Steps to becoming a nurse?

Steps for becoming a registered nurse?

• I was hoping someone could clearly explain the steps needed to become a registered nurse. Also, would it be wise to take some community college classes on the side while I'm still ...show more

• Answer:

  You can become an RN with a minimum of an Associates Degree but a full 4 year Bachelor of Science (or Arts) in Nursing is preferred. You'll need to choose a school and start working on their prerequisite courses and complete those before you can apply to the actual nursing program at the school. Admission is highly competitive no matter which degree path you take. You can expect to have to take general biology, chemistry, and anatomy & physiology - all with lab - at a minimum before you will be able to apply to any nursing program. You'll need to keep a high GPA - at least a 3.0 if not a 3.5 to be competitive. For the AD program, it will be 2 years of nursing courses, so you're looking at about 3 years when you count time for the prerequisites. For a BSN it would be a full 4 years for prerequisites and the nursing courses, assuming you attend full-time every semester and get into the nursing major the very first time you apply. The AD programs give you the fundamentals of nursing practice - the minimum you need to know to earn your license by passing the NCLEX exam after graduation. The BSN programs give you all the same fundamentals but goes on into depth into nursing theory, research, public health, and skills related to supervisory / management / leadership. So even if you start with the AD, you should plan on completing the BSN at some point. If you hold the AD RN, there are BSN completion programs out there which are really flexible, often entirely online, and can be completed in about 18-24 months. Pros and cons are too many to list,but the basic pros are job stability / financial security for raising a family, flexible schedules and often full benefits for even part-time employment, many diverse specialties to go into and there are a lot of opportunities for changing jobs if you feel like you're getting bored or not working in an area of interest, feeling like you're making a real difference in people's lives and having a job that has a purpose and personal meaning. Cons - stress, dealing with difficult people (patients, coworkers, the health care system in general), potential for burn out if you are not self-aware of your limitations, etc. So to start you should start researching schools with nursing programs in your area. Google your state board of nursing's website and they will have an "education" page which lists all the approved programs in your state. From there, look at the schools' websites and find their nursing program admission criteria. Maybe call and talk to admissions reps and ask them some key questions - how many students apply vs. how many get accepted each year or semester? What is average GPA of admitted students? Is there a wait list and if so are you guaranteed admission the following semester / year? How are students ranked for admission or is it a lottery once you meet their basic criteria? This will help you better understand what you are up against and which school might be a good fit. Stick to public, state schools and avoid for-profit schools or you'll end up spending two or three times the tuition. Work hard, ask lots of questions if you don't understand things, and don't get frustrated if you don't get into a program the first time you apply. If you really want to be a nurse, waiting another semester or two is NOT a big deal in the grand scheme of a lifetime career. Good luck.