What all does Nursing School entail?

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Hello! I am new to this community and very excited to find this! I am currently taking my pre-reqs through Univ. of Phoenix online (technically Axia College) because I work full time. It is the best idea I ever had! I still have until September of 09 when I'm done with that, but I like to prepare for the future.

In order to prepare, I'm asking you guys for some help :wink2:

I want to eventually be a pediatric oncology RN. Right now, my boyfriend and I live on our own, as we have for the past 3 years. I'm curious about nursing school. How long does it take? What is it like, as in do you take a bunch of classes your first year, then clinical your second...? Next, I'm wondering where are the best places to apply (and have good luck getting into from a degree from an online school) for nursing school and what is that like? I haven't been given a lot of information on nursing school, so I have a lot of questions.

Will I be able to work, or will this be out of the question with the amount needed to study. If so, would financial aid and student loans cover half our financial issues?

Any info you have would be greatly appreciated. Thank you and I look forward to discussing and learning from all of you! :p

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

All of that is individual to the school you apply at.

Nursing school is usually full time day classes. There are not any nursing schools online that I am personally aware of, though I am sure if such a thing exists people will likely speak up. Admission to nursing school is competitive based on GPA in some places, a lottery system in others and pretty much very difficult to get into no matter where you go. There is a shortage of nursing instructors and therefore more people wanting to go to nursing school than there are slots available.

Some people have been successful in working through nursing school, most people have not. I personally plan to work part time and see how I do with the knowledge that I may need to quit if it gets too tough. We have money in savings to make up the difference but are not opposed to taking out loans if need be.

How long school takes depends on the kind of nursing degree you are seeking. A BSN is a four year degree. An ADN is a two year degree. LVN I have no information on as I have not considered that route. Becoming an oncology nurse will require additional training that usually the hospital will put you through after you have worked there for a while. You'll have to earn a certification for that as well, but will not be part of the nursing program in college.

Hope some of this helps. Good luck! If you work very hard and are prepared for a few lean years, you can do it.

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Thank you so much! That definitely helped :)

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