High School student would appreciate advice

Ansumana · Aug 7, 2012

To start off if you want to be sure nursing is for you, you may want to Truro become a CNA but even that really doesn't entail everything in becoming an RN or an LPN. The nursing ladder I believe goes in order like this:

CNA

GNA

LPN/LVN (this is where you get a certificate of proficiency which takes a yr)

RN (This is where you get you associates degree and hen your bachelors)

Then I believe it branches off to NP, midwife nurse, nurse widower, etc. what you should expect is a lot of science such as chemistry and anatomy&physiology which are tough classes and can be tough. He pre reqs in nursing is easy or at least won't give you a hard time if you have excellent memory. Then you also have to take psychology classes which are cakewalks and your English 101 class. I believe that it to be able to apply for the nursing program o becoming an LPN. Nursing is very competitive and getting a 3.0 as an overall GPA may put you on an alternative status or the "wait list" you may hear or see people refer to it as. Aim for A's in you biology classes as they are worth more in credits than the rest but aim generally for A's no matter what. Only a few people get excepted a year; a handful in January and than a handful (maybe two handfuls) in August/ September. Hope this helps. If you have any more questions ask away.

Saysfaa · Aug 7, 2012

Try putting "path to degree" and "pros and cons of online" or "should I do online" or "like online" into the search bar on this website. You will get lots of results, if it isn't exactly what you are looking for you can find other keywords to use in another search.

Another way to find the paths is to sort through the nursing options at the schools in your area - they sometimes lay it out and sometimes you will need to extrapolate from the admissions criteria for each option.

Your best option to get an edge at this point, is to focus on school - not just getting top grades but also learning how to learn including note taking skills, study skills and test taking skills... and how to get what you learn into your long term memory. You could also continue developing/building people skills and establishing professionalism (inititive, dependability, promptness, and so on). These aren't as exciting as you might have expected but they will be worth more later than most other things you could do.

achavez0713 · Aug 7, 2012

My advice is to take it slow. Only take a couple classes at a time so you can try your best at making A's. Don't let an advisor push you into take 12 hours to be full time, I would take 6-9 hours every semester. If you make a C in something, re-take it, you need to make A's. Nursing is very competetive!! Study your butt off!! Do any and all extra credit any instructor offers, especially in your A&P classes. I start my nursing program in 20 days. I didn't get in my first try but I went back, re-took classes and took extra enrichment classes to raise my GPA to a 3.7. If you take the HESI, make sure to study for it. You can do this, you just have to start out the right way!! Good luck.

kristin6727 · Aug 7, 2012

I would check with your high school and see if there are any college courses you can take now. When I was a senior I remember some kids doing that. I know they had A&P.

rkdb · Aug 7, 2012

I really agree with starting off slow! I have been in school for 3 yrs just doing pre-req's and keeping my GPA high, and still am worried about getting into a program. The time will fly! I would focus on the science and one mistake I made was waiting to take chemisty and that will hold you back from taking nutrition class. You never know what classes your going to have to take till you find a program and see what their specific pre-req's are. I would really research schools and find three that have very close pre-req lists and start taking the classes that they all require. make sure to take chem in high school!!

I don't know about where you are but here in Tx we have a program that allows you to take college level classes at your community college while in high school. dual credit. I didn't do this so I don't know that much about it, but I would look into that. You will have a HUGE amount of pre-req's and if you do them part time ( to make sure you make A's) then having one year of college done when you graduate high school would be really nice!!

Good luck! You can do it!!

ProudStudent · Aug 7, 2012

First, you derserve recognition for taking your future into your own hands at such a young age. :bow: This gives me no doubt that you will handle everything as well as you can, and be the best Nurse you can be one day. With that being said, I'll answer your post.

I too, agree that you should take your time with classes. Those A's are extremely important because of the competitive field of Nursing. In my opinion there really is no shortage of Nurses in general. I don't think that you will really know what field you want to work in, until you have started clinicals or even learned more about the nursing process. (At least that's comparing you to my situation) If you want to stay close to home, without traveling out of state for college -start going to the schools around and signing up for prospective student orientations, talk to advisors and interview. As a student, the college should cater to your needs. If you don't like what they have to offer, you always have other options and should never feel obligated to settle.

