Before You Apply to Nursing School

You want to be a nurse, right? Or are you currently debating? PA school, med school, nursing school, maybe I should just go get a masters...are these possible thoughts going through your head? It’s okay if they are. I guarantee you that every single nurse did not necessarily know right off the bat that nursing was the career choice for them. It wasn’t my immediate choice! When I was debating what I wanted to do, I had all the options run through my mind that I mentioned above. My main thing was not knowing the difference between some of the professions and I also did not know what I ultimately really wanted to do. One of my main hang-ups was definitely about what the difference is between medical doctors and nurses. To a layman you would probably think the two practice in a similar fashion and do the same things. (I had an ex who literally didn’t even know there was a difference between medical school and nursing school)... yikes.

Nursing is nursing, medicine is medicine. We practice in two different ways in order to treat a patient. We have our own language, they have theirs. One isn’t better than the other, but it definitely could boil down to how much school you want to really do and what your end goal is, as well as how much patient contact you’d want to do (including the tasks you would want to do when you do come in contact with them lol).

Before you apply to nursing school I think it is important that you understand what you’ll be getting yourself into! You are definitely going to be tired, occupied, and pushed to your limit. Let me say that off rip. It sounds like an exaggeration, trust me, but it is not. You will be pushed to the brim with work and tasks that are necessary, but it WILL be worth it. Now, beyond all that basic stuff that I’m sure you’ve heard before, let’s get into what nursing really is about. What do you really DO as a nurse?

An old stigma for nurses is that they are just the doctor’s flunkies or that they’re servants. We are not. And luckily, due to the change in healthcare teams and how they’re beginning to function, this idea is dying quickly. We all depend on each other to treat a patient. We deal holistically in patient care, meaning we look at the person as a whole and not just “what’s the disease process and how can we cure it?”. It’s our job to make sure the patient is looked at as a human being, we are their advocates, we make sure their treatment is correct, and we make sure the patient is comfortable and attended to. Aside from knowing what is going on physiologically with whatever they have going on, we focus on possible psychological challenges, personal things that could be making matters worse. We are critical thinkers and have to be looking into all different aspects of what makes a healthy person healthy. We are the ones the patient sees often, the ones who do take some attitude, but we also hold a lot of control in what the patient gets and doesn’t get. We are a part of a team, not a servant. We are allies, not enemies. We are professionals, not flunkies that just walk in off the streets. We go to school for what we do, and everybody does NOT make the cut.

Speaking of school - a new standard that is becoming the go-to for nurses is now a BSN and not ADNs. If you are a degree holder who is seeking a second degree - I’d suggest the route of getting another BSN or doing an AE/MSN (altnernate entry masters) or some expedited form to a masters. If you are in high school trying to decide, I’d suggest a BSN. Times are changing, and educational requirements have to meet the times. Money is definitely a huge factor, but realize you may end up getting an ADN and then going to get a BSN. It’s not frowned upon, but just figure out your end goal and the job market before you take the leap.

One last thing,

If you are contemplating nursing because you think you want the money, you should think again. I know you probably hear this often about a lot of career fields, but seriously, if you don’t have compassion and a passion for patient care, nor the brain capacity to handle the job - this isn’t for you.

If you have any questions about school and I can answer them - please contact me! I’d love to hear from anyone interested in nursing school, or contemplating the idea of going. I’m an open book!

- Begum, Over and Out!  ;)

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