Suggestions of what to do before nursing school

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I was recently accepted to an Accelerated BSN program for May 2011. After this semester, I will have completed all the pre-reqs. I am still working full-time in a non-health care related job. Any suggestions on what I should/could do to prepare for nursing school during the waiting period? I have thought about CNA training, but of course that costs money that I should probably save for next year when I won't be employed. Any other ideas of what I can do during the down time?

Specializes in Foot care.
I'd definitely get your BLS certifications. Most schools/clincials require them anyway so you might as well get those out of the way. You could try to get a job in the hospital or other health care setting - a pharmacy might be perfect....If I had been smart, I would have tried to get a pharmacy job before starting school because so many of the kids that have worked or still work in the pharmacy have a leg up on a lot in class.

Yes, excellent advice, especially the pharmacy tech job. Get familiar with those drugs now!

You might also want to find out what your state requires to practice as an LPN. You may be able to do this after a certain amount of time in your program.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Patient Safety.

I would suggest getting CNA or EMT training. Around here, I know of at least one facility that does free CNA trainings every so often, and a hospital that does EMT training, which is pretty inexpensive. EMT training is great and can lead you directly into an ER job before you even start nursing school.

What other people have said is spot on - get your foot in the door NOW with a tech job so that when you are going through school you have an in somewhere to help you get your first nursing job. Plus, you will be so much more productive with clinicals if you have the basics out of the way and know how to interact with patients.

Volunteering somewhere also helps give experience and looks great on your resume when you are farther along and looking for that elusive first job. Volunteer in a hospital, a community clinic or doing something with hospice or community mental health. There are a lot of areas in which you can volunteer which will help give you some experience.

Also, have fun in the next year and take advantage of the free time you have now. It will help sustain you down the road...

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Thanks for all the suggestions and congrats. I know I need the BLS certification so there's no need to hold off on that. I will start looking now for possible employment opportunities in healthcare. I would like to get my feet wet and in the door of a hospital.

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