Hi everybody! I am very interested in becoming a nurse, but I still have two more years of high school left after this one. I would like to complete a two year nursing program to become a R.N. I'm trying to get as much information as I can, as soon as possible. I live in Virginia... are there any VA nurses out there that have completed a two year program? If there are any handy websites out there, I would love to hear about them. Any kind of advice is greatly appreciated!
I haven't been here in awhile. I was expecting a reply, but that's okay! I'll ask some more specific questions... What classes are you required to take in a 2 year program? How could I get ahead now? And if anyone has an opinion on the best program in VA, tell me about it. Thanks!
Hi Rocket,
I am gona be a nursing student in 2005,I start in early 2005 but I am applying for loans and grants early...So I posted a thing asking every one what I would need to buy for clinicals...So that I know how much extra to apply for when I apply for students loans....But I got no responce...I see that you didn't have any responces to you're question either...I am not sure if this site is just really bad about replying to new ppl or what...If you are taking a 2 year rn program many schools require you to do a lpn program (these typically last up to 11-12 months) then after that You would have aprox another year...There are many tech schools that have rn programs and adn programs...
In Jamacia,Guam the cost of a rn diploma program cost aprox what a lpn program costs here in the states...If you go to a teaching hospital it may be cheaper there too,There is a non profit teaching hospital in Canton,IL...It is one of the best,It is a 27month program....Check these links out,I hope they help.
http://www.grahamschoolofnursing.org/
http://www.healthguideusa.com/teachi...itals_J.htm#VA
http://www.allnurses.com/topsites/
Hi there!
I hope that I can help you out some. I'm not sure what area of Virginia you are in. We lived in Norfolk for four years and I know that Tidewater Community College in Norfolk has a nurses program, or at least they did.
I am living in Pensacola, FL right now and I can only tell you what our program requires. It seems that most places are pretty much the same though.
Aside from your nursing courses, if your program is like mine, you will have to take English, College Algebra, Anatomy and Physiology I and II, Human Growth and Development, Nutrition, Sociology, and Microbiology some sort of humanities elective (I chose Ethics). I will also have a Pre-Nursing AA before I graduate from RN school because I want to be able to easily transition to A BSN degree (4 year RN degree) after I graduate RN school. For my pre nursing, which is basically the first two years of my BSN, I had to take the above classes plus Eng Comp II, Statistics, Psychology, Intermediate Biology, General Chemisty, Pathophysiology, American Literature (could have also taken European lit), History (can be US or World), another humanities elective and a few computer classes. I was in the Navy and my job exempted me from the computer classes, so I am not even sure what type of classes they were.
Your high school counselor should be able to give you detailed info on what you can take to be the most prepared for school. I would suggest that you take Anatomy if they offer it. If not, take an additional biology course. Or perhaps you could dual enroll at a local college your senior year and take A&P. Aside from the science classes, your classes that you will originally take are just expansion classes from high school. I hope that makes sense.
Some high schools offer psychology or human studies now, take those if you can.
As for some things that you can do to get ahead now...you could start learning medical terminology so that will be easier for you. You could also volunteer at a local hospital. Look into taking a CNA (Certified nurse assitant) and maybe you can get a CNA job part time. I'm not sure how old you are now, but look into it for when you are old enough. If nothing else, see if you can get a part time job in admissions in a local hospital. You wouldn't believe how much this helped me out when I was at home. I picked up a lot of information just from being in the environment and all I did was admit patients, fill out lab requests, and do drug charges. All of these things stuck with me for the last 7 years and helped me so much! I remember a lot of the drugs and what kind of patients they were used on, I remember a lot of the med terms, I remember a lot of what lab tests were given to what type of patients. Just the entire environemnt helped me!
Remember, I am not an expert, I am just another nursing student and I hope that I have helped you out in some way!
Good luck!
Kristy
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