Nursing is a career that is growing in popularity. The reason may be the ability to receive good pay or that there will always be a need for healthcare providers and therefore are less likely to be laid off during hard times. Whatever the case may be there is potential for success in the nursing career.
There are several things that need to be done in order to prepare for nursing school and in order to be eligible to apply for nursing school. Different schools will have some differences in requirements based on location and whether it is a university or junior college. After clearing the board exam successfully, you can FindCNAClasses on online website. The worth of the certificate will be great received from the state Nursing Home.
This article is based on my experience in southern California nursing schools.
You should start preparing early. This will allow you to see if you will enjoy the nursing career and will also look good on your application when you apply to the program. Many high schools have ROP programs that even adults can take to become a medical assistant. This will allow you to get your foot into the medical field. Medical assistants do small tasks such as blood pressure, weight, injections, and other things to assist the doctor. They do not have as much responsibility as an RN but you can start to get a feel for it. You should or may want to volunteer at a medical center or clinic. Volunteer work always looks good on applications and again will allow you to gain experience. Any experience or knowledge that you can gain prior to the program will make clinicals and classes easier.
Before you get into a program you must attend and pass certain courses. You need to take general education classes such as math, English, and speech. The main classes that are needed are in the science department. You will need to take chemistry, biology, anatomy, microbiology, physiology and if you want to attend a university you may also need physics.
Chemistry will cover chemicals and chemical bonding or reactions, biology will vaguely cover humans and the composition of the human body (this will make anatomy and physiology slightly easier), anatomy covers the parts and locations of specific body parts. This class is based mainly on memorization. Microbiology discusses the body on a cellular level. It describes how the functions of our cells and the processes they take in order to complete these functions. Lastly, physiology describes how the body works and how it stays in homeostasis. You will have to learn many cycles the body goes through to stay balanced and functioning properly.
Once you finish these classes you may be eligible for the nursing program. A junior college will require close to the minimum levels of general education classes whereas a university will want higher levels of math and English. These classes require a great deal of time and studying. Once in the nursing program you will have to dedicate even more time and concentration to the classes. This is a very rewarding career for those who really want to do it, so make sure before you spend the time and money that this is really the career you want to be in. If not there is high potential for burn out.