Questions about wanting to become an ER nurse

[AshleyPetrova]

Hi, I am Ashley I'm 17 and I am homeschooled ( I have been since 1st grade). I have always wanted to become a nurse and I want to do ER nursing. I wanted to know what do I need to do in order to become a ER nurse, is it hard to do? What classes do I need to take in order to be accepted into a nursing collage? I also have heard that you have to be good at math to be a nurse, is that true? I am not the greatest in math at all and I really struggle with it, but I am working on it. What type of math do you need to know to be a nurse and how much do you have to use it in the field? My last question is, since I am homeschooled will it be harder for me to be able to get into nursing school? I use the LifePac workbooks, so I don't do online schooling unlike most homeschoolers. I really am a good student and work very hard with my schooling and would hate to not be able to do something I love and want because of that fact. I plan on getting my GED latter this year sometime, is that a good thing or will it help me any to get into college? I'm sorry for so many questions, but it is really hard finding good I information and I found this site and was hoping maybe that I could find some answers. Thank you ahead of time for any responses, I really appreciate them.

[acidbom]

Ashley,

Welcome! First, let me say that it is great that you already know what you want to do! So is it hard getting into nursing school? NO, but it is not easy either. First you have to decide if you are getting you ADN (associates) or BSN (Bachelors). Either way, find a school that offers one of the two and enroll. You will have prereqs and core classes to complete. My school's prereqs are A&P1 and 2, Med Microbiology, English 1101, Math 1101. Those are just the prereqs that are needed to submit a letter of intent for the nursing program. You will also have to complete an entrance exam for the program. Depending on where you are, you will have to take the NLN-PAX, the TEAS, or the HESI. The math needed is pretty basic--fractions, long division, ect... As far as you home schooling goes, I would bet that you will be better equipped for the program than others. The majority of home schooled students that I have met do very well grade wise in college. Now get online and look up a few schools and get to work.

[HumanContract]

Just adding to the above poster, your GED will be needed if you won't have a HS diploma, and no it won't hurt your chances of getting in. I got into a nursing program by starting college with a GED and doing awesome on all my pre-reqs.

Good luck to you!

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

The best thing you can do is call some of the Nursing Schools you are interested in and talk to an adviser on the best way to proceed. They will know what their specific programs require (because every school will vary) and they can tell you the best path to get you there.

You don't have to be great at math. Just a certain type of Math. Our school used Dimensional Analysis, it's very simple once you get the hang of it. The times when people mess up on their dosage calc exams is from stupid errors, not because they didn't get how to do the math. You have to be sure to recheck your answers that you did it correctly and that your answers make sense. In the hospital I have rarely had to even use the math because everything comes pre done or configured. (not all of the time but most of the times) I think I have had to actually do a calculation in the actual hospital 1 time in 2 years of clinicals.

Anyway, best of luck to you.

[simcr]

I homeschooled my daughter and after talking with colleges her Jr year, me made some changes. If possible you could enroll in Abeka academy, which is online, my daughter did this for the last part of her education and graduated with a High School Diploma. There are a few other ways to change it up also, look into that where you are. I am in texas. We did find that Jr colleges would allow entrance as a homeschooler, but the 4 year colleges were a bit stricter. I am sure a GED would get you into a community college and you can accomplish your associates degree and if you want transfer then to a major college. When you transfer (at least where i live) if you already have a degree, it is super easy to get in. Also the major colleges around me still look for the ACT or SAT score, even though my daughter was homeschooled.