Highschool student needs help

I would post in the California state area. Keep an open mind and realize that you may have fierce competition. A lot of people struggle to get a nursing spot. I would begin by researching 5 schools and get to three that you want to go to. You may end up getting accepted to a BSN program. At my community college, we had students taking off and graduating from a BSN program before their name was called on the wait list. However, that would lead to an increase in debt but they entered the workforce quicker and did not need to go back for their BSN.

A lot of hospitals will make you go back with your BSN before they will even hire you. Some will require it within 5 years. I think it is funny that the internal agency advertises my BSN. Some will not care.

2 year programs are rarely 2 year programs. A lot of them are actually 3 year programs because you may need to get the pre-reqs. There are some programs that let you take your pre-reqs while taking nursing classes but those are fewer and fewer. I was one of the last ones at my school to do it that way.

Some schools have wait lists before you start clinicals. Basically, you end up on a list and wait. My school had a wait list for about 4 or 5 years before they did away with it. Because of my GPA and ACT score and the fact that they were doing away with the wait list, I started quickly.

Some schools do points. In my area, everyone is points based now. Basically they rank you based on points. The top X amount (such as 50 or 100 students) start next semester. They rank based on microbiology grade, anatomy I & II grade, TEAS test, ACT, individual sections of the TEAS test, overall GPA, etc. They don't let you repeat micro, anatomy I, and anatomy II. I think there may be a few other sections in there too for ranking but they keep it as straight as possible. So someone may start within six months of applying or someone may not be as competitive and never start despite how often they try. They view it as more "fair" because they take the most competitive and top students.

My personal opinions?

- Research seven schools and have 5 that you will apply to with 3 that you really want to go.

- Find out which schools are "good" in your area. Some schools have easier time placing graduates than others. Some hospitals will prefer to hire certain students.

- Try to get a job in a hospital as a tech, unit clerk, nursing assistant, transporter, something. Not required but will make getting references easier. Keep on applying. I was turned down for one position but accepted for the identical position. Have someone look over your resume. Play up customer service. Start researching what is required for those type of positions. CPR card? Does your high school offer it or is there a low cost training center near you (cost of an AHA CPR card can vary from 25 bucks to 100 bucks so shop around). Medical terminology? Is there a vocational school you can go to that will offer it?

- Don't take out more in school loans than you can afford. Don't go to a school that is priced 30,000 a year just because they start you sooner.

See if there is a jobs corps that offers nursing assistant and if you will qualify for the training.