I am 20 yrs old, I still am unsure of what iwant to do in life but I know I would like it to be health related as that’s what I find most interesting. I never took high school chemistry though. Would that hold me back? I was thinking of medical assistant, either that, or find a LPN or some sort of nursing program? How do I even start?
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If you want to get into nursing, do NOT go for a medical assisting program. Waste of time and money. The courses won’t transfer, and more than likely you won’t be able to find a job.
You could go for LPN, it’s only about a year long program and you would make more money than a medical assistant and probably have more job opportunities, but if you’re serious about nursing you should just start working towards an RN degree – whether starting with an Associates or going straight for the Bachelors, which should be the long-term goal). Most RN programs require you to hold your Certified Nursing Assistant license prior to starting the nursing courses, so you might look into one of those courses first, it should only take about 6-8 weeks to get that. You could get a job to make a little money, but CNA don’t make high wages and the job itself is a little more of that messier stuff like toileting, bathing, and other activities of daily living. Honestly working as an LPN or RN is quite a bit different from being a CNA despite having some of the same tasks in common. The role of the RN is much more complex and most of the time RNs are expected to delegate those more “unskilled” tasks to the CNA, if one is available.
Where to start? Do more research about what each pathway requires and what the job entails. Google. If you want to go for LPN or RN, google your state board of nursing’s website and they should have an education page which lists all the accredited nursing programs in your state. From there you can look at the school websites and find the nursing program’s admission requirements. Contact the schools directly for more information or to meet with admissions representatives who can help you apply for financial aid and put you on the road for starting school.
Source(s): RN
As a LPN you won’t make much money and you’ll be doing the grunge work the RN’s don’t do. If you’re still interested apply at a community college.