How To Become A Nurse and Advance Your Career

I’ve been asked for my opinion on how to become a nurse: (1) by getting an Associate’s degree, then starting to work versus (2) staying in school for the full four years, getting a BSN, and then starting to work.

I completed my two years in college attending full time and received my Associate’s degree. I took the licensing exam and started to work full time at a hospital in my home town. I believe that one of the smartest things that I did was to meet with a counselor when I first started, and she told me my options on how to become a nurse. What she really impressed on me was that education must be a continuing part of a nursing career. Her advice was to get my AD, get a job to get my foot in the door, and then work my way up from there. I’m glad I listened to her because after a while, there was a long waiting list for the AD program that I wanted.

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After I began my full time job at the hospital, I started taking classes part time to work for my BSN. I still have several courses that I have to take before I start my clinical, but I’m glad I went this route. A number of individuals told me that the only way to get into administrative positions was with a BSN, but that is simply not true. Some hospitals may have that policy, but it is not universal. We have a couple of nurses here where I work that only have an AD, and even one older nurse with only a diploma working in that area.

I guess I have this opinion because I feel that the experience of working on the job has really helped me in many ways. I have a better understanding of nursing in general that is hard to get in a classroom. There are others who disagree, but for me, it works. I plan to go on for my MSN after I get my BSN, and then who knows – I may decide to go into consulting or some other specialized field. My advice to anyone considering a career in nursing is to talk with a counselor as soon as you can, and carefully weigh your options on how to become a nurse.

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