Nursing - How did your DC figure out that's what they want?

[Anonymous]

Can she at least talk to nurses you know?

[Anonymous]

Check your local hospitals, some still allow teen volunteers. I just looked at Arlington's hospital and they have options for volunteers as young as 16. May not get as close to patient care as candy stripers used to at least would be in a hospital environment and be able to observe and get a sense of the place

https://www.vhchealth.org/volunteer-services/

[Anonymous]

CRNA here and approximately 1/2 of my co-workers started at at ADN programs and then worked where they payed for most, if not all, of their BSN. Then they did their time in an ICU bf anesthesia school. There is a massive nursing shortage and “caliber” of program will not prevent anyone from working in an ICU or similar acuity unit - it comes down to making connections during clinicals, working hard and knowing your stuff. I think you would be insane to pay full price 4 year college tuition for a BSN currently - our local CC 2 yr program is a direct pipeline to the hospitals in our area - those hospitals cover some of the cost for the BSN and a few very motivated RNs are then pipelined into CRNA school. I have been a CRNA for 15 yrs. now - I work 3 (8hr) shifts a week, have 8 weeks off a year and make a nice (around 160K/yr)

[Anonymous]

Nurse of 25 years here. I went to nursing school because I knew I would always have a job. It was a practical choice - I wanted to always be able to support myself and not worry about needing a man to support me.
No one in my family had ever been sick enough to be in a hospital. I had never set foot in a hospital until my first clinical rotation.

The fact that she has expressed an interest is the first hurdle. The next one is - can she handle blood and body fluids.
Agree with others to:
* talk to a nurse, * volunteer in a hospital, * call the nursing program at a nearby college and ask to speak to the nurse recruiter for experiences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nurse practitioner here - it IS a great field with a lot of flexibility, opportunity for life/work balance, and growth. The best way to get a sense of the field is obviously spend some time in a health care facility that has volunteering/shadowing opportunities for high schoolers. That may be tough to find (it's hard enough for RN/NP students to get placed) I'd start by asking someone in high school guidance office what opportunities they know about as they are likely the best versed in this.
On the "going to a top nursing school" issue - that is definitely relevant for advanced practice (NP/CNM/Nurse-Anesthetist) but for RN level education it really is just a matter of covering the nursing content needed for the NCLEX and getting clinical placement time. 4 year bachelors is preferable to 2 year associates degree, that is the only real distinction. Where I think the "top school" issue does become relevant is she may think she's all about nursing, and then decide to pivot to public health or PT or something else health related. So I'd find schools she likes that have a range of options for healthcare related careers so she has a chance to explore this a bit. Good luck!

What is your basis for saying this? My DC and I have talked with a variety of nurses/NPs/CRNA and they have all said this is really not relevant at all. In one instance, the student went to a "low ranked" (acc to pple on here) school for bio, then nursing degree and is now at an ivy on the PA track. (Stat sample of 1, i realize. But is consistent with what we've been told from many other nurse/health care providers in terms of "does undergrad matter"?) There was also another post on this recently and the overwhelming response was it doesn't.

I'm just interested on why this is your take as it seems to be the outlier in the opinions I've seen.

PP here (who is an NP) I think we're saying the same things. For nursing (education for RN license) it doesn't matter where you go. You may have better new grad opportunities if you have a 4 year bachelors rather than 2 years associates but even there the differences aren't huge. For someone interested in advanced practice work after getting their RN (NP/CNM) there is some consideration to "prestige" of program, particularly if one is interested in scholarship or teaching down the road. You can certainly get a job with an degree from schools that are not as well known but the clinical placement experience might not be great and that's really important in advance practice training. Well integrated clinical and classroom components are pretty critical.

I'm not entirely sure we are saying the same thing, actually. Because the bolded is not my understanding at all after talking with a LOT of current practitioners. So now you have me concerned.

So you're saying that unless my kid goes to a "top" nursing school, they won't be placed in, for ex., a critical care unit due to where they went to school (that sort of experience is necessary for some advanced degrees)???? (I understand that there are other considerations, as well.)

I can't speak to placement in all the disciplines of nursing, i'm just one Nurse Practitioner/Nurse Midwife giving you one provider's perspective. I've been in this field for almost 18 years so I've met lots of clinicians of various educational backgrounds but you are most welcome to disregard any of this it's in no way definitive.
In summary - for nursing (the work you do with an RN license) there is no such thing as a "top" program, the content will be the same across programs and clinical hour requirements will be designed to meet licensing requirements. Go where you can get in and won't come out with huge loans.
For advanced practice nursing (NP/CNM/Nurse Anesthetist) there is a "ranking" of programs out there, so if somebody is interested in a "top" program there are some to aim for and there's a reason they are highly ranked which will have to do with the institution they are affiliated with, research/clinical opportunities etc. To be clear, this is ONLY relevant for graduate work, not undergraduate. Hope that helps. Best of luck

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:mine announced it for the first time in 11th grade. we just kind of thought, ok, whatever, we'll see, lots of people change their minds. apparently, she wanted to be a nurse since she was a little kid.

she stuck with it all the way through and is now a high-acuity nurse at a top hospital. she works part-time (6 days per month) and makes about what a teacher makes full-time, so pretty flexible.

if she is sure, easiest and cheapest way is CC for pre-reqs and then straight to nursing school. she will also probably have better grades at CC then she will at regular university. these good grades will help her get into nursing school.

