thinking about becoming rn

NurseMatt · Dec 30, 2005

If you are unsure or curious about the career then you can most likely check with a local health care facility, IE. hospital for a job shadow program. They are big on High School Students for that.

Also the road most traveled is to become a LPN then RN. LPN is the fast track to get in the field and start doing it for real. LPN Programs can usually be found at a tech school or CC or Junior College and are around 18 to 24 months.

Also you might try your school counselor, I'm sure they could hook you up with someone that could give you more info.

Katnip, RN · Dec 30, 2005

Hi and welcome to Allnurses.

A good place to start would be with your school counselor. They can help you sort through different colleges you may be interested in and the requirements for their nursing program.

In general, whether you go for ADN or BSN you will be required to take prerequesite courses: English, math, and sciences. Most BSN programs require more general ed courses as well as higher level in science. Not all, but most.

I do know of at least one ADN program that allows you to take corequesite nursing courses after the first semester.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Dec 30, 2005

all the advice the previous posters had given you is very good. here are a couple of internet links you can go to to read about the profession of nursing, the different levels of nursing, and the education required for each.

http://www.nsna.org/career/is_nursing_for_you2.pdf

http://www.nursingsociety.org/career/cmap.html

http://www.discovernursing.com/

if you still have questions, please ask us.

L&D4ME · Dec 30, 2005

First you need to decide whether you want your BSN or ADN. Many colleges offer the ADN to BSN bridge, so in the long run it may cost you less money to do the bridge because you can take many of the classes for your BSN at a community college. I would take all of your pre-reqs and co-reqs first before applying, that way if you need to work you won't be loaded down with schoolwork.

That's just my opinion. Good Luck.=]

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · Dec 30, 2005

Visit the colleges you are interested in. Start a plan of study with an advisor and ask many question.

Good luck

Annabelle57 · Dec 31, 2005

my two cents, for what they're worth (probably just that - two pennies!):

--i second the job shadow thing. call up the hospitals in your area, especially the larger teaching hospitals, as they'll have more specialty areas than a small community hospital. ask if you can shadow an rn for a morning or afternoon - at the hospital where i work, they schedule 4-hour-long rn shadow sessions. most floors are more than happy to accommodate and welcome the chance for a student to observe.

--whichever school you attend, you'll start out as a pre-nursing student, regardless of whether you're at a community college or four year school. they'll want you to take some general education courses, like english comp, college algebra, probably some humanities. it will vary from school to school. almost every program will require microbiology, anatomy, physiology, and possibly nutrition, medical ethics, and general psychology and/or developmental psychology.

--know anyone who is an rn now? talk with them and ask them about the route they took - you'll find there are as many routes for getting your nursing degree as there are nurses out there. there are also a bunch of different nursing levels, too: as a student after your first semester of clinicals, you can work as a patient care tech in many areas. a lot of people go the lpn-rn route, but i know the lpn jobs are harder to come by where i am, and the recruiters i work with tell most students to just hold on for the extra year until they get their rn license. still, i'm sure that lpn demand varies by area, so that might be a way to go, too. talk to the people you know who are nurses - rns, lpns, pcts, students, whomever - and see what they have to say.

all in all, good luck! many people will tell you that nursing is a calling, not just a job, and more power to you to find that calling, wherever it might be.

and welcome to allnurses!

stpauligirl · Dec 31, 2005

my two cents, for what they're worth (probably just that - two pennies!):

--i second the job shadow thing. call up the hospitals in your area, especially the larger teaching hospitals, as they'll have more specialty areas than a small community hospital. ask if you can shadow an rn for a morning or afternoon - at the hospital where i work, they schedule 4-hour-long rn shadow sessions. most floors are more than happy to accommodate and welcome the chance for a student to observe.

--whichever school you attend, you'll start out as a pre-nursing student, regardless of whether you're at a community college or four year school. they'll want you to take some general education courses, like english comp, college algebra, probably some humanities. it will vary from school to school. almost every program will require microbiology, anatomy, physiology, and possibly nutrition, medical ethics, and general psychology and/or developmental psychology.

--know anyone who is an rn now? talk with them and ask them about the route they took - you'll find there are as many routes for getting your nursing degree as there are nurses out there. there are also a bunch of different nursing levels, too: as a student after your first semester of clinicals, you can work as a patient care tech in many areas. a lot of people go the lpn-rn route, but i know the lpn jobs are harder to come by where i am, and the recruiters i work with tell most students to just hold on for the extra year until they get their rn license. still, i'm sure that lpn demand varies by area, so that might be a way to go, too. talk to the people you know who are nurses - rns, lpns, pcts, students, whomever - and see what they have to say.

all in all, good luck! many people will tell you that nursing is a calling, not just a job, and more power to you to find that calling, wherever it might be.

and welcome to allnurses!

two very shiny pennies, never sell yourself short