Since you are young, I'm recommending that you start with becoming a RN. You can start a great career early and have more of an opportunity to "branch out" as you suggested. Sure...you can become a CNA and work somewhere for experience while you finish school if you wish, too. Sometimes it's a good idea to experience beside care before the big leap anyhow. If you have any schools near you that offer BSN programs, I would inquire on what prerequisites they require before applying and sign up for those when you can. Also, contact a local hospital's education department and ask to speak with someone about additional options or questions. The education departments at our local hospitals here, are always super excited to share information and my lead you along the way -and even offer you a volunteer position before you decide on your career. Good luck to you, I wish you the very best. I wouldn't fear that you're making any wrong decisions, believe me... you have plenty of time. Some of us are starting over at 30-something (and later)!! LOL

cally527, RN · Aug 7, 2012

I'm an incoming senior fall of 2012
Current age of 16
Taking classes that related to nursing
Live in southern California
My gpa is higher than a 3.0, so its not the best
What I'm really looking for is advice on what i should do and how?
Was wondering what is the order of degrees/certificates to reach the highest level of education. ( I know its not a single path, and does branch out, if someone could include the different pathing) and also the difference in pathing
How should i get involved now, to obtain an edge? (Like where would opportunities present themselves)
Any recommended schools? Either online or on a campus? Also anyone's input on online classes.
These are just a few questions i have at the moment, answering these questions would probably lead to more. If anyone is willing to take the time to help me, it'll probably change my life.
Thanks :)

With the degrees/certificates... it is hard to give an answer because every state is different. Plus you made no mention of what you are thinking of considering.

As for how you should get involved now to obtain an edge. There are several things you can do. You can volunteer at a local hospital. You could take a CNA course and get CNA certified (not sure if there is an age restriction in your state, you might have to wait until you are 18 to do this.) You can start networking and getting to know people. You can see about taking some advanced placement classes at your school or taking some classes at you local community college (AP1, Chemistry, Microbiology, AP2.... these are just some of the classes that are usually prerequisites at nursing programs)

One thought, since you are not really sure about what you should do, I think that it would be a great idea to see if nursing is something that you COULD do. (it is not a profession that is for everyone) I suggest doing a little online research about the different career paths of nurses and then seeing if your local hospital would be amenable to setting you up with a few nurses that you could shadow for a day. This would be a great way to get a good idea about what a nurse does, what some of the specialties are like, what a nurse practitioner does, what a CRNA does. etc, etc.

Finally schools, again, it differs by state and by what your proposed career path is. I can tell you that in order to become an RN you are going to have to attend school the traditional way. It is not possible to teach the nursing skills in an online setting. I think that taking some classes at your local community college will give you an idea of what college classes are like, once you know what the intensity is like, you can decide whether or not online classes would even be something you could do. (some people need to be in a classroom where they can stop the teacher and ask a question if need be. Others, like myself, can take classes either way. I have a bachelor degree in business that i did completely online)

HOpefully, this answer is somewhat helpful to you. Good luck to you as you continue on with your studies and congrats on taking charge of your future instead of sitting back and waiting for it to come to you!

djh123 · Aug 7, 2012

Try to talk to some nurses, do some research online, maybe volunteer at a hospital, and/or consider becoming a CNA, as some others have suggested.

If you do go to nursing school, I'd recommend going the BSN (4-yr degree) rather than the ADN (2-yr.) route, as that seems to be the way the profession is going. (Absolutely NO disrespect to all of the great ADN's out there, though!!!).

You also might check - something I didn't do - on the 'pass rate' of prospective schools. That's the school's percentage of graduates in a given year who passed the NCLEX on the first try. Your state board of nursing site should have that information.

nyteshade, BSN · Aug 7, 2012

I recommend you keep an open mind about what to major in college. Whatever your plans are, I recommend you apply to a 4-year college. Find out what pre-reqs are needed for nursing, but expand on other classes that you might not have otherwise needed, say something like anthropology isn't a required course, but would be awesome knowledge. If you really want nursing get a BSN. To get an edge, do well on the ACT or SAT and get admitted to a university. I recommend attending school on campus. The type of university should be whatever you feel is a good fit. online programs are designed for nurses returning to school to further their education.

zoey8 · Aug 8, 2012

There is wome wonderfull advice on these boards....whatever you choose stick with it and continue with your education!

booredandrew · Aug 8, 2012

I would just like to thank everyone for responding to my post, I'm very grateful. From the answers I've been given some more questions arose.

1.I'm still confused on what a CNA does. So if that could be clarified.

2.Some of the following people recommended getting a BSN over an ADN(which i think is the first steps after High School). I want to know the complete differences between the 2.

3.I have recently taken chem jr. year, i got high Cs both semesters due to not finding it as an important class at the time, should i retake the class and aim for As? Or should I just keep moving on?

4.How would i get CNA?

I would just like to thank everyone for taking the time to answer my questions. I'm actually amazed at how many people responded to me in such a short amount of time.