Wow! She only works 6 days per month?? Please can you clarify this?

Not pp but I’m in health care and this is common. Nursing is great for moms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nurse practitioner here - it IS a great field with a lot of flexibility, opportunity for life/work balance, and growth. The best way to get a sense of the field is obviously spend some time in a health care facility that has volunteering/shadowing opportunities for high schoolers. That may be tough to find (it's hard enough for RN/NP students to get placed) I'd start by asking someone in high school guidance office what opportunities they know about as they are likely the best versed in this.
On the "going to a top nursing school" issue - that is definitely relevant for advanced practice (NP/CNM/Nurse-Anesthetist) but for RN level education it really is just a matter of covering the nursing content needed for the NCLEX and getting clinical placement time. 4 year bachelors is preferable to 2 year associates degree, that is the only real distinction. Where I think the "top school" issue does become relevant is she may think she's all about nursing, and then decide to pivot to public health or PT or something else health related. So I'd find schools she likes that have a range of options for healthcare related careers so she has a chance to explore this a bit. Good luck!

What is your basis for saying this? My DC and I have talked with a variety of nurses/NPs/CRNA and they have all said this is really not relevant at all. In one instance, the student went to a "low ranked" (acc to pple on here) school for bio, then nursing degree and is now at an ivy on the PA track. (Stat sample of 1, i realize. But is consistent with what we've been told from many other nurse/health care providers in terms of "does undergrad matter"?) There was also another post on this recently and the overwhelming response was it doesn't.

I'm just interested on why this is your take as it seems to be the outlier in the opinions I've seen.

PP here (who is an NP) I think we're saying the same things. For nursing (education for RN license) it doesn't matter where you go. You may have better new grad opportunities if you have a 4 year bachelors rather than 2 years associates but even there the differences aren't huge. For someone interested in advanced practice work after getting their RN (NP/CNM) there is some consideration to "prestige" of program, particularly if one is interested in scholarship or teaching down the road. You can certainly get a job with an degree from schools that are not as well known but the clinical placement experience might not be great and that's really important in advance practice training. Well integrated clinical and classroom components are pretty critical.

I'm not entirely sure we are saying the same thing, actually. Because the bolded is not my understanding at all after talking with a LOT of current practitioners. So now you have me concerned.

So you're saying that unless my kid goes to a "top" nursing school, they won't be placed in, for ex., a critical care unit due to where they went to school (that sort of experience is necessary for some advanced degrees)???? (I understand that there are other considerations, as well.)

I can't speak to placement in all the disciplines of nursing, i'm just one Nurse Practitioner/Nurse Midwife giving you one provider's perspective. I've been in this field for almost 18 years so I've met lots of clinicians of various educational backgrounds but you are most welcome to disregard any of this it's in no way definitive.
In summary - for nursing (the work you do with an RN license) there is no such thing as a "top" program, the content will be the same across programs and clinical hour requirements will be designed to meet licensing requirements. Go where you can get in and won't come out with huge loans.
For advanced practice nursing (NP/CNM/Nurse Anesthetist) there is a "ranking" of programs out there, so if somebody is interested in a "top" program there are some to aim for and there's a reason they are highly ranked which will have to do with the institution they are affiliated with, research/clinical opportunities etc. To be clear, this is ONLY relevant for graduate work, not undergraduate. Hope that helps. Best of luck

Oh I totally get that there is a ranking of the grad programs. I was asking more does it matter where you got your undergrad bachelors to qualify for the grad programs. That's not my understanding and what I've heard but I am not in the field and so don't know.

[Anonymous]

DD in high school is interested in nursing and will volunteer at our local hospital this summer. Figure that will help DD know if she really wants to pursue nursing. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nurse practitioner here - it IS a great field with a lot of flexibility, opportunity for life/work balance, and growth. The best way to get a sense of the field is obviously spend some time in a health care facility that has volunteering/shadowing opportunities for high schoolers. That may be tough to find (it's hard enough for RN/NP students to get placed) I'd start by asking someone in high school guidance office what opportunities they know about as they are likely the best versed in this.
On the "going to a top nursing school" issue - that is definitely relevant for advanced practice (NP/CNM/Nurse-Anesthetist) but for RN level education it really is just a matter of covering the nursing content needed for the NCLEX and getting clinical placement time. 4 year bachelors is preferable to 2 year associates degree, that is the only real distinction. Where I think the "top school" issue does become relevant is she may think she's all about nursing, and then decide to pivot to public health or PT or something else health related. So I'd find schools she likes that have a range of options for healthcare related careers so she has a chance to explore this a bit. Good luck!

