How to become a registered nurse?

[Giselpz]

I'm currently 16 years old and I've been thinking about what college i would like to go to when I graduate.My only problem is that i don't know how to become a registered nurse I've been doing a lot of research and one article says to become a cna first and the other says that to become a lpn.I also want to work as a rn at a hospital.Is there any way I can go straight into a rn program? If so can I just get an associates degree and work at the hospital? How long are the shifts? I apologize if my questions sound retarded but I really do want to pursue this Career I'm very passionate about what I want to do

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

You can just go to regular college and earn a BSN in 4 years. I entered nursing school directly out of high school. Starting as an LPN is an extra step that unnecessary for someone of your age who knows she wants to become an RN. You could go to community college and earn an Associate's Degree; however with the pre-reqs it may not be that much faster than a 4 year BSN program and, depending on where you live, hospitals in your area may be BSN only for new grads.

Also, if you're going to be a nurse, please be more thoughtful about the vocabulary you use: R-word | Spread the Word to End the Word

[Giselpz]

Thank you so much I really appreciate you taking time out of your day to Answer this! I apologize for the use of the r-word. What exactly are pre-reqs and what courses do you recommend for me to take while I'm in high school to prepare myself for college?

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

Prerequisites are the courses you need to take before you enter into an Associate's Degree nursing program. In a BSN program, these are built into the program. I went the traditional BSN route so I can't tell you exactly what courses you need to take as pre-reqs for an ADN program but I believe it's usually some combination of Anatomy and Physiology, Chemistry, some sort of math and possibly social sciences or English. These classes would be considered core classes in a BSN program.

In high school, I took an Anatomy class that I felt helped me a great deal with the A&P classes I needed to take in college. Other than that, I tested out of my core math requirement in college because I had taken AP Calculus 1 & 2 which allowed me an extra elective. Foreign language skills will be endlessly helpful in a nursing career, as well.

[Giselpz]

Thank you so much I really do appreciate it! This is all the information I have been looking for by any chance do you work in a hospital if you do can you inform me with how many days a week and hours most nurses work. Anyway thank you so so so much your help is really appreciated

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

I am currently employed by a hospital but I'm community based. I work about 50% of the time from home and the rest of my time is spent in the field/community. I work Mon-Fri 8:30-5.

Staff nurses may work 8 hr or 12 hr shifts or a combination of both. When I worked as a staff nurse, my floor had both 8 hr and 12 hr shifts but there were some floors (mostly the ICUs) that only did 12 hr shifts. Many nurses will work 36 hrs/week but some may work 40 hrs (which could be two 8s and two 12s every week or three 12s and an 8 one week and three 12s the following). I also knew many nurses who worked 32 hrs, 30 hrs, 28 hrs, 24 hrs and 20 hrs. It is highly variable.

[WanderingWilder, ASN]

If you haven't yet, I would make an appointment with your counselor at your school to discuss your plans. They should be able to help you find colleges that offer nursing and suggest classes to take in high school. I agree with going for your BSN and not doing the Associate degree.