Career and School Info for RNs (Registered Nurses) in Illinois

I feel I was fully prepared when researching what school I was going to attend. It is helpful to know what type of nursing school you will be attending. Some universities are direct admissions, where others you are admitted to the school as a student, but your sophomore year you must re-apply to see if you can be accepted into the nursing school. It is also very critical you understand where you will be doing clinicals. I believe the hospitals where you get hands-on training are very important. I also believe you should visit all the schools you are considering attending and compare them. It is important to see the labs you will be working in. Before attending clinicals, you do a "mock" lab. I understand how important technology is these days, and one should be surrounded by a state of the art nursing technology.

My advice to any prospective student on the college search is to RESEARCH, RESEARCH, and research all you can about your prospective school. I found it helpful to make a list of what I was specifically looking for in a college; and you then will be surprised at how quickly the list of colleges narrows. The college has to want you as much as you fit the need that they are looking to fill. I had two college qualifications on my list: 1. I knew I wanted to live away at school, but I also knew that I preferred a college close to home; and 2. Since I knew I wanted to pursue nursing, I wanted to pick a college that had a reputable and accredited school of nursing. I did my research and found Aurora University met what I was looking for in a college.

It’s a good idea to navigate the website of the college; i.e. in this case I looked at the school of nursing website and found the accolades that the school has, including doctor prepared instructors. I also spoke to nurses working in the nearby hospitals where the Aurora University nursing students did their clinical and found the staff nurses giving the nursing students great marks, as compared to other schools. I was also able to speak with former AU graduates who are now finding themselves gainfully employed and succeeding well in the working world, giving recognition to their school. My research told me that this nursing school has a dean that demands the best from her instructors, and hence the program and students receive the benefit; and it shows in their high passing state board rates and in their overall clinical performance.

I would also tell prospective students to never underestimate your abilities. I firmly believe that if a student wants to pursue higher education it is possible, and there are avenues and opportunities at every college to help a student succeed, whether it be for financial or other personal issues. It’s important to attend all the freshman orientation days, consult with the financial aid office, and learn to become a part of the college experience.

Looking back, I realize that it was my life-altering medical experience that caused me to change my career path from meteorology to nursing. As a result of the timing of my illness, I had an entire extra year to research nursing before making my career change. During this time, I learned about the various specialty areas that are available in nursing. The time lapse also allowed me to perform volunteer work at the DuPage Convalescent Center where I truly felt that I was making the right choice.

By the time that I enrolled in ISU, I honestly felt that I knew everything I needed in regards to entering the nursing program. The curriculum was one of the most rigorous academic programs, and approximately half of the applicants would not be admitted into the nursing school. Although this was certainly intimidating, it was and remains a worthy challenge.

As far as selecting my nursing program over others, the Mennonite School of Nursing at ISU flew beneath the radar of the other nursing schools in the beginning. Everyone in Chicago is familiar with Loyola and the University of Chicago, so these stood out. However, the Mennonite School of Nursing has a reputation every bit as good as these nationally recognized programs but with more “hands on” attention to the students. The Mennonite school prepares its students for the national nursing licensure exam at the very start of nursing classes, as well. The professors make sure the material is thoroughly ingrained in your brain, for lack of better words, far in advance of the actual exam.

I believe it is important to look at the statistics of the nursing programs, and the academic standing of the nursing students, rather than focusing more on the name recognition of the school. I spoke with ISU students in different majors who described the Mennonite Nursing program as being the best program on campus. Further, my situation upon entering the program was unique. I was accepted early into the nursing program as a freshman, based on my outstanding high school grade point average and extra-curricular involvement, whereas the majority of future nurses in my college must apply in hopes of attaining a spot. This has allowed me to bypass much of the application process associated with the nursing school.

Thus, two pieces of advice I would give for others wishing to enter a nursing program are to apply yourself and work extremely hard in high school. My parents instilled in me a sense of responsibility to apply myself and do the best job that I can. This attitude has paid off by allowing me to gain early admittance into the Mennonite nursing program.

It is because of this strong parental guidance and a desire to succeed that I have the greatest gift, the opportunity to be a nurse!