Senior in high school, dreaming to be a nurse!

casi, ASN, RN · Jan 31, 2011

Becoming a CNA is what made me fall in love with the idea of being a nurse.

If you can find a good employer many will help pay for nursing school tuition. Otherwise check out your local community colleges, many have nursing programs and their tuition is a bit less than 4 year schools. You can always go back for your bachelors later.

Also there are student loans and scholarships.

Meowmixer · Jan 31, 2011

It helped me out :) I got my CNA licence the fall after i graduated high school it really opens your eyes to a lot about the profession. I saw so many people in my nursing class start and be in complete shock when they're pushed right out into clinical and expected to go into patients rooms and actually *touch* people. Meanwhile they just worked 3 years to get into the program and they're completely rethinking their chosen profession.

So yes, i say go for the CNA, give it a try. While you're doing that look at a local community college and take some super cheap classes to start your nursing degree. It's very rare that someone just jumps right into the program, if they do they're completely stressed trying to get through nursing classes and a&p1/2, micro, statistics, etc.

ItsTheDude · Jan 31, 2011

yeah, being a cna is a good eye opener. several ppl will probably drop out of ur cna class, ain't what they thought it would be.

DogWmn · Jan 31, 2011

CNA is a good start and will give you an edge if you go on to nursing and if you choose not to you will not have invested the big bucks. Good luck!

anurseatlast · Jan 31, 2011

Once you get your CNA, you could start taking a couple classes at a community college. Check and be sure their credits are accepted at other colleges in your area - if not, it will be a waste of time and money (and often it is a sign of a poor program). Check out what prereqs are to get into nursing programs and do those. In the mean time, you will get great experience as a CNA to be sure you really like doing hands-on intimate care before pursuing a nursing degree.

mtdnk · Jan 31, 2011

There are scholarships, loans, etc available. Talk to your guidance counselor, research school loans online, and follow your dream into nursing.......

Kooky Korky, BSN, RN · Jan 31, 2011

Hello everyone! Right now, I am a senior in high school and after I graduate, I want to do nursing. My family is too "rich" for financial assistance but too poor to pay for a university. The college of southern nevada has a CNA course and my mother is willing to pay for my course since it's not too expensive. I dream of being a pediatric nurse:D but I'm going to have to settle for now until I can afford to pay the tuition. I also thought being a CNA would give me good experience and insight on how the medical field works. Does this sound like a good idea or not? All replies are appreciated.:)

Bless you, Vegas Chick, for wanting to help children and their families.

Yes, becoming a CNA is an excellent way to learn what the world of Pediatric Nursing and Nursing in general are all about.

The only trouble is that at this time, there isn't a whole lot of work for nurses. I don't know how the employment picture is for aides. You should absolutely explore this question before becoming a CNA. That is, talk to some employers and find out if they are hiring. I would hate for you to encounter what nurses are encountering. They go to school and then can't get a job.

I would SERIOUSLY advise you to explore other interests. I'm not saying to totally abandon the idea of becoming a nurse, specifically a Peds nurse. But just don't put all of your eggs in one basket. I must say that I am totally shocked that no one else here has brought this up - how hard it is to find work, I mean. It is really a very serious problem and I think it's not right to not let you know about it - how hard it is to find work, I mean.

I wish you all the best.

OldNurseEducator · Jan 31, 2011

"kooky korky" is right about no jobs out there...all over the country this is so sad but true. Hopefully, though, by the time you are a licensed RN, you will get a job, if this stupid down economy turns around. The nursing shortage has a history of being very cyclical.

Get you BSN, however, don't settle for anything less. It may take you a while. You might try LPN first to see if you really like nursing. CNA is a very good start. You go girl! Good luck!

RNKPCE · Jan 31, 2011

It isn't easy to get jobs in most fields these days.

By the time you finish your nursing studies the job situation may be different. This is what happened for me, summer before I graduated I was told by my first employer " oh we hardly ever hire new grads and you'd have to have had a preceptorship here". Four months later I still applied and got hired onto day shift. After that many new grads got hired. This was in 87. Then around 93-94 there was a surplus again, then a shortage around 2000, now a surplus. Get the picture.

mee9mee9 · Jan 31, 2011

wow.....i wanted to go and get my nursing degree right after i finish my my bachelor's in community health(im a junior) but now after hearing that i dont know. what do you think the nursing field will be like in two years?

OldNurseEducator · Jan 31, 2011

There is no way to tell what the nursing field will be like in 2 or 4 or 6 years. It will depend on the economy. Right now, the cost of health care is terribly expensive and getting worse every day. Hospitals and other health care facilities have cut back in their hiring due to cutbacks and their own financial concerns. The world will always need nurses...there's no doubt of that. But baby-boomer nurses are staying in the work force to supplement incomes if their spouses are not working or just to keep their head above water and keep their homes from being foreclosed on. If the economy gets better over the next few years, boomers will start retiring, moms (or dads) will start staying home again to raise their kids, and nursing jobs will open up again in areas where economies begin to flourish again. I think it's very important for all future and present nurses to be aware of what's going on in the real world. Pay attention to what our legislators are doing. With what is happening right now in other parts of the world, it looks as if our economic recovery is being threatened. Just look at the news. Gas at $4.00 a gallon with problems in Egypt??? We'll all be fortunate to have the money to buy gas to get to our nursing jobs. Just my :twocents: !