I found this site and hope I'm not intruding by asking this question. I'm 17 and I'm not a nurse yet, but hope to be one day. I'm going to be a senior in High School in September, and it has been my dream ever since I was 10 years old to become a nurse. My biggest problem is my grades. I will end up going to community college with the grades that I have now. My worst subject is math because I tend to freeze up on Algebra, etc. So my question is, should I steer my career choice in a different direction because I won't make it through nursing school? Is it worth it to get it out of my head now because I'll fail or should I just keep trying because it is my dream/passion? I volunteer at a hospital and get inspired everyday by watching the nurses do what they do.
Thanks so much, and I again hope I am not intruding as I am not a nurse. Thanks again :)
Deb
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July 20th, 2008 at 11:32 am
Hi Deb! I’ll do my best to try and give you some direction here, both as a mom of a girl about your age, and as a mother going back to school for nursing in her 40’s.
First of all – you didn’t say how low your grades actually were. In my experience, both my own, and with my daughter, many times low grades are due to not doing the classwork, homework, and/or doing poorly on tests. If you are doing the classwork/homework, and just freeze up on tests, ask for help – find a teacher or tutor to help you! Do “practice” tests, etc., to get over your anxiety. If you are not doing the homework, you are missing out on a lot of info that will end up on a test, so just do it, and do it right. If you are confused, always ASK FOR HELP! The teachers are there to help you! That was my problem in school, always too shy to ask for help! And my daughters problem is not caring, and hating to read. So, whatever is adding to your low grades, you have this last year in high school to work on it before you get to college. If you are making C’s now, make a goal this year to get all B’s! If you want to challenge yourself, set a goal for all A’s, or A’s in certain subjects you feel you can attain! You will feel so good about yourself once you reach the goals you have set for yourself!
It’s not really about how “smart” you are – the so-called “smart” kids just pay attention and do all their homework, and study hard! Sure, there are some people where little effort is required, but for most of us, the more time you spend studying, the better your grades are, so just spend the time!
Community college is not a bad thing, and will be MUCH cheaper as well. I live in a rural area, and most of the nurses here have come out of the 2-yr RN program at the local CC, or even the 1 year LPN program at the Vocational Technical school. We have a free tutoring center at the CC, where students just drop in and get help on their subjects. That help is getting people through some tough subjects, such as College Algebra! So, always use the tutoring help available!
In my area, there are 3 options towards nursing, as I mentioned above. You can pick any one of these, or do them in order, any way you go is fine:
1 – you can start at the local vocational/technical school, do a 16 week class, and become a CNA – certified nursing assistant. This could be a good step to start with for some people, as you will get in on the ground level of being part of the nursing staff, you will be able to get a job as a CNA while you are in nursing school, and get a feel if nursing is what you really want to do.
2 – LPN – one year program at voc/tech school. Some people stay an LPN, some then continue on towards an RN, depends on what you want to do. Our Votech school LPN program here does not require the “extra” classes the CC RN program does – math, psychology, sociology, history, etc. The local votech here only takes 20 students per year, though, much lower than the CC RN program. 76% passing grade in all classes is required to pass whole LPN course.
3 – RN – 2 yr program at CC. My CC requires additional classes and prerequisites such as college algebra, psychology (gen & dev), sociology, A&P 1&2, and microbiology as well. Most students have at least a year of “prerequisite” courses to complete before applying to the nursing program, so it really ends up being at least 3 years, depending on if you are a full-time student, or part-time. I am working full time still while doing pre-reqs at night, so it will take me 2 years to get those done, then 2 yrs RN program. Our CC only requires a 2.5 GPA to qualify for the RN program, and at least a C on all courses.
So, there are some things to think about. Keep working at the hospital, ask questions of the nurses or CNAs if they will let you, and take your senior year to buckle down and do well on your studies. You can do it! If you need help, don’t be ashamed to ask for it, it’s more of a shame to NOT ask for help when you know you need it, and let yourself fail.
Also, I have found in going back to school at an older age – life experience does have it’s advantages! You are still very young – every experience in life you have just keeps adding to your experience and knowledge – you learn knew things every day, learn how to deal with different kinds of people when you are in a working environment, etc.
Reading nursing blogs is a good thing, too! Let’s you see the “real” side of things!
I think you will do just fine – hope my info has helped a little to give you some ideas to check into!
August 1st, 2008 at 12:52 am
Deb–you’re not intruding! as you probably already know, nurses are suckers for helping people! Looking at all your options and asking questions is a very level-headed thing to do. i just graduated from nursing scool in may and passed my boards in june. i am now working and i couldn’t be happier with my career. Algebra (math in general, really) was never a strong subject of mine, but i found that med calculations just clicked for me. i don’t know if it was the application part that made it happen or what. i won’t lie to you–nursing school is HARD. but if it’s something that you are passionate about and willing to work for, there is no reason you can’t pass with flying colors. have confidence in yourself and your abilities.
Mrs. C is exactly right when she listed the step-by-step approach to becoming an RN–CNA, then LPN, etc. There is nothing wrong with doing that–you will gain confidence and technical experience as you go and have a chance to see nursing from all aspects. you may spend more time in school, but that is not always a bad thing. Good luck with the rest of high school and your future decisions!