Can passion be doubled?

[JamPoteto5]

Salutations to all from a High school student who has a year and a half to think about what career to approach. I am set on earning a Nursing degree but there is a way I want to do it God willing and this way means harder work and more patience the skills needed to be a nurse. I'd like to begin with becoming a nurse practitioner and after a year or 2 of gaining experience I want to go back to school and become a forensic nurse so I can work on both fields. I understand this is a challenge but it is a challenge I am willing to take. Further on I want to become a missionary nurse and with all my experience travel the world to serve others with the help I can provide. I am only planning ahead, but I have no idea how to go about this, where to start, or what to look for. I need professional advice, anyone who can provide that I would be extremely thankful of. Thank you.

[llg, PhD, RN]

The first thing you need to do is find a nursing school to attend. Everyone starts out in nursing (assuming you are in the U.S.) as a basic nurse. Some people start out by going to a 4-year college/university and getting a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing (BSN). Other people go to a local Community College or career school for 2-3 years and get an Associate's Degree (ADN or ASN). That Associate's Degree allows them to get an entry-level job that they work while they go back for another year or two of education to get a BSN.

After you get your first nursing degree (either ADN, ASN, or BSN), you take a test called the NCLEX-RN to get a nursing license. Then you can get a nursing job. During that first nursing job, you will learn a lot about yourself and nursing that will help you make decisions about longer-term future. You will then be ready to start looking at graduate schools to become a Nurse Practitioner or anything else you decide you want to be.

But before you do any of that ... you need to graduate from a nursing school and become a basic nurse. I suggest you talk with your high school guidance counselor for information about applying to colleges and/or start investigating colleges in your region on your own. Identify how you are going to pay for your college education, etc. Have you talked with your parents about these things yet? Are your grades good? Have you taken the classes at school that prepare you for college? etc.

I'd also suggest you do some volunteer work in a health care facility so that you can see what it is really like to work with patients in a health care environment.

Good luck to you.