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

The decision between a two-year or four-year nursing degree is important in the process of selecting a program. Two-year degrees are wonderful as they shorten the process toward becoming a Registered Nurse (RN). These degrees are often offered in local community colleges. This makes them more affordable, convenient, and accessible. Two-year degrees prepare students well for the national certificating exam called the NCLEX that must be passed by all nursing students in order to become a nurse and enter the field.

I decided to pursue a baccalaureate degree because of the flexibility and options it provides me. I am interested in pursuing my Masters in Nursing as it will prepare me to serve and teach as a nurse-educator. At the very heart of nursing is the role nurses play as educators and advocates for the health of their patients. I enjoy this aspect of nursing and would like to impart that to students someday. A baccalaureate-prepared nurse can step into areas of leadership within the nursing field. No matter what type of program is chosen, the rewards of working as a nurse are vast! The options that nursing provides are as diverse as the people it serves. Nursing includes care for the whole person and sensitivity to their sometimes unspoken needs- it is a privilege and joy.

I was given some valuable advice about nursing school that I am very thankful for. No matter what stage of the process toward becoming a nurse someone is in, I believe it is applicable: “Hold your head high and with confidence. Think hard, but don't be ashamed to ask questions. As a student, you wear a nametag that gives you permission to not know everything. Be honest about what you know and don't know. It is ok to say, ‘I don't understand, tell me more'. Take every learning opportunity that you are able to. Enjoy the process, and soak up all that you can!”.

I'm going to have to insist that the student preparing for the nursing program should do the following:

1. If at all possible, put your application/name into the program selection well before you have completed all of the program prerequisites(It will be a while before they get back to you with acceptance/rejection).

2. Talk to multiple counselors/advisors to give you a better awareness of options that will suit your course needs and accentuate your individual academic strengths.

3. When choosing which school to attend for nursing, make sure it makes sense! ex.) If I want to transfer from Clark to finish my prerequisites and get accepted into the nursing program at College of Nursing USA, I need to research the following:

A. Will my credits transfer to the new school differently and will I have to end up taking more classes than if I were to stay at my current school?

B. Is the new school structured with quarters or semesters?

C. What is the selection process for the nursing program in question? Is it based on a lottery? GPA? Do Currently enrolled students receive top priority?

I've had to learn some of these things along the way, and I suggest they be a topic of concern to the potential nursing student.

Prior to applying for nursing schools, I educated myself greatly on a few select topics. I researched mainly how long the nursing school required students to remain in school, if students were required to be transferred to another school in order to complete the student’s clinical hours, and how many students generally were offered nursing jobs following graduation. As a result of my research, while applying for programs, I felt very knowledgeable and had confidence in myself to choose the right program for me. After being accepted into Pacific Lutheran University, I realized although my research on these aspects of the nursing program were very important, I was not as educated as I thought I was.

Even though my research on Pacific Lutheran University's program was correct, I lacked information on how demanding a nursing program would be. I found myself continuously studying my lecture and laboratory notes on a daily basis throughout the semester in order to understand the next day’s lecture. I’ve always been told a nursing degree is quite difficult to achieve, but it is impossible to understand exactly how difficult and demanding this degree is until one is enrolled in the courses.

Had I been completely informed about the difficulty of achieving a nursing degree prior to my applying to nursing programs, I don’t think I would have changed my major because becoming a nurse has been a dream of mine for years. I think this prior knowledge would have helped me feel more comfortable entering the class, as it would have prepared me for what to expect when entering a nursing program.