What is your basis for saying this? My DC and I have talked with a variety of nurses/NPs/CRNA and they have all said this is really not relevant at all. In one instance, the student went to a "low ranked" (acc to pple on here) school for bio, then nursing degree and is now at an ivy on the PA track. (Stat sample of 1, i realize. But is consistent with what we've been told from many other nurse/health care providers in terms of "does undergrad matter"?) There was also another post on this recently and the overwhelming response was it doesn't.

I'm just interested on why this is your take as it seems to be the outlier in the opinions I've seen.

PP here (who is an NP) I think we're saying the same things. For nursing (education for RN license) it doesn't matter where you go. You may have better new grad opportunities if you have a 4 year bachelors rather than 2 years associates but even there the differences aren't huge. For someone interested in advanced practice work after getting their RN (NP/CNM) there is some consideration to "prestige" of program, particularly if one is interested in scholarship or teaching down the road. You can certainly get a job with an degree from schools that are not as well known but the clinical placement experience might not be great and that's really important in advance practice training. Well integrated clinical and classroom components are pretty critical.

I'm not entirely sure we are saying the same thing, actually. Because the bolded is not my understanding at all after talking with a LOT of current practitioners. So now you have me concerned.

So you're saying that unless my kid goes to a "top" nursing school, they won't be placed in, for ex., a critical care unit due to where they went to school (that sort of experience is necessary for some advanced degrees)???? (I understand that there are other considerations, as well.)

I can't speak to placement in all the disciplines of nursing, i'm just one Nurse Practitioner/Nurse Midwife giving you one provider's perspective. I've been in this field for almost 18 years so I've met lots of clinicians of various educational backgrounds but you are most welcome to disregard any of this it's in no way definitive.
In summary - for nursing (the work you do with an RN license) there is no such thing as a "top" program, the content will be the same across programs and clinical hour requirements will be designed to meet licensing requirements. Go where you can get in and won't come out with huge loans.
For advanced practice nursing (NP/CNM/Nurse Anesthetist) there is a "ranking" of programs out there, so if somebody is interested in a "top" program there are some to aim for and there's a reason they are highly ranked which will have to do with the institution they are affiliated with, research/clinical opportunities etc. To be clear, this is ONLY relevant for graduate work, not undergraduate. Hope that helps. Best of luck

Oh I totally get that there is a ranking of the grad programs. I was asking more does it matter where you got your undergrad bachelors to qualify for the grad programs. That's not my understanding and what I've heard but I am not in the field and so don't know.

Right as far as I understand where you get your undergrad is not particularly relevant. Undergrad GPA and then clinical experience would be the most important factor for graduate school admissions.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure how common this is, but in my city we have summer nursing camps for HS students. The local university nursing department and the local children's hospital offer them and they're both free.

When I was in HS, kids who wanted to go to med school or nursing school usually started with candy striping and got their CNA during their senior year once they turned 18 so they could work at SNFs on the weekends.

[Anonymous]

Nurse here. Also echoing, no such things as a top nursing school. Just go to whatever university she likes that has a BSN program. Obv nothing online.

As for experience, if/when she turns 18 have her attend class to become a CNA (nurse aid). There are usually programs you can complete over 2-4 weeks, maybe she can do that in the summer. Then she can work as a CNA in a hospital or nursing home. This is the best way to figure out if nursing is a good fight plus the experience is insanely helpful in nursing school. I did this and worked 1-2 night shifts per week al through nursing school.

[Anonymous]

My husband is a cardiac OR nurse and while the undergrad institution doesn't matter as much, you get a better pick of jobs depending on where you go, especially if you plan to work at a hospital. For example, if you plan to live in Baltimore, go to UMD for nursing school and then you can get pretty much any Baltimore hospital BSN job you'd want. There are several hospitals that want to keep their magnet status and prefer to hire BSNs over RNs.

And then there are the travel positions, which are amazing for nurses without families.

[Anonymous]

Your child should volunteer at a fire station near you and train to be a volunteer EMT. Great experience with patients and working as a team, and when you drop off patients at the hospital you can get a little sense of an ER nurse’s life.

My kid did this and thought she wanted to be a nurse. And I still think it’s an excellent job!! But my kid she did an internship at a research hospital and saw how the doctors treated the nurses and decided to go to med school. Plus she really liked her science classes and wanted to go more in depth.

Good luck, OP. And plz- no TV shows about nursing, or not just that!- get her out there volunteering!

[Anonymous]

In FCPS they have a few different healthcare academy classes you can take, if you are in that district.

[Anonymous]

TV shows are NOT a good way to learn about nursing. They suggest that you spend a lot of time sleeping with your co-workers!

She should volunteer in a hospital. If possible in a clinical department (though that may not be an option). Also, perhaps volunteering with older or disabled people. That is not the same, but that will expose her to people who are not able-bodied and need help. Does that make her feel fulfilled or turned off?