Knows nothing about nursing, seeking help

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What's up and peace to everyone.

I graduated high school a year ago (May 2015), as i sat down thought about what I want to do in life, I realized I got so caught up in working my little dead end job and enjoying freedom as a teen. Im realizing that If I dont snap out of it, I will regret even more of the time I've wasted.

I want to become a nurse, knowing that Im a servant to the community, im happy with my duty to help.

I know its recommended to go to a community college. But where I am in life, I'd rather go to a private.

I'd greatly appreciate if anyone can tell me how to go about important things to research about the private schools in my area (South Florida). Im completely new to this, im willing to learn and im patient.

But im very scared, I have people depending on me ,as im sure you do as well. So I just want to make sure ive researched everything about the right school/loans .

Ive searched the site trying to understand the search function, so forgive me if this thread has been made. I tried to search for it beforehand

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Specializes in NICU.

I know its recommended to go to a community college. But where I am in life, I'd rather go to a private.

Where are you in life that you want to spend three times the tuition cost for the same degree at a community college?

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Don't learn the hard way that a CC degree or a degree from a private school are essentially the same. The only thing anyone cares about is if you have your license (and perhaps if you have a BSN versus ASN). Part of being an adult is making wise financial decisions instead of being guided by emotions or flashy advertisements. Go to a CC or state school, save yourself a butt load of money, and end up in the same place with less debt. Student loans are not a joke. Don't spend tens of thousands of dollars more than you have to to end up at the same place.

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Specializes in mental health / psychiatic nursing.

By private school do you mean private for-profit institution or a privately run non-profit institution (frequently religious based)? The former have a bit of a bad a reputation when it comes to nursing education, the latter while potentially much more expensive than other options may still give you a good education (sometimes they come with generous scholarships, sometimes not - this may influence your decision.)

First place to check in searching for school information is your state's BON - this should include a list of accredited schools in your state. From there search schools online and check out their program pages. Learn which ones are in your area (or an area you are willing to move to), their requirements for admission, program focus, and cost.

Ultimately where you go to get your ASN or BSN degree doesn't make a huge difference unless you are in a very top program or a very bottom program, as ultimately the goal of the program is to prepare you to sit the NCLEX and basic nursing education is pretty much the same anywhere you go.

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After taking time to think about what im about to do, all of you are completely right. I have zero disagreement that a cc is the way to go

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Thank you all for the honesty

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Look for schools with a high pass rate for nclex (90%+).... visit each school, get a feel for the environment, possibly shadow a nurse too, and not just in one speciality, try different ones because one is really different in the day to day responsibilities

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Specializes in Emergency.

Glad you decided on a cc, way better than private $ wise. But what's even more important is considering just how much work becoming a nurse will be. You said you enjoy your freedom? THAT WILL BE GONE as soon as you start a program, even taking the necessary prerequisites will take up almost all of your time and energy. It's a long road too, I'm not sure what it's like in Florida but in California you have to pass all of your prerequisites with a certain gpa before you're even allowed to apply for the test which will determine whether or not you can apply for an actual program :eek:

I noticed you also said you're a "servant to the community," helping people is the core of what we do, but many times you won't be able to help or your help won't make people happy, so there is just as much emotional prep as academic prep to do. If you're a people pleaser, this career won't be a good fit. Overall, getting through nursing school is very hard work but if it's what you want to do it's 100% worth it!!

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Yeah, the CC route is much cheaper and all he same classes.

I'd suggest you spend some time on here reading through old threads. If you want a dose of reality and a small glimpse into the actual life of an RN you've come to the right place. Nurses are front and center to help people on the worst days of their lives. Patients are frequently scared, hurting, and really sick. This often equates to a really nasty attitude. Sometimes a patient will direct their hurt onto you and take everything out on you for no reason other than you're right there. You're going to help people as a nurse, but it's often in a thankless kind of way. Take some time and test the waters. There's lots of great real-life advice and stories here.

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JESUS CHRIST! You're my twin!!! I also graduated in 2015. I have low GPA and ACT score was one point away from being accepted to a university. So I'm doing community college. What I did was first looked into my area. Is there a CC near me? If so what do they offer. I lived with my parents and I was feeling antisocial, so I was looking for a CC that had housing. The one in my valley has one. I looked onto their website and easy to navigate. I hated looking at other colleges and their Nursing perquisite requirements weren't even neatly displayed. Got confused and I emailed a lot of facility to just tell me what I needed!!! Also think about your options 1. stay at a CC 2. Transfer. If I was going to transfer what requirements do I need? where would I transfer. I even looked out of state CC if they were cheaper or offered more I would go there... you don't have to stay in your home state. After debating I saw living 30 miles away, CC offer dorms, #12 happiest place to live in America, and the lowest tuition cost for a community college. I knew this was it.

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I want to become a nurse, knowing that Im a servant to the community, im happy with my duty to help.

What is it about nursing that makes you certain you want to become one? because nurses are not servants to the community and there are lots of ways to fulfill the need to help people without investing years of time and hard work as well as $$$ to do it.

do you know any nurses and have talked with them about what they do? how is it you came to this decision? I'm asking because lot of the time students become disillusioned with what they are expected to do after they've already invested so much of themselves in the process. be sure of what you're diving into before you dive in!

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Specializes in NICU, RNC.

I'm going to comment on your title. It says "Know nothing about nursing." Nursing is not for everyone. You will see, smell, and touch a lot of gross things. You will deal with people (and their families) when they are at their most vulnerable, and many of them will not be appreciative of you. If you really know nothing about nursing, I strongly STRONGLY suggest taking a CNA course first. It's generally only 1 semester and most don't require pre-reqs. It will give you a taste of nursing and either help you to realize that nursing isn't for you after all, or help get you super excited about your new career as a nurse. Finally, it will give you a leg up during your first semester of nursing school and help you to appreciate your CNAs when you begin to work as a nurse. Good luck!

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