How to become a nurse and what to expect

chloecatrn · Jul 22, 2010

First, congratulations on surviving Rhabdo. That is such a gift. And good for you for wanting to go on to help other kids.

If there's a children's hospital in your area, you could try shadowing a pediatric nurse for a day to see if it's really something you could do. If not, don't worry. There are a ton of other types of nursing, and one of them could be more your speed. Nursing is fast paced, and you're continuously learning. You need to be quick on your feet, love people, love adventure, and know how to adapt on the fly.

Doing an ADN program at a community college and then going back for a BSN is an excellent way to start the field. Most hospitals have some form of tuition assistance, so it's likely that wherever you work, you'll be able to get some help paying for your BSN. Taking bio and chem in the same semester may be a little much -- I had taken chem within the last 10 years, so I didn't have to retake it. Could you take chem by itself the semester before you plan to start school (i.e.: second summer before starting in the fall, or in the fall before starting in the spring)? If not, just be prepared for a lot of time in the lab and a lot of hard studying.

Nursing is not an easy field to get into, but you've already fought for your life. You can do this. Good luck to you, and please, come back to us if you've got any questions at all.

pedcancersurvivor89 · Jul 23, 2010

Thank you so much! You're right surviving is a gift. I didn't feel that way while goin thru it but now i'm proud to be a survivor!

My advisor thought it would be best for me to take Chem 125 and Bio 101 this semester so that i can apply for the program n the spring. Then i can move on to anatomy. I am extremely nervous but if it gets to be too much i may have to withdraw from one. The closest childrens hospital for me is about 1hr 30min away(the hospital i went to for treatments) i'm sure theyd let me come in and shadow.

One more question..in high school i was able to maintain B's and C's in chem and bio..it's not my most favorite subj then again no subject is my favorite:rolleyes: Do you think nursing would be too hard for me based on how well i did in high school?

chloecatrn · Jul 23, 2010

I was a B/C student in Chem and Bio in high school too. You're young in high school, and there are a million things going on in your head, and the last thing you're concerned with is Chem or Bio. Plus, I'm willing to bet that you took at least one of those while you were in treatment or fresh out of treatment. Nursing school isn't going to be too hard. I couldn't have gone to nursing school at 17, fresh out of high school, but a little older, a little wiser, and I did just fine. I'm sure you will too.

Give Chem and Bio a shot together. The first day, you'll get a syllabus from each class outlining what the expectations will be. Copy down the important dates on a calendar so that you can see if everything will work (i.e.: No Chem test Tuesday with a Bio test Wednesday for example, because it might be hard to study for that kind of back to back test). If the workload looks like it will be okay, give it a try. If it doesn't work, and you have to drop one, then you drop one. It's not a failure, it's just a sign that you know your limitations, and knowing your limitations is an indicator that you will be a good nurse -- you should never be afraid to admit you don't know, aren't familiar, can't do yet. I have a hunch that you're on your way to becoming a great nurse. :)

dream& achieve · Jul 23, 2010

you can do anyhting you put your mind to pedcancersurvivor89, as you already know, anything worth doing, never comes easy..if you can survive what you have gone through,theres nothing you can't do..go for it!!

My brain was 41 when I took chem and A&P 1 and Micro all at once...if I can do it, anyone can, lol!