Not sure what to do?

[daisygal]

Hello everyone!!! Well let me start of with telling you alittle about my self.I'm 31 and have had no medical experience(well other than cleaning up after patients-House keeper).I just got my CNA license(haven't worked yet).I have been thinking of going to nursing school but I am terrified.I never finished school but when back yrs. later to get my diploma.I'm not very good with all the school stuff.Ok so I guess what I'm trying to ask is should I go fo it(RN school)or should I just go with the CNA thing?How hard is Nursing school? Any advice good or bad would be very helpful!!!!

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

If you can live comfortably on the salary of a CNA, then I suppose it would be perfectly acceptable to remain a CNA.

However, go for the RN if you're seeking career advancement opportunities, decent wages, stability, and a host of other positive aspects. Good luck!

[jjjoy, LPN]

Most nursing programs take some time to get into. There are pre-reqs and waitlists. Check out the local programs. Find out pre-reqs, costs, etc. You may find that you can work as a CNA while taking a pre-req or two. Since you're not sure about nursing school, working as CNA can be a good way to see how you feel about working directly with patients.

Most find nursing school very hard. It's definitely time-consuming and there's LOTS of reading. You also have to write pages and pages of care plans. You say you've never been too good at school but that doesn't have to stop you. I know several people who struggled with school but on the floor working they blossomed and made great nurses.

[colleennurse, ASN, RN]

If you really want to be an RN then go for it. I was horrible at school myself prior to nursing school. I barely graduated from high school and attempted college a few times before I realized that I wanted to be a nurse. When I decided to go back, instead of telling myself and everyone else that I WAS going to nursing school, I enrolled for 2 classes (I also worked fulltime) and went with the attitude that I would see how it went for those 2 classes, and before I knew it a few semesters had gone by. Like another poster said, most nursing schools have wait lists and pre reqs that are required before applying to the program, so you could try and take one or two of those and see how you do. I saw for myself that once I found what it was that I wanted to do, I really excelled at school. Having an interest in something makes a world of difference. Good luck!