If you follow this guide for getting into nursing school then you will be a successful student, and you will get into nursing school. The successful pre-nursing major student will go through their ups and downs, but following these tips will make your life a lot easier, and will ensure acceptance into a nursing program. Remember to stay focused, friendly, and to get help when you need it.
NursesAnnouncementsArchiveArticle
It is important to make straight A's. One or two B's is alright, depending upon your program, is okay, but to be safe, make all A's. If you are having problems with your school work, ask you teacher for tips and then form a study group. If it comes down to it, retake classes. Just remember to bust your rear-end to get really good grades.
Prepare yourself for nursing school entrance exams. See if your entrance exam has an official study guide. ATI has made an official study guide for the TEAS V. Also, check and see if your school offers study sessions for their nursing school entrance exams. If all else fails, do a Google or amazon search and I bet you will find something there.
Keep in good standings with your class mates and instructors. Some programs require letters of recommendation, and instructors are perfect for this. I'm not saying to kiss their bottom every chance you get, but try to be friendly with them. And you never know when a class-mate will end up working at a potential place of work, and the person over hiring and firing asks them about you.
Keep a positive attitude, and learn to love being a student. You are going to be one for the rest of your life.
Prepare yourself financially for nursing school beforehand. Also, you will need to prepare a lot of free time to study your heart-out in nursing school, so be sure to make arrangements. It's not impossible to get through the nursing school process with a family. In fact, many others have done it, but it does complicate things a bit.
You are never too old to enter the field. If an older nurse came into my room with me as the patient, I would just assume that they have been doing this job for a long time, and that would actually make me feel much more comfortable. Just be sure to show confidence. Also, don't be scared to enter nursing because you are a male or any other minority. There are places for everyone within the nursing field, regardless of where you live. Most males end up working in the ER like units which is where the vast majority prefer to be anyway.
Develop a support group. Getting through the pre-req's with flying colors can be very stress inducing, and having a family member or friend there to support you in the rough time can be very helpful, if you don't have those things then allnurses.com members are known for their encouraging words to struggling students. Just make sure that this is what you want to be doing, and that you are not going into nursing for the wrong reasons. Make sure that you are going in because you love patient care, and not for a pay check because you will be miserable beyond all means if you do, and not just at the nursing level, but also at the pre-nursing student level too.
Volunteer or work as a CNA first. Some schools favor students who volunteer their time or work as a CNA because it shows that they are really going into nursing for the right reasons.
Good luck, study hard and then have fun!
Point by point format
Make good grades
Study official nursing school entrance exam study, or similar material.
Keep in good standings with your classmates and instructors
Prepare yourself financially and free up ample time for studying.
One is never too old, or is of the wrong minority to enter nursing.
