statistics in the place of statistics, which I got credit for in high school (so I did not take Stats in college). So now I have to take stats somewhere random.

Next, the nursing shortage still exists, but not in the hospitals. The nursing shortage exists in nursing homes, public health, home health, etc. These are not the most desirable places to work, and oftentimes require a year or two of experience to even begin. You may get paid less, treated worse, and have less room for growth.

A nurse with 2 years of LTC experience is considered a new grad nurse by most hospitals, and is not a competitive applicant for good NP programs (there are a plethora of random NP programs that will take you straight after you get your BSN but are not the most reputable. And good luck finding a job as a new grad NP who didn't even work as a nurse and went to a less reputable NP program).

Thirdly, everyone will tell you to work as a CNA in school. But EVERYONE AND THERE MOTHER WORKS AS A CNA IN NURSING SCHOOL. IT DOES NOT SET YOU APART THE WAY IT USED TO. What will set you apart? I have no freaking idea, or else I would be doing it. But being a CNA is no longer the golden ticket it used to be.

HOWEVER, it seems like it's kind of becoming standard, a requirement almost. So so so many people work as CNA's in nursing school, and I, a person who did not work as a CNA, am dreading what this entails for me in the next year or so. Unit secretary, EMT, and stuff like that are also good.

Fourthly, GO TO THE BEST NURSING SCHOOL YOU CAN. Google the top nursing schools in America and aim for them. GET THE HIGHEST GRADES THAT YOU CAN IN HIGH SCHOOL. DO NOT TAKE IT EASY. Why? Because where you go to school makes a huge difference. My university is one of the top in my state, and we are known for not only producing good nurses, but producing nurses who go on to become leaders. Just my school sets me apart. A nursing degree from U Penn, Columbia, Duke, Johns Hopkins or UCLA is worth a HECK of a lot more than one from Kaplan University or Everest college. Maybe not for that first job, but in the long term, going to a top university does.

Fifthly, ANALYZE WHERE YOU WILL HAVE YOUR CLINICALS. MAKE SURE MOST OF THEM ARE IN HOSPITALS, PREFERABLY TEACHING ONES. Seriously, I saw a video where some nurses had all of their peds rotations were in a daycare. Hello? You won't be competative for the job market if you have your peds experience at a DAYCARE.

Sixth, if you can, take the pre med courses (or double major or something else that can set you up with a decent back up plan). I regret not doing this. Why? Because it's VERY HARD to get a job as a nurse, and it's nice to have a back up plan in case things don't work out. I know more than a couple people who took premed courses in nursing school "in case". And guess what? If those people can't find a job in a year or two, they can always figure out a way into medicine or dentistry or something. And yes, getting into med school is incredibly competitive, but guess what else is incredibly competitive? GETTING A GOOD JOB AS A NURSE.

Seventh, if you can, get involved in research. This sets you apart, and will help you in the long term.

Every job market for every job out there is in the toilet right now. I don't know of any job where new grads are miserable. Nurses, we can't find work for a while but we will always have SOMETHING even if it doesn't pay the best and is not the best for growing. It is still more stable than a lot of other majors.

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