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I stumbled into a nursing path.  My husband had to take Anatomy and Physiology for his degree.  I decided that I would take it with him on a whim.  Both of us did really well in the class and I was so fascinated by what I learned.  My amazing teacher encouraged me to think about nursing and so I did.  Then I started looking into how to go about becoming a nurse and things got complicated fast.  There were so many routes and requirements.  What kind of nurse did I want to be?  What level of education was required for the jobs that interested me?  Between youtube and the official school websites, I was able to find a path that was right for me.  For students who don’t know where to start, researching how others became nurses can help.

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So I wanted to be a nurse.  But there were so many ways to become a nurse.  Educating myself on the different paths helped me to make the best choice for my situation. EmpowerRN makes fantastic informative videos.  There is no right answer.  It really depends on finances, time commitment, local job opportunities, etc.  As this video explains, there are pros and cons to any choice.

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There is an advantage to having a life plan early in life.  If I had known that I would choose nursing in high school, this article would have been helpful.  Taking Human Biology is critical, it will help significantly with your science classes.  I would not suggest getting an advanced high school diploma or taking AP classes.  Graduate early or get into a dual enrollment program at a local community college in your senior year.  College credits are what matter.  Knock out your prerequisites.  The faster you finish your degree, the earlier you can start earning a living.  

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I am the first person in my family to go to college.  There were a lot of things that I was unfamiliar with.  I didn’t even know what a prerequisite was.  I turned to social media for help.  Thankfully, there were people who were willing to take the time to explain it and give helpful tips.  I would have been lost without social media.

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This youtube course was a life saver for help with Anatomy and Physiology.  A&P 1 and 2 are possibly the most important prerequisites.  There is so much information and memorization that it can be overwhelming.  Reading and flashcards can only do so much.  These videos are short, entertaining and chock full of useful information.  This series along with the Biology and Chemistry is a great resource. 

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“You have to ace your prerequisites if you want to guarantee a spot in the nursing program.”  A classmate said this to me and I was confused.  I assumed that if I completed all my courses with pretty good grades, I would make it in. That is absolutely not true.  After searching the internet, I found that admissions to nursing school are extremely competitive.  Gone are the days when a trusted school advisor would shepherd you through your academic journey.  I explained to an advisor that I was changing my major to nursing and it was never mentioned how competitive the program was.  Hopefully, students will stumble across this information early on their journey.  There is nothing worse than spending the extraordinary amount of time and money it takes to get through prereqs only to get rejected.  Ace your classes, especially the sciences!  

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There are many schools in my area that offer nursing programs.  In my search to find a school that would suit me, I came across this article about accreditation. I incorrectly assumed that well-known schools would have been accredited.  This was not the case.  It is possible that going to an unaccredited school will limit job prospects and further education opportunities.  It is also good to research if a prospective school lost accreditation in the past or if they are on probation.  Losing accreditation in the middle of your program would be disastrous.  School is an expensive investment, it pays to take the time to make sure the school you want to attend is worth it.  Do not rely on the school to tell you the truth.  Go to the accreditation body website and search the school’s name to get the information.  Tip - Certain private schools only have certain campuses accredited.  Ensure your specific campus is good to go.

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I researched job availability on indeed and other job search engines before I chose to pursue nursing.  (It is a good idea to see if the desired career is in demand before investing thousands of dollars and years of life to end up not being able to find a job.)  Thankfully, there were tons of opportunities.  I wondered why and found out it is because there is a nursing shortage.  A nurse with a license will be able to find a job somewhere in the country.  This article explains why there is a shortage and why relief is far off.  Job Security!

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Being black with natural hair, I have to consider how I will be affected by dress codes and clinical site rules.  Many dress codes have words like “neat” “pulled back” and other things that don’t apply to afros.  I have researched online how other nursing students with natural hair manage and their tips have been helpful.  

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Stories like this force me to seriously consider how I will deal with this type of discrimination if I’m confronted with it.  It takes a lot of hard work and dedication just to get accepted into nursing school.  I would be so hurt and disappointed if my racial features derailed my education.

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The next hurdle was the nursing entrance exam.  Schools require the HESI Admission Assessment Exam (HESI A2) or Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS).  I had never taken an exam like this.  It was a four-hour ordeal and I wanted to be as prepared as possible.  So I turned to trusty youtube for help.  This video by Marissa Ann was really helpful and eased my fears.  People who vlog their experience are like a friend who is willing to help you through.  Especially if you don’t have friends or family members in real life who can help you.

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Phone apps are a way of life now.  When it comes to nursing school, I turned to apps for help.  This was especially true when it came to preparing for the HESI A2 Nursing Entrance Exam.  Between this HESI A2 Pocket Prep App and the official Review book, I was able to pull off a 93% on the test.  Reading the book is just not enough.  The app has a question bank that helps you practice answering questions.  The repetition of answering questions is a key to success.  Apps like Quizlet and anatomy are super helpful resources to make studying more effective.  Go with good ratings, other people’s experiences are usually helpful when choosing resources.  

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I was accepted into a Virginia Community College’s Associate Nursing Program.  (I am also completing a concurrent nursing program with a local University.  So I will be completing my bachelors and associate degrees simultaneously.)  Coincidentally, the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) decided to change to a concept based curriculum starting this fall. This is a fairly new approach to nursing education and there’s not much out there about how it works.  My cohort are essentially guinea pigs.   I plan to blog my experiences to fill in that knowledge gap.  

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The participatory culture of nursing students is robust.  Allnurses.com is a social media site where nurses and nursing students can ask questions, impart knowledge, and get support.  There is information on just about everything except concept-based curriculum.  There are only about five threads and this one talks about the growing pains of being the first cohort in a new curriculum.  Soontobernangel had good insight.  She mentioned that the pharmacology class was eliminated and incorporated in the other classes.  Pharmacology is a well-known weed out course.  My curriculum eliminated this class as well.  Insight into how another student felt about these changes was helpful.

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As a student, reading skeptical opinions help me prepare for what I might face in school.  In this article, Keith Rischer laments the lack of evidence that this type of curriculum is any more effective than the traditional way of teaching.  The part that scares me is the idea that this style of teaching is untested.  There is no way of knowing if this curriculum will adequately prepare me to pass the NCLEX licensing exam.  Without a license, I can’t be a nurse.  I can only hope that VCCS knows what they are doing and worked out the kinks.  Mr. Rischer’s article was written in 2014.  He says, “Give it at least TWO years to work the bugs out, and then make a judgment if a concept based curriculum change would be a better fit for your program and students.”  Four years later, VCCS decided that this will work better for Virginia’s nursing students.

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My program will use an e-book throughout the entirety of nursing school.  Once I found out what book we would use, like most people, I immediately turned to Amazon looking for reviews.  What I found did not fill me with confidence.  It has a two-star rating!  Most people said it was riddled with errors and racist generalizations.  Students are often looking for shortcuts.  Reading a textbook is time-consuming.  If a textbook has bad reviews, it is more likely that a student won’t bother reading it and look for other resources.  Our program will use the third edition, which does not have reviews yet.  Hopefully, there is a vast improvement.

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YouTube is also a resource for research.  Pearson, which makes my textbook, put out a video of how the e-book is integrated with interactive resources.  In the past, nursing students read thick nursing books for hours on end.  I like the idea that there is more interaction with the material in this format.  I can learn better when I can test myself on what I just read and participate more in my knowledge.