Please Help!

[Sharron]

Hi! I am looking for some info. I'm graduating from high school this May and I have decided that I would love to become a RN. Unfortunally I am very overwhelmed and in dire need of help. I have no idea where I should start the process of picking out a school. I live in Kansas City, Mo and I need to find a good, affordable (I have to pay for it myself) college. I know I need to get in my basics, but can I start nursing school at the same time? I have also heard that some hospitals have their own nursing programs. Does anyone know more information about that sort of thing and if so would it be a good idea for me to look into that further? Also if anyone who is reading this works in a Maternity Ward please tell me how that is. It has always been my dream to work in a hospital and help bring new life into this world. Thank you so much for your time and help.

[gij1]

Relax, just take one step at a time. That is great you know your goal in school already. Start at junior college, make sure you are taking correct prereq. courses. Talk to admission counselor. After 2 years you can transfer to a BSN nursing program. Your first 2 years should be courses such as: chemistry, microbiology, basic math, statistics, anatomy. Talk to a counselor. Good luck. Keep us posted.

[Sharron]

Thanks a lot for your advice. I really do need to relax a bit

[sprtbikegrlsv65]

Sharron,

also check out the website http://www.allnursingschools.com they have some great info and you can find schools near you.

good luck and congrats on the early decision making!

[heatherbless]

Thanks a lot for your advice. I really do need to relax a bit

why don't you check out deaconess in st. loius-they have a hospital program there and tuition reimbursement-means they will pay for your school if you work for them.

http://www.deaconess.edu

best, heather

[MoJoeRN,C]

The junior college idea was excellent. Some junior colleges offer an ADN (Associate Degree in Nursing) program where you can become an RN in 2 years. Some of these are excellent and you take the same State board tests as the Bachelor of Science RNs. BSNs get the equivalant of 2 years of liberal arts their 1st year getting the prerequisites e.g. microbiology, Anotomy and physiology etc. Be careful and talk with councilors so you can maximize the courses you take so you do not get any surprises. If you do get liberal arts/sciences at Junior college and plan to get BSN at a college or university get the school catalog and work with councilor to get required prerequisites before transfer, making sure you do not take any courses at junior college such as statistics, which many colleges/universities consider an upper division (junior or senior) course. If taken at a junior college it will not count as an upper division course and will have to be retaken. Carefully planning with councilors and using the catalog can save a lot of grief and money. Good luck.

[booyah]

First find a school that has a school of nursing. In my area there is SMSU that offers a bachelors program. St. John's School of nursing through Southwest Baptist university offers an associates program. MO State at Columbia offers a bachelors program as well. I'm not sure what schools offer nursing in your area. Anyway decide on a school. When choosing a school look at the school's facilities and inquire about the clinical facility/ facilities they use. Ask about the student passing rate and the percentage of those who pass state boards for the first time they take state boards. Graduating from the school and passing boards are two sepperate occurences all together. Talk to the students there at the school and ask them what they think about the school espeacilly the first and last semester students. The first semester students are experiencing the starting out phase whereas the last semester students might not remember that phase as well. But the last semester students have been through the whole curriculum and may have some insight and wisdom about the whole education process at that school. If you know someone in the medical field or someone that does ask them their opinion about any schools. Ask about cost; tuition costs, class fees, lab fees, clinical fees and so on. The best thing to do is to have the school print out what classes you will need to take and in which semester to take them in. Have them print the entire course of your nursing education and the total cost of each semester. Next ask about payment options. Many schools will help you get..... education grants that you do not have to pay back and student loans that are payed back after you leave school. They can notify you of any scholorships that you can get before and during school. Some schools offer a payment plan during classes or even after you graduate. Some health care institutions will also pay for your nursing training if you sign a contract to work for that institution when you graduate, but if you don't graduate and pass boards or if you do not work for that institution you still have to pay them the cost for any schooling you have completed. The way to find out about this last option is to ask the school about any institutions doing education assistance or go to human resources at a health care institution and ask them about any education assistnce programs they have available.

Many hospitals have their own nursing program. Here are the benifits to attending one of these. Most of your in hospital clinical hours will be spent in that school's hospital. #1 During this time you will learn that institution's standards, way of providing patient care (their rules of providing care ), their charting/ documentation system. In a way you will be receiving an orientation to the way that hospital does things while going to school. So when you graduate if you want to work there you are already familiar with the way they do things. You'll appretiate that later trust me. #2 You will have a better chance at landing a job at that hospital. During your clinical time you will be working with the hospital's staff and this is a way to get yourself known. This can also be true for those that attend another school and use that hospital as a training facility, but the ones that go to the hospital's school seemed to be recognized more than the other. #3 Hospitals have a great influence on how and what the school teaches and how they train their students. If you go to that hospital's school they know they have trained you the way they like you to be trained and will be more likely to hire you.

Most of the schools I am familiar with require you to have some basic/ general education classes out of the way before starting the core nursing curriculium. Although there are basic courses that can be taken while attending the core nursing classes if you so choose to.

As far as working in a maternity ward I have had limited experience. I have experienced this during paramedic and nursing school and with emergency child birth in both an ambulance and in the ER. Many times it is a wonderful experience to see the birth of a baby and a family during this time and to be with the newborns in the nursery. It can also be the most heartbreaking one too. You may see the death of a newborn but you may also see the birth of a baby born by parents who are drug addicts or to parents that have no interest in caring for a baby and leaves the hospital to an unsafe and unfit home while you are there feeling helpless and frustrated. There is good and bad.

If I may make a suggestion try to find a medical explorers program at one of the hospitals. This may give you some insight to the health care world and provide you with some inspiration. It may also change your mind about persuing nursing and save you time, frustration, and a lot of money down the road. This will also get you closer to the health care community where people can give you insight to the diffrent schools to choose from and some other tips to help you along the way. It all seems confusing but there are people out there to help you through. You can handle it good luck.

harron]Hi! I am looking for some info. I'm graduating from high school this May and I have decided that I would love to become a RN. Unfortunally I am very overwhelmed and in dire need of help. I have no idea where I should start the process of picking out a school. I live in Kansas City, Mo and I need to find a good, affordable (I have to pay for it myself) college. I know I need to get in my basics, but can I start nursing school at the same time? I have also heard that some hospitals have their own nursing programs. Does anyone know more information about that sort of thing and if so would it be a good idea for me to look into that further? Also if anyone who is reading this works in a Maternity Ward please tell me how that is. It has always been my dream to work in a hospital and help bring new life into this world. Thank you so much for your time and help.

[rhose]

Hello. I am in an on-line LPN program at Deaconess College of Nursing and plan on coninuing to RN. This is my last semester of the PN component and I am happy with my plan. Rhose