First step at becoming a nurse?

[virgo7598]

I'm going to be moving from New Jersey to Minnesota in the next few months and I would really love to start my career in nursing. I have a Bachelor's in Psychology and a minor in Biology. I plan on getting my foot in the door by taking a class to be a CNA at the local community college and working my way to get my ADN at the same college.

Does anyone have any good advice to give on how to get started? It might be a bit difficult because my GPA is not that great. Ultimately, I would love to be a maternity ward nurse, but I am lost as to how to get there. Is getting my CNA a good idea? Should I also get my LPN?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

Getting your CNA is a good way to get your foot in the door at a hospital or clinic. Many of the nurses I work with started out as CNAs on my floor.

If you ultimately plan on going for your ADN, I fail to see how getting an LPN would help you. LPN training takes, I believe, a year to a year and a half depending on the program. That's time that could be spent working towards your RN.

[virgo7598]

I see. So I guess going from CNA to my ADN would be the best bet. Thanks!

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

Depending on what you want to do. I do not think getting your LPN would help you now if your goal is to become an RN soon because, as I said, the time you spend getting your LPN could be spent working towards your RN.

If you already have a Bachelor's Degree, you could also look into the accelerated BSN programs that only take candidates with a Bachelor's in another field. If you want to work in maternity, getting a BSN may be a good idea because that's a competitive specialty and there are hospitals that are beginning to require the BSN, especially for new grads.

You also do not need to take a CNA course to begin working as an NA. Once you are in nursing school, many hospitals would hire you for an NA position. But, if you want to begin working rather soon to get your foot in the door somewhere, taking a CNA course would not be a bad idea.

[virgo7598]

Yeah but the ADN program i am looking at requires applicants to be registered as a CNA before applying. Plus I would like to gain some experience before applying for an RN. Especially since I've had none so far.And as far as the accelerated programs go, I've read they're very hard to get into and I'm afraid my GPA isn't up to par

[glencovediva]

Hospitals today are requiring nurses to have their BSN. If you are able, work part-time and go to school in the evening. That's what I did. I was lucky my school had an evening program. I heard those accelerated programs are tough. I can't imagin doing one. If you say your GPA is not that great, I would not advise that option. There are not that many seats in nursing programs because of a shortage of nursing faculty, so you need to make yourself stand out in the crowd. Good luck.