advice to high schoolers wanting to go to nursing school
as a student who's halfway done with nursing school, i wanted to write out some of my thoughts + advice for younger people who want to get into nursing.
first, i would just like to say that i was an AWFUL high school student. i've come to realize a lot of my peers who are doing great in nursing school really struggled in high school. so, if you're in high school right now & struggling to get through, maybe even doubting if you'll make it through nursing school, i first want to say take a deep breath & realize that 99% of high school is honestly useless. i've realized that if i'm not taking classes i'm interested in & enjoy, i physically cannot apply myself
that being said, if your school offers any kind of tech program that's CNA/nursing related... DO IT!!! i cannot stress this enough!!! my senior year of high school i did a 1 year CNA program that taught me SO much. by the time i got to foundations, it was a BREEZE. i had already learned most of it, and i am SO thankful for that program & all that i learned from it. my program required us to have 100 clinical hours to graduate, which i loved so much. it was a great way to test the waters & make sure nursing was what i really wanted to do.
on that note, if you're not sure about nursing.. don't do it. this might be a controversial take, but most of my classmates who picked nursing as a "backup" major seem to really not enjoy classes. nursing is a career of PASSION. you have to really love what you do & have a drive to help others. school isn't easy, and it's definitely not as glamorous as shows/social media makes it out to be.
not only that but you have to love PEOPLE. regardless of age, gender, race, religion, etc... i've heard a lot of my classmates make sexist/racist jokes, which strikes me as VERY odd, as we have a duty to care for & protect our patients. if you're not comfortable with people, especially those that are different from you, please do not pick this career. there's plenty of jobs with little/no human interaction...
you have to be willing to dedicate a lot of time to school. luckily, i love this career/field of study SO incredibly much that studying is actually enjoyable. i don't mind cancelling on a night out to study, because i feel like i'm doing something useful & the satisfaction i feel when i do good on an exam is absolutely amazing. yes, school is hard, but if you're willing to dedicate yourself to it, it pays off.
my last (& probably most important) tip is to find a study method that works best for you! nursing school is a lot more than memorizing something once for an exam & forgetting it. things build off each other so much, and once you start to see how everything connects, it's actually really cool. however, if you don't have a good study plan/method, it's going to get very difficult very fast. utilize all your resources. use all the quizlets. make all the flashcards. use whiteboards. teach your pets. practice clinical skills until you can do them with your eyes closed & it feels repetitive. do EVERYTHING you can!!
goodluck to everyone applying to nursing school! don't let bad grades discourage you, don't let rejection shape you. learn as much as you can & build a solid group of friends in school! i believe in everyone reading this && please reach out with questions, i love talking!!