What should I do?

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Hi Everyone! This will be my first post here but im excited to get all the information I can!

Well, I'm currently in high school and looking to become a nurse. I was reading through a few post and I had a few questions. I am thinking of going to my local CC to become an RN, then going to a school an getting the RN - BSN and then BSN - MSN. I've found a few schools that offer RN - MSN as well.

I was wondering if anyone has been through this process recently and could explain to me how long this process usually takes (doesn't matter to me really though ;)), where did you go to school throughout the process, do you believe the process helped you with looking for a job, and anything else that you consider helpful!

Thanks everyone!

- Katurah

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical, Hemodialysis.

Hello Katurah! :D

I am so happy to see a high school student thinking about their nursing career. :redpinkhe

I chose a little different route and went straight for my BSN. I took 2 semesters worth of pre-requisites at the CC and then it was nursing school time! This path may not be the right one for everyone but I have been happy with my decision.

I would encourage you to look into what kind of pre-req's are needed for the programs that your interested in and if your able to take any dual-credit classes while in high school that could fulfill some of your pre-req's. I would also look into the reputation of the school's that you are considering.

Good luck. :nurse:

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Thank you! I've taken a few classes that would be considered pre-read for Dual credit such as Psycology, Sociology, etc. Next year Anthropology, English, Goverment, etc.

Now with CC, and taking the pre-reqs then transferring. Is it possible to just take the classes without declaring a major for two years then transferring to a 4 year for a BSN?

Also, may I ask where you would consider a good nursing school? I've been looking and a lot of them are online but I don't think that is the route for me.

Thank you again :)

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Specializes in Med-Surg Nursing.

I think you would be better off just going for your BSN straight out of high school. I started off my nursing school career in a hospital based diploma program but 'flunked out' before completing it. My options were to go to a college for an ADN or BSN. I chose the BSN route because the college offering it was cheaper tuition-wise than the ADN school. I'm so glad I did.

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical, Hemodialysis.
Thank you! I've taken a few classes that would be considered pre-read for Dual credit such as Psycology, Sociology, etc. Next year Anthropology, English, Goverment, etc.

Now with CC, and taking the pre-reqs then transferring. Is it possible to just take the classes without declaring a major for two years then transferring to a 4 year for a BSN?

Also, may I ask where you would consider a good nursing school? I've been looking and a lot of them are online but I don't think that is the route for me.

Thank you again :)

I had to declare a major at my CC, in my case it was Pre-Nursing. I would check with an adviser at the CC to see what they recommend though.

Are you wanting to go to nursing school in your area? I would look at the school's NCLEX passing rates and even see if you can talk to current or former students.

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Specializes in LTC.

I too started going to school for nursing right out of high school. I started at a CC. Became a LPN half way through the ADN program. My plan is to do RN-BSN. That was the right decision for me. I always like to take one step at a time. For me I always like something to fall back on just in case life gets in the way of me education goal. Good luck to you!

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I went straight for the BSN (which I just finished a few days ago--yay!), and I think that would be the best route, also. You can take classes at the CC as prerequisites and then transfer to a BSN program, which several of my friends did. My advice for now is to maintain a high GPA (getting into nursing school can be very competitive), do some job shadowing at local hospitals to get a better idea of what it's like to be a nurse, and try to volunteer in an area that suits your interests. For example, one friend of mine wanted to go into labor and delivery, so she volunteered at a local pregnancy center. Another friend volunteered at a local agency that tests people for HIV and provides resources. You can also volunteer at a hospital--I met several people who volunteered in the ER, and I wish I did it. They learned a lot there, and it's an interesting place to volunteer. The most important thing is that you'll be making contacts.

Eventually, once you're in nursing school and complete a semester of it (I believe), you can work as a nurse's aide. I would strongly suggest doing this and any internships you can get, too. Everyone I know who got a job right away had made contacts and gained valuable experience through these routes.

Good luck!

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Thank you everyone :)

I looked up the only technical college reasonably in my area and thy both don't have too many good reviews about the nursing program. However I looked up a University I could afford (University of South Carolina) and they (from why i have heard from school's College and Career Center) have a nice Nursing program.

I think in the long run to earning my Masters I would much rather have a BSN to start with.

Thank you everyone for sharing you experiences with me. I can tell this website will be an asset in the long run!

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