2 answers
2 answers
Updated
Hillary’s Answer
Hi there,
A good way to know if you want to become a nurse is to volunteer with a hospital (most have volunteer programs), a nursing home, or rehabilitation center in your community. Some high schools have programs that inspire to the healthcare industry. I also suggest chatting with a few nurses to ask your questions to. The two biggest parts of nursing are keeping your patient's safe and advocating for them. You will learn how to do this both in school and on the job.
A patient may not always know what is needed, what questions to ask, how to take care of themselves and this is where we come in. A great thing about nursing is that you can do any specialty including preventative care. Some specialties out there are adult care, geriatric care, pediatric care, mental health, obstetrics, gynecology, diabetic care, cancer care, critical care, trauma care, stroke care, cardiac specialty, transport (ground ambulance and flight), esthetic/cosmetics, case management, forensics, and so many more.
As far as nursing school goes you should look in to what your aspiring nursing school requires as pre-requisite courses. Most will require your college level general education (about 2 years) with some specialty classes required such as microbiology, anatomy and physiology, and statistics. Then you start your nursing school which is generally about 2 years and is integrated with clinicals (going into health care facilities and taking care of patients under the supervision of your instructor and a nurse employee by the hospital).
You have many choices when it comes to nursing school and what degree you want. You can become a RN with an associates, a bachelor's, a master's, or a PhD. To become a Registered Nurse you complete the schooling and take the Board of Registered Nurse Exam. You can always do more school later on to advance your degree if desired. Don't feel pressured to jump to that Master's degree if you aren't ready.
Nurses come from all backgrounds. Some start in nursing knowing that is what they've wanted to become. For others it may be a second or third career. All are welcome. Good luck!
A good way to know if you want to become a nurse is to volunteer with a hospital (most have volunteer programs), a nursing home, or rehabilitation center in your community. Some high schools have programs that inspire to the healthcare industry. I also suggest chatting with a few nurses to ask your questions to. The two biggest parts of nursing are keeping your patient's safe and advocating for them. You will learn how to do this both in school and on the job.
A patient may not always know what is needed, what questions to ask, how to take care of themselves and this is where we come in. A great thing about nursing is that you can do any specialty including preventative care. Some specialties out there are adult care, geriatric care, pediatric care, mental health, obstetrics, gynecology, diabetic care, cancer care, critical care, trauma care, stroke care, cardiac specialty, transport (ground ambulance and flight), esthetic/cosmetics, case management, forensics, and so many more.
As far as nursing school goes you should look in to what your aspiring nursing school requires as pre-requisite courses. Most will require your college level general education (about 2 years) with some specialty classes required such as microbiology, anatomy and physiology, and statistics. Then you start your nursing school which is generally about 2 years and is integrated with clinicals (going into health care facilities and taking care of patients under the supervision of your instructor and a nurse employee by the hospital).
You have many choices when it comes to nursing school and what degree you want. You can become a RN with an associates, a bachelor's, a master's, or a PhD. To become a Registered Nurse you complete the schooling and take the Board of Registered Nurse Exam. You can always do more school later on to advance your degree if desired. Don't feel pressured to jump to that Master's degree if you aren't ready.
Nurses come from all backgrounds. Some start in nursing knowing that is what they've wanted to become. For others it may be a second or third career. All are welcome. Good luck!
Updated
Shay’s Answer
Nurses are in demand so if you know that is what you want to do, I would start applying to programs during your junior year in high school because there may be a waiting list.
You could also volunteer at hospitals and try to talk to different nurses to see if it's truly something you want to do.
Look at scholarships now to see what you can do to make yourself the best possible candidate!
You could also volunteer at hospitals and try to talk to different nurses to see if it's truly something you want to do.
Look at scholarships now to see what you can do to make yourself the best possible candidate!
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