Trying to figure out the best route for nursing.

[desereelynn]

Hello AllNurses!

I am a senior in high school about to graduate. I was recently in Stanford Hospital getting my usual treatment and it hit me - I want to become a nurse. I am most interested in becoming a school nurse. I have a passion for helping kids who are ill. I have been fortunate enough to have several different options for education, I am just having a hard time figuring out the best route to take. That is where your opinions come in! I have been accepted to California State University: Stan State. They offer a bachelors in nursing. I also live near a junior college that offers an associates in nursing, I am just nervous about not getting my classes. I have a few private schools near be that offer Vocational Nursing such as: Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts, and Kaplan College. Are trade schools worth it? Are the horror stories of not getting classes at a junior college true? Is the University the best way to go? Thank you!

[BusiestBSN]

I would call both the university and junior colleges and ask them how competitive it is to get into the nusing classes, if they have a wait list, how long it is (years/semesters) if you are place said wait list & how long it takes new grads to find employment.

Depending on where you live, it may not even be worth it to get the associates at the junior college, so you may want to branch out to looking into more universities. All the school nurse job listings I've seen do require a bachelors though, so keep that in mind since that is your goal in the long run.

As for trade schools... In my regional area, choosing a private for profit instead of one of the numerous not for profit schools to get a nursing degree is like shooting yourself in the foot.

[pmabraham, BSN, RN]

Good day:

For any school, make sure they are fully accredited. I would recommend doing all of your prerequisites at a community or junior college, then transferring to a BSN program.

Thank you.