Nurse Insights: How Can High Schoolers Prepare for a Career as a Registered Nurse?
Are you a high schooler interested in pursuing a career in nursing? If so, it’s never too early to start preparing. In this article, we’ll explore the role of a registered nurse and the skills you’ll need to succeed. We’ll also discuss the relevant high school courses you can take to build a strong foundation for your future nursing studies and ways to prepare for the application process. Further, you’ll learn how to choose the right nursing program for you, and ways to maintain a healthy balance when studying in nursing school. Let’s get started!
How Can High Schoolers Prepare for a Career as a Registered Nurse?
In our Nurse Insights series, experienced nurses offer an insider’s perspective on the nursing profession by addressing common questions, challenges, and triumphs of their careers.
Understanding the Role of a Registered Nurse
As a registered nurse (RN), you’ll find your responsibilities are varied, often including tasks like assessing patients, developing and implementing nursing care plans, and maintaining medical records. You might also be administering nursing care to ill, injured, convalescent, or disabled patients.
Key Responsibilities
- Patient Care: This is the core of your work as an RN. You provide direct patient care, often under the supervision of physicians. You may administer medications, monitor vital signs, and observe patients’ conditions.
- Record Keeping: Keeping detailed and accurate records is a vital aspect of your role. This can include patient histories, symptoms, medications, and more.
- Education: Teaching patients, and their families, about managing illnesses or injuries is a regular task. You may also counsel individuals and groups on health maintenance and disease prevention.
It’s also important to remember that RNs often work in teams, collaborating with other healthcare professionals to ensure the best patient care.
Given these responsibilities, having strong skills in communication, critical thinking, and organizational management is essential. You must also be capable of working under pressure and possess the physical stamina for long, demanding shifts. Opportunities for continuous learning and adapting to new technologies and medical findings are also abundant.
Necessary Skills and Temperament
- Communication Skills: An essential part of your work is communicating with patients and other healthcare professionals. Clear, empathetic, and concise communication fosters trust, ensures understanding, and contributes to more effective patient care.
- Critical Thinking: RNs are often faced with situations requiring speedy decision-making. Good critical thinking skills help in assessing patient needs and taking swift action.
- Organizational Skills: With accurate record-keeping being a key responsibility, being highly organized is crucial. You’ll also often be multitasking and need to manage time effectively.
- Endurance: The physical and emotional demands of nursing can be high. You will need both physical stamina for long shifts and emotional resilience to handle potentially distressing situations.
To summarize, the role of an RN is varied, with duties extending from patient care to administration. However, by equipping yourself with the necessary skills, you’ll be competent in providing comprehensive care to patients.
Taking Relevant High School Courses
In high school, you can begin to pave the way toward becoming a nurse by enrolling in science- and math-related classes. The knowledge and skills you acquire in these courses provide a critical foundation for understanding medical concepts and performing nursing duties later on.
Biology and Human Anatomy
Known as the “science of life,” biology introduces you to basic concepts about life and living organisms. You get an opportunity to understand the human body, its structure, and how different body systems interact, which is crucial in understanding a patient’s health status and needs.
Human anatomy, a branch of biology, provides more in-depth knowledge about the body structures. In nursing, you’ll constantly deal with various body systems and organs. A background in human anatomy will equip you with the necessary understanding of these parts and their functions, consequently enabling you to provide better care to patients.
Chemistry
Chemistry provides knowledge about substances and their reactions. In nursing, you’ll deal with different drugs and their effects on the body. Understanding basic chemistry will enable you to comprehend these medications, their composition, and how they can affect your patient.
Mathematics
A solid foundation in mathematics, particularly algebra and statistics, is also beneficial. Nurses routinely use mathematical calculations for medication dosages and IV drip rates. A basic understanding of statistics may come in handy when researching and interpreting health data or evaluating recent changes in patients’ vital signs.
Advanced Placement (AP) Courses
If available, taking AP science and math courses could also be beneficial. Passing AP exams might earn you college credit, thus potentially reducing the number of classes you need to take once in nursing school.
Preparing for a career in nursing can start as early as high school by taking relevant courses. Additionally, consider exploring high school nursing programs or volunteering at healthcare facilities for a more hands-on experience.
In the end, the aim is to familiarize yourself with the concepts and skills that you’ll use later as a nurse. Remember, nursing isn’t just about the science — it’s also about caring for people. Courses that enhance your understanding of people and cultures, such as psychology and sociology, could also be helpful.
Volunteering or Job Shadowing Opportunities
Volunteering or job shadowing can provide you with invaluable firsthand experience in the healthcare setting. Tasks associated with these experiences may range from patient care to administrative responsibilities and will help you gain a better understanding of the realities of the field.
Benefits of Volunteering and Job Shadowing
One significant benefit of volunteering or job shadowing is exposure to real-life healthcare situations. This means that you may get to observe surgeries, nursing rounds, or emergency situations that you would not have encountered otherwise. As each department in a hospital or healthcare facility operates differently, even the ability to observe a variety of departments can greatly add to your understanding of the healthcare field.
Another benefit is that volunteering or job shadowing can help you decide if nursing is genuinely the right career choice for you. When you volunteer or shadow, you get the chance to see nurses in action and witness their work ethic and the challenges they face. This will give you a realistic idea of what being a nurse entails, which might not be clear from coursework alone.
One more significant benefit is the networking opportunity that these experiences can bring. By working in a healthcare setting, you get to meet and interact with professionals who can potentially employ you later or write you a recommendation for nursing school. It’s a fantastic way to build professional relationships in this field.
Ways to Volunteer or Shadow
There are many ways to volunteer or job shadow in the healthcare field. You can volunteer at local hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, or even through public health organizations. Most of these places are always in need of volunteers, and it would mutually benefit you and the organization.
Job shadowing, on the other hand, is typically more formal and might require a connection within the industry to start. This could be a professor, a family friend, a healthcare professional you met while volunteering, or a career counselor at your school who can help set up shadowing opportunities.
Both volunteering and job shadowing provide you with firsthand experience that can help shape your future career decisions, provide networking opportunities, and give you a better understanding of the realities of the healthcare field.
Choosing the Right Nursing Program
The first priority when choosing a nursing program is to ensure it is accredited by recognized bodies such as the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) or the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). Accreditation, both at regional and national levels, assures that the program meets the established standards of quality in nursing education.
Look at NCLEX Pass Rates
The nursing program you choose should have high National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) pass rates. This will indicate that the program adequately prepares its students for the nursing profession. Schools often list their pass rates on their websites. If not, you can contact them directly or check with your state board of nursing.
Consider The Curriculum
Different nursing programs can vary in their curriculum structure. Some programs may place a heavier focus on clinical experience, while others might emphasize theoretical knowledge or research. Examine the courses included in the program and consider whether they align with your career goals. For instance, if you plan to work in a specialized area like pediatrics or cardiac care, look for a program that provides courses or clinical experiences in that area.
Affordability
It’s crucial to consider the total cost of the program, including tuition, fees, books, and living expenses. Some programs may seem cheaper at first glance but have hidden costs, such as high-priced textbooks or mandatory campus fees. Remember to factor in financial aid, scholarships, and possible working opportunities during your program.
Scheduling Options
Consider your personal commitments when choosing a program. Some programs offer flexibility with part-time, evening, or online classes that can accommodate your lifestyle or work schedule.
All these factors will contribute to making an informed decision when choosing the right nursing program for you.
