Need helpful advice

[desireemiranda]

I really need some good advice.... I am going to be a senior in high school coming in just a few months. I also am in a technical school for Health Assistant and in my senior year we will take the CNA test and become a Certified Nursing Assistant. My long-term goal is to become a Registered Nurse. I ask my teacher all the time on where I should start and she really just says you got to research... and I do!!! NONSTOP. I strive to do my best. I was the first one to complete all the three year worth computer worksheets and less then a year. I also was in a program called National Technical Honor Society. What I am trying to get at is I strive to do my best and so lost to even know how to start. I am unsure if I should become a Licensed Practical Nurse first then Registered Nurse or if I should jump right into nursing after high school. I have been researching and asking and some people say go for nursing and then some say go for practical nursing then nursing. At school I asked my nurse about what's the best idea and she said if you go for practical nursing and your good they will pay for you to go for nursing. I am scared I am not good enough or smart enough to go for nursing, but I love knowing that your making a difference in peoples lives. This economy is getting so hard and going to get worse so you need a good career/job to live and not live pay check to pay check. My family and I do not have a bunch of money to spend on a expensive college. Also, some colleges I looked cost 26,000 dollars a year in a four year college!!! Have they fell on their heads. You can buy a house with that kind of money. I love working with the elderly and by what I hear Registered Nursing is very hard and I am so confused on the Pre-reqs. I am also confused on how to get started with them. I did not even know you had to take those... I also heard about hospitals or something will pay for your nursing program, but what I researched they really do not do that anymore. I also did not take the SATs or ACTs yet I totally forgot about them because my mind is juggling with everything else, but I took the PSATs if that helps. But, I plan on taking them my senior year. I want to stay close to home and want to save as much money as I can. I really want to know what college I want to go at the beginning of my senior year. I am sorry this is very long. PLEASE someone help with good advice

[loriangel14, RN]

LPNs ARE nurses. There is not " practical nursing" and "nursing". It's all nursing. Yes nursing school is expensive. Whether to go the LPN - BSN route or straight to your BSN is really up to you. Yes nursing programs will have prerequisites that you have to do first. Good luck.

[sadiemae1123]

Your decision is going to depend on a lot of factors. Your SAT score,GPA, and financial status will determine what type of financial aid/grants/scholarships you'll be eligible for. This may affect whether a community or technical college will be a better route financially than a four year college.

You will also need to consider what the job market is like where you want to live both now and in the near future when you graduate. You also need to consider what type of education nurses in that area are expected to have. In some places it's pretty much impossible for a new graduate to find work, in others employers are demanding at least a bachelors degree. Other areas are desperate enough to offer bonuses.

I was in a similar situation to you when I was in high school many years ago. I went through a CNA course in my high school and knew I wanted to be a nurse. I also knew that I wanted to have my bachelors degree. I was fortunate that I was able to qualify for enough grants and scholarships that I could do this with minimal debt.

You should speak with your guidance counselor at school about what sort of scholarships and grants you might be eligible for and what schools would be a good fit for you and your specific situation.