If you are already thinking about what you need to do to become a nurse, congratulations! Your early preparation will give you an advantage when it's time to start putting together your nursing school application. In addition to the courses required by the college you hope to get into, make sure your high school classes include plenty of math and science. You will see the math and science concepts again in much greater detail when you're in nursing school, so you'll be doing yourself a favor by studying these subjects extra carefully in high school. You will also use what you learn in those courses every day when you're working as a nurse.
While getting good grades and taking appropriate courses are extremely important, here are some other things you can do in high school to get your nursing career off to a great start:
- Learn as much as you can about the health care field in general, and about nursing in particular. Find out what the difference is between nurses and other health care professionals, learn about the many different kinds of nurses, and what their daily responsibilities are. There are dozens of great web sites and books that can tell you everything you need to know about nursing.
- Volunteer or find part-time work in a hospital or physician's office so that you can see first-hand what your work environment will be.
- Talk to nurses you know. Ask them what they like about their jobs and what they would have done differently in their careers if they could start over again.
- Learn about the different educational pathways for becoming a nurse and try to decide which will be the best one for you. See Nursing School for more information about the choices available to you.
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