Volunteering

I'm in the same boat as you. While going through prerequisites, I decided to volunteer for some experience. After a semi-lengthy procedure, I'll be volunteering on Thursday, in the OR. I wanted ER but it was taken....even volunteering is really competitive. I'm in LA and I'll be volunteering at providence in Burbank, CA, a block away from Jay Leno's studio.....maybe I'll finally stop in for a taping. I love providence hospital and I hope to work there, after I'm done with nursing school....which will probably take forever, because of waiting lists and such. Sorry that I'm being a Debbie Downer, it's just every counselor keeps bringing up the fact that nursing schools accepted 50 students out of 500 applicants and they don't even look at applicants who have a GPA of less than 3.6. Volunteering is important, because it shows that you're serious about becoming a nurse and it'll look good on your application for nursing schools. Yes I say nursing schools because you'll probably want to apply to more than one nursing school....I'll be applying to 25, both 4 year and 2 year programs. You can also add volunteering on a job application and in your resume. You can probably even get a letter of recommendation from charge nurses and volunteer coordinators. My teachers are even giving me extra credit for volunteering. Even though you and I as volunteers won't be involved in patient care, it's still a great way to get a feel of the nursing profession, plus you'll make friends, network and sort of get used to the hospital dynamic. In other words, do as much as you can to stand out in your application because nursing schools are extremely competitive and volunteering helps you sort of stand out. You can even volunteer at more than one hospital (if you have the time that is). Maybe you can even go through a CNA program and get a part time job as a CNA.....that will look even better on your application. I'm going for my EMT certificate, mostly because I want to stand out from the competition, plus I'm thinking maybe I'll one day have the opportunity to work as an ER technician, while going through nursing school. Good luck, don't give up and do the best you can to stand out from the rest.