I Want To Be A Nurse, But Don't Know Where To Start

[Jenny420]

Hello,I'm new to this site and just wondering if anybody could help me and provide any advice or direction. I really want to be a nurse, and I've been researching schools and what I need to do, however I'm unbelievably confused. There is so much information and I have so many questions. I know that I need to take prerequisites, but does it matter where? I noticed some schools require more classes than others. Does that mean if I take them at one school I apply to another schools program without taking the extra class? I've heard very good things about both Daley and Truman college and I'm also looking at Morton. Should I apply at all three, if that is even possible? I'm hoping to get all my prerequisites completed before the spring semester of 2013 so I apply. I'm not sure what kind of questions to ask or what to look for in choosing the best school. I would appreciate any opinions and thoughts on the schools you have attended or are currently attending. Any guidance at all would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[ChrissyRN74]

Go online or call the schools your are interested in and see if you can make an appointment to speak with someone. A lot of times these schools offer open houses where you can get information about when and how to apply. Also apply to several schools. Some schools have wait lists that are 2-3 years away. Try posting this in your home state forum you might get a better answer over there from people that are familiar with the schools you are interested in. Good luck!

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

never heard of those colleges, but you should be able to get their online or paper catalogs for their nursing programs and get a clearer idea of what each program requires. generally speaking, you don't hop around to different programs taking a class here and a class there, you do all your education in one program. the college lays out a course of study-- take these the first year, these the second, these the third-- so that the courses you take lay the foundation for what you will take next.

if you are in high school now, or working on your ged, take all the math and science courses you can get into your schedule. you will need those to prepare for the math and science courses you will take in the nursing program.

do go to the colleges you're interested in. call the college, ask to speak to the nursing department, and ask about open houses, tours, or times to come in and talk about it. take a notebook and take notes. it's your education, so you should know what it's all about.

registered nurses have graduated from accredited associate degree programs, which will take about three years or a little more including all the prerequisites before they admit you to the nursing program proper, or accredited baccalaureate (bachelor's) degree programs, which take four years. after graduation, they take a national nursing licensure examination, called nclex. if they pass (and most do, if they went to a half-decent school and graduated), they are licensed as rns by the state where they took the exam.

i hope this clarifies things a little for you.

good luck! let us know what you find out.