I have a couple of questions about nursing...

[Makalah]

If someone could answer these, I would be eternally grateful. I have some things about nursing I'm not exactly sure about.

First, I am still in high school and want to become an RN and later on, a L&D nurse. I want to know from a RN themselves, or even a delivery nurse, what courses did you have to take and for how long (chemistry for 5 weeks, anatomy for 4 weeks etc, for example), and after being in school, how long did you start your clinicals. One last thing I want to know is, can you become and delivery nurse with an ADN or do you need a BSN? Finally, what do you have to do to become a delivery nurse. Are there certain programs or do you just do residency in the neontal ward?

Thank You

[Orion81RN]

Every nursing program and it's prerequisites are different. The best thing for you to do is to look at the website of the college or university you will apply to and read about the courses.

Generally expect 2 semesters of anatomy and physiology,

1 semester microbiology

1 semester chemistry (some programs require basic chem, some require higher level and also organic chem.)

Some require an additional biology class.

Then you have your humanities and such, English, speech,

Statistics, another math class that varies college to college...

If you struggle with figuring out yourself the classes you would need to take by looking it up on the schools' website, speak with your high school's guidance counselor. It's literally their job ;-)

[dsnyder]

Of course all programs are different. Most programs require pre-reqs...chemistry, biology, micro, A&P I ND II, human growth & dev, psych, a college level math, college level English. Some HS courses may be accepted. Most RN schools whether BSN or AD will require an entrance test. Getting into a specialty area in a hospital may look for a 4-year degree and prior experience on a med-surg floor. I will tell you that putting in a year in med-surg is especially helpful to hone your basic assessment skills. You will find as a new nurse that you may be overwhelmed in a specialty area.

I would strongly recommend looking into a CNA program first. The skills you learn will serve you well when you do get to clinicals in nursing school.

[Makalah]

Thank you both so much, and yes being a CNA first makes sense.

[RobtheORNurse]

Makalah,

I agree with the other respondents as far as courses in a program, you may want to reach out to a local hospital human resources department as well. Many hospitals have programs for high school students where they can shadow a nurse or spend time with a nurse educator to learn more about the profession. Your guidance counselor in school may also be a great resource. Good luck, keep us posted here, I always like to hear when someone reaches their goals and dreams.