Re: Message For Carol

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On 5/10/06, Wendy wrote:
> Hi Carol,
>
> I a am a solo looking to start a new career. I am
> seriously considering nursing. What does one have to do
> to become a RN? Do I have to go back to school for 4
> years?
>
> Any guidance is appreciated,
>
> Wendy
Wendy, I always advise anyone who wants a career in nursing
to go to a 4 year Bachelor's degree. There are 3 ways to
get an RN: a 4 year Bachelor's of Science, an assocaite's
degree and a diploma from a hospital school that takes
anywhere from 2-3 years depending on the school. any of
these will make you a registered nurse(RN), after you pass
the state board exam, usually a 2 day affair similar to the
bar but not quite as grueling. Personally, I don't think
you need college to be a good nurse, in fact I think that
hospital schools actually give you a better hands on
education and that's really what nursing should be about. A
BSN is 4 years the first 2 are just regular college courses
required before you actually take nursing courses. But if
you want to do anything besides floor nursing in a hospital,
you almost have to have a BSN. I went to a hospital school
and have a Diploma, practiced for many years and had special
certification but was passed over for clinic jobs for brand
new grads with a BSN (I think the BS stands for something
other than Bach. Science.) So if you only want to do bedside
hospital nursing for your career (what I though I wanted
till I got older) a diploma hospital school is the way to
go. It's probably cheaper than a college degree but it is
very intensive, they put you on the floor for 8 hours a day
very soon after starting. If you want it to supplement your
JD to do consulting or something, definitely go with the
BSN. If you're not sure and you have the time and money, go
with the BSN. If you live near the university that you got
your undergrad from check with them to see if they have a
BSN program, a lot of your undergrad classes will probably
transfer, thus making the time in the program less.Nursing
is very rewarding, but it is hard often very physical work.
You will earn every penny you make and more. However, it is
a steady paycheck and beats trying to dun clients for
payment for the work you've done. Good luck.