1. What is nursing school like? Nursing school takes a lot of time and discipline. Unlike high school, in college, no one is there to take attendance to make sure you actually go to class- you are responsible for being there on your own- if you skip, you miss valuable information. You'll have to take a lot of science classes before you begin your nursing classes. Nursing classes usually consist of a classroom portion & a clinical portion- where you will actually be working with nurses in hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, etc...
2. Job Expectations? As an ER nurse, I am responsible for assessing my patients, triaging patients that come through the door to determine their acuity level, what treatments need to be started right away, and who can stand to wait. I initiate protocols before the patient is sen by a physician- place an IV, send labs, order CT scans or x-rays if they need them, etc... I am also responsible for coordinating every other aspect of my patient's care- making sure Respiratory therapy, psych, social worker, etc are called when needed,and facilitating the patient's discharge, admission, or transfer to another facility. Being an RN entails a lot of responsibility- after all, we're talking life-or-death situations here!
3. What is the pay? Pay varies greatly based on your state, specialty, shift, whether you want to work in a hospital, clinic, nursing home... You can find he average salary for your area by going to Salary.com Job salaries- Performance reviews- Compensation software
4. On the job pros and cons. PROS: I get to save lives and make a difference, I'm always learning, working in the ER is never boring, as a travel nurse, I get paid more to travel and see the country... CONS: Hard work, being verbally & physically abused by patients in the ER, dealing with poop/pee/puke, etc....