What educational preparation would you recommend for this field?

Hi, I would first earn my Certified Nursing Assistant license, If you have not already, and work in field at an acute care hospital to really know if being a nurse will work for you. It helps you to learn all areas of nursing and the other professional roles such as physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, dietitian, physician.

I knew nursing would work for me so I volunteered at a hospital in the operating room (OR) to know if being an OR nurse would work for me and it did not. I was so glad I did not go that route.

You can go through a bachelor of science (BSN) route at a university or there is an associate degree nursing program route (ADN )program at a community college (like Lone Star )then after graduation and taking boards , you could do a year through university online to earn BSN.

Most acute care hospitals require a BSN to be hired but you could start out working in out patient clinic, nursing home, or urgent care clinic while working on earning BSN. If you had been working as a CNA for a certain healthcare system, your manager may hire you after passing the nursing boards and will require that you earn your BSN within a year or 18 months.

Good luck!