Applying to Nursing School- Everything you NEED to know

Hello and Welcome to my page!

I am assuming that you are reading this right now because you have decided that you want to apply to nursing school! Congrats on picking such a rewarding career to pursue. Not only will being a nurse give you career opportunities anywhere you live, offer you flexible hours, and good pay, BUT the reward you will get from being able to take care of others is really what makes this career unlike any others.

I know you're probably thinking " yes.. I want to be a Nurse, but where do I even start?" I have good news for you! I just recently graduated from nursing school, and I am a licensed Registered Nurse that can help you with everything I WISH I had known, when applying to nursing school.

First thing first, is that you must: decide where you want to attend nursing school.

• This is important because no matter the good things you've heard about a specific nursing school, you must take it upon yourself to do the research. You may be asking yourself, besides prices, program lengths, and requirements to get in, what more do I need to know.. Well, you must make sure they are an accredited school. Many schools will tell you that they have an accreditation, BUT what you need them to have is "The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)", woah try saying that three times fast... LOL. Why you may ask? Well the accreditation does matter, because in order to transfer schools or advance your degree, many schools will NOT accept your transfer classes/credits if they are from non-accredited programs. Students attending non-accredited schools aren't able to receive federal financial aid from the U.S Department of Education either. CRAZY isn't it? I know. This is important to make sure that you are going to a school where your credits will transfer anywhere you need them too, in order to pursue your bachelors degree, or even finish out your nursing degree elsewhere... You NEVER know where life will take you. Fun fact: many job applications even have listed in the requirements "If graduated from a nursing program that was not accredited by ACEN, at least one year of RN experience in an applicable care setting is required". SO when it comes time to start applying for jobs as a new graduate nurse, you want to ensure that you do not need an additional year of experience to even apply for the dream job you want.

My biggest piece of advice to you, is that you want to make sure that if possible, you are applying to a school close to you, by close I mean it probably isn't a good idea to apply to a school that is 3 hours away, unless you plan on living on campus. Nursing school is stressful enough, and most clinical sites are around the area of the school, you do not want to have to leave your house at 3 am to get to clinicals by 6 am (Yes, I've had classmates have to do this). My drive was luckily 40 minutes to class, and 50 minutes to clinicals. It was do-able.

Application requirements: This is important to know, as in order to apply to nursing school, you must have fulfilled the requirements. You must complete all prerequisite courses during your undergraduate studies, obtain your transcripts, obtain letters of recommendation and do your research on what programs you want to apply for. You must confirm the program application deadline, and complete the application within the deadline, and ensure that you have the test results needed to enter the school. before the deadline. My program required a HESI entrance exam, on the computer. That required certain scores, in each category. Some schools require the TEAS test, or SAT scores, it just depends where you are applying. I recommend studying for these tests, which ever one your program requires as this is often how schools compare you from other students, when your GPA is the same level as someone else's. You want to stand out at competitive, larger nursing schools, so don't take the entrance exams lightly. Do your research before hand and study, study, study.

Once your enrolled, and you have a start date scheduled: Get organized early. Ensure that you have a good support system, a healthy routine, a babysitter, notify your work in advance of your changing schedule, and purchase supplies to start your program and be successful. Some schools supply nurse kits: stethescope, pen light, bandage scissors, etc. so just ask before hand, that way you have an idea of what you need to purchase. The most expensive stethescope will not be necessary, you will be unsure of what lung sounds you hear even with the new Littman Cardiology... get a decent stethescope that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. When you start you career as nurse, that is when you should purchase a more expensive stethescope. I would start reading your material EARLY, to ensure that you get a head start on your classes whether it be during Christmas break, Spring break, or just the weekend before class, be overly prepared.

The one thing that nursing school taught me is how to study, how to be organized, and how to make myself study when I feel like I can't anymore. At first, it took adjusting to determine what this new life would include. I always had heard that nursing school is the hardest thing that people have done in their life, but it didn't truly hit me until I received my first test grade back. It took me being forced to kick my bad habits out, and truly invest and prepare everything I had for this program...After 2 years, you figure out what is required in order for you to pass and become a nurse, but the earlier on you figure it out, obviously the better off your grades are. Nursing school information is difficult to comprehend and most instructors expect you to know majority of the information from your previous anatomy and physiology, micro, and biology classes in the beginning. It can be challenging for many to find time to study, so throughout the program, BE organized. Even before your classes start, buy a planner that you can use. This saved me in nursing school. Write all of your future events/appointments/important dates out, before you start nursing school, so you know what is going on with kids, husband, work, etc. Nursing school does consume 95% of your life, so save room in the planner... LOL