How does one get started on a path to nursing?

Nurses Career Support

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Hello everyone!

So I've got a bit of a long-winded question. I've had some interest in the nursing field for six months. I'm a bank teller, and my job entails a lot of interaction with the elderly (primarily because of the town I work in) and I think I'd really enjoy a career as a geriatric nurse. I love interacting with these people every day, but I'd rather be in a setting where I can be their healer and caretaker, as opposed to being their salesman.

For a little over a month I volunteered at a hospital in town, but I spent 12 hours a week sitting at a desk twiddling my thumbs, learning nothing about the healthcare field, and it turns out that the hospital was not a great option for volunteer work, over the course of 4 hours I would probably see 2 or 3 patients.

What I'm most concerned about at this point is education. I just graduated from community college with an A.S. in general studies. I ended up with a 3.04, because I did poorly in two of my English classes (poetry and women in lit., they both laden with anfractuous interpretations of writings and were a complete waste of my time). I didn't take any sciences because I wanted to study anthropology originally. Most of my classes are social sciences, foreign languages, and ethics.

I'm wondering how I can become a more attractive candidate for nursing school. In August, I'm going to be moving to France for a year to work as an Au Pair. But when I return to the U.S., I do plan on going back to community college and taking A&P, biology, and chemistry. I'm also thinking about becoming a CNA.

So my question is: what will help me become a better candidate for a nursing program?

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Specializes in Hospice.

Ok, I would go back to hospital volunteer work to see if you even halfway like hospital smells and sounds, because taking care of very sick elderly people as a Nurse is WORLDS away from engaging in small talk with cute little Mr. Grandpa at the bank. Try and get the floor assignments-obviously you aren't going to be doing anything hands on, but you'll be a little closer to the action.

I'm not trying to be snarky (mostly) but Nursing is so complex and frankly, messy, that before you spend hard earned money, you really need to soul search. Frankly, I'm getting a little alarmed at the "second career" nurses I see. It isn't something you should jump into just because you're bored with your first choice, or you've been downsized and you heard that there's a Nursing shortage and you can make piles of money without doing much work.

You guys are going to be the bedside nurses of the not to distant future. Personally, I plan to stay as healthy as I can and stay out of hospitals!!

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I should have clarified by saying that I'm not going into this career as a quick-fix. At the same time, I'm not going to commit until I'm sure that this is what I want to do. I completely understand that working with geriatric patients isn't "cute", my coworker has actually been taking care of one of her customers because his wife passed away a few years ago.

But I love to spend time with these people, and I want to make sure they are treated with dignity and respect in their final years. I have a great deal of admiration for the nurses who work in geriatrics.

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How does going to France to work as an au pair fit with a career plan to become a geriatric nurse? It would make more sense to work as a CNA at nursing home while upgrading your sciences instead.

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It has nothing to do with it, I'm traveling to France because I want to learn the language and I appreciate the culture.

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Specializes in Hospice.

You actually sound like you don't know WHAT you want to do-please, think long and hard before you try Nursing.

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Go to France. Have fun and when you get back and you still want to become a nurse, then go for it. Becoming a CNA will certainly give you on hands experience of what nurses do. You just won't pass meds or call doctors. You must make A's in the science classes. A 3.0 GPA is pretty good, especially when you still need several classes to take.

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Sorry for all the hostility and snarkiness from all the other posters.

People can have multiple passions. If OP wants to be a nurse and to experience the French culture, that's none of anyone else's business. Would you turn down an opportunity to live in France? Lots of people travel before being tied down due to school and life in general.

Yes, becoming a cna does help getting into a nursing program. Mostly ADN programs at community colleges though. At my community college in VA, applicants who are cna(s), have completed the pre nursing certificate (prereq's and coreq's), and have a 3.0 or better are guaranteed admission. What really helps you, no matter where you go, is a good gpa. Aim for straight A's once you take the science classes.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

Take your trip.

Next, research your area and nursing in general, any other areas that you may find yourself drawn to in nursing and any future plans and THEN research what pre-req's you need and at least have five programs you are interested in enough to want to be in, whether it be ADN or BSN.

Try to get a position as a CNA or home health aid (HHA) where you can interact with older adults and get your feet wet.

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i would volunteer and shadow an Registered Nurse (RN) as opposed to being a CNA. there's a night and day difference between them.

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Specializes in Cath/EP lab, CCU, Cardiac stepdown.
i would volunteer and shadow an Registered Nurse (RN) as opposed to being a CNA. there's a night and day difference between them.

Shadowing ain't gonna bring any bacon home

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Specializes in Cath/EP lab, CCU, Cardiac stepdown.

If nursing is what you want to do go for it, but make sure you know what it entails first. Don't be all caught in the "I will make a huge difference in their lives" mindset because you will be disappointed. Don't get me wrong, we do make a difference but just not as much as we would like to. There's always going to be other patients that you need to see so while it would be great and therapeutic if I could stay and listen to my patient reminisce since it is a much needed interaction, the reality is you're gonna be pretty busy with the rest of your work that you won't be able to listen long. And it can be a thankless job at times. You can do everything right and have the best intentions for your patients but sometimes they're just going to be unappreciative or down right nasty to you, and it's not a reflection on you, rather just that they're having a bad day.

And especially with geriatric patients, know that there will be poop and pee, and lots of them, many are not continent, and some of them are very confused or demented. It is never beneath a nurse to clean up poop or pee, or vomit. And get used to the life of bed alarms ringing constantly for your confused patients.

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