My Dream Career

[MrzKamlley]

I'm currently attending school to become a Medical Assistant but my ultimate goal is to become a Pediatric Nurse. Will the experience I receive as an MA help me towards achieving my goals? What steps will I need to take in becoming a Nurse?

[llg, PhD, RN]

The MA might help -- particularly if you work with a pediatric population -- but will be of limited help if you work primarily with adult patients.

To become a nurse, you need to go to nursing school. There is no substitute for calling up your local schools and doing some research about the admission requirements, course requirements, costs, etc. I assume you know that there are different levels of nurses (RN, LPN) and different levels of nursing education (LPN, Associate's Degree, Diploma, Bachelor's Degree). If not, you'll need to research that, too. Decide which level of education and practice is of interest to you at this time and start talking with the local schools.

Good luck.