Confused High School Student

[Nurse Beth, MSN]

Dear Nurse Beth,

I am a confused junior in high school. I have always had a desire to do nursing. I really want to go into helping cancer patients. I have absolutely no clue where to start or what I would have to do followed by the requirements to be able to work with cancer patients. I have done my research, I have not really found any useful answers.

How many years would I go to college for? What do you even do? Very confused. Just do not want to get my hopes up in the cancer field and waste my time and it ending up being something I am not interested in. I would like to be able to be beside my patient during his or her journey during chemo therapy/ radiation. just looking for some answers!

Dear Confused High School Student who Wants Oncology Nursing,

Here's what you do:

Get good grades the remainder of high school. When you graduate, attend college and begin taking your general ed as well as nursing pre-requisites (pre-requisites include chemistry, anatomy and physiology). Be mindful of your GPA to remain competitive.

Apply to nursing school (programs take 2-4 years, I recommend a BSN program). Graduate and test for your nursing license.

At this point you are a qualified nurse. Speciality practice happens once you start working, not in school. There are some wonderful opportunities in oncology, including

being a nurse navigator, where you walk patients through their entire treatment experience. You could also work in an oncology infusion center, where you administer chemotherapy.

With your heart for these patients, you can easily find your path. Maybe your destiny :)

Best wishes,

Nurse Beth

Author, "Your Last Nursing Class: How to Land Your First Nursing Job"...and your next!

[sunny time]

are you able to take college classes while in high school? if so take your general ed classes this pushes you ahead faster. take a medical terminology class. write down the dream you have then daily journal the step you took to get to this dream. Believe it or not time will go quickly. you may look into volunteering on the oncology floor at the hospital or for a LTC or hospice. this will get you next to the people you want to help. hopefully, this will help you get started.