Daughter wants to be a nurse?

[esa138]

My daughter is a junior in high school who is starting to seriously think about colleges and what she wants to study and do in the future. She has been a hospital volunteer for a couple of years now and has been talking about being interested in a nursing program. As a parent who doesn't really know much about the kind of training and education this would involve, does anybody here have a better idea? What is the difference between this and being pre-med? Is it as intellectually challenging a path? Daughter has straight A's at a public high school, lots of honors/AP classes, a 35 on her ACTs. She is a very smart kid, very curious about a lot of things, but also has a very compassionate personality that is probably a great thing for a nurse. Husband and I don't have any background in this, we are from a generation and culture that traditionally pushes kids to be doctors, lawyers, engineers but we are trying to be more openminded, we want to give good advice too. We don't want her skills to be wasted... does anyone know more about nursing as a career? Best nursing programs in the US? We are on the east coast, how are the programs at UPenn and NYU? Thank you for any help.

[ShanghaiMom]

I suggest that you do a college visit to both UPenn and NYU. At Upenn be sure to make an appointment with Marianne Smith in admissions. She was so enthusiastic about nursing and had so much information on what opportunities are out there for nurses today - made me want to go back to school and become a nurse! So many options - nurse practioners, nurse/lawyers, etc. Upenn was the first nursing school my daughter visited and that one appointment was what sold her on nursing.
She later had to decide between several schools and once again, Upenn sold her with an amazing admitted students weekend in March. Their program is really top notch - it was the best that we visited (also went to Michigan, NYU, Georgetown, Emory, Vanderbilt).

[MomOFour]

We could all benefit someday from smart students such as your daughter becoming nurses. UPenn is as good as it gets, if money is no object. Nursing is different than pre-med. There's some overlap in terms of science courses but nursing courses are about the nursing process not medicine per se. Is it intellectually challenging? Traditionally it's a tough major with a lot of attrition (varies by program), but it's as intellectually challenging as one wants to make it. A lot of it is memorization and preparation over grasping some mind-bendingly difficult concepts.

There are a lot of options career wise. I've spent my entire career as a hospital staff nurse, I enjoy the patient contact. It is a tough job though and I see a lot of young nurses today struggle with the transition to work after school. Some leave nursing altogether, others go to grad school to become nurse practitioners or educators.

Penn and NYU are both great schools, if money is no object. Then again, if money were truly no object, I'd encourage my child to get a very good broad based LAC education and pursue nursing after that through a BA/BS to MSN bridge program. That allows people with undergrad degrees in other fields to earn a master's in nursing in about two years. I know Vanderbilt has this option, UPenn and NYU may as well. It's something to think about for students who may not be 100% sure of nursing.

[Muffy333]

She will never be unemployed!! Agree with Shanghai Mom about all the diverse opportunties for nurses. My friend is a research nurse at a major university.

[smdur1970]

Two more suggestions of good schools on the East Coast: Univ of Rochester, Univ of Virginia. Even with a bachelor's degree your D will be able to write her own ticket. Perhaps she might become a nurse practitioner or PA.

[Chedva]

If your d wants to have significant patient contact and be involved in the "caretaking" aspects of health (or illness) care, she may be more suited for a career in nursing than in medicine. (And of course, nurses start their careers while doctors are beginning medical school.)

I second Rochester's program; my d has several friends in it and they love it - very challenging. They also have access to the complete liberal arts experience. Rochester's is a 5 year program, with its graduates obtaining both the BA and the MSN.

And as to your question, Why nursing?
Why Choose Nursing — School of Nursing

[Rileydog]

As someone who works in healthcare, I am thrilled that your obviously bright daugther wants to go into nursing! We need smart nurses desperately and nursing is a career that isn't limited to being on the floors - many nurses go into research, or management and become VPs and CEOs, of hospitals. We attended an info session at UPenn and they are very interested in nursing students and appear to have an awesome program - if Penn appeals to you. My son has a very bright friend at BC nursing - a good choice because of the Boston Hospital rotations, as I am sure would be true with BU. Good luck!

[StickerShock]

Esa, her skills won't be wasted at all. When I went back to school for nursing my classmates were from all walks of life & careers. Most were people who had always wanted to be nurses, but had been talked out of it for the same kind of reasons running through your mind: "You're so smart, why dont you study engineering or medicine? Why nursing?" The pay stunk, so many put the nursing idea aside. Eventually, nursing shortages & incredible opportunity in the field, combined with new night programs, helped rekindle those dreams. So our ragtag class of bankers and journalists and assorted career people jumped right in.

THis field has an incredibly wide variety of opportunities -- bedside, clinical research, FDA regulatory positions, administration, hospice, law, etc. No matter what new interests your D develops throughout her life, she will be surprised at how valuable and useful the nursing degree will be. The big disappointment for me was the realization that there isn't nearly as much opportunity to use your compassionate personality in bedside settings. Hospitals don't function in a logical or efficient way, & this was a shock after many years in business settings. But hospitals are only a narrow part of the nursing career spectrum. Good luck.

[bethievt]

I dropped out of my LAC and finished my degree with a 2 year nursing program at Cornell. It's not there anymore, but you might check if Columbia still has theirs. Nursing didn't pay as well when I was doing it, but I could get a living wage job anywhere anytime. I mostly worked in psych and my experience in hospitals made me a very attractive candidate for my MA and PhD programs in psych. You can take this degree and these skills in so many directions. A classmate from my PhD program actually did a NP program AFTER the PhD because she found she could practice more independently with that. The country is crying for nurses--a job that can't be outsourced--and even more so for nursing instructors. And I think I apply something I learned in nursing school almost every day.

[edad]

The general public often thinks about nursing in outdated terms. The profession has changed greatly in the past few years and continues to change. One factor generating change is the shortage of nurses. Pay has increased, working conditions, job flexibility and opportunities for advancement have improved and nursing jobs continue to be restructured. There are a lot of great opportunities for someone interested in a healthcare career. Imaging techs and physicians assistants are also in great demand.

[second spring]

Another nurse here-thrilled to hear about your daughter. She will have a career with unlimited opportunities for growth and challenge. Yale has an excellent school of nursing. Northeastern too, students get terrific opportunity to practice their new skills during coop placements.

[missypie]

And if she wants a career change, she can easily transition into law. Lots of lawyers (on both the plaintiff and defense side) of the medical bar have medical backgrounds. We always have a couple of nurse-legal assistants at the firm.

[Heron]

If it were me, I'd probably encourage her to at least check out a few schools that had other options she could switch into if she changes her mind. It's so early for our kids to feel like they have to decide already what they want to be "when they grow up."

[mom2boys]

I too am thrilled to hear about someone interested in nursing. And I have to commend you for being supportive of her choice. I have heard other parents say "you're too smart to be a nurse, be a doctor" to their children and have discouraged them. Medicine and nursing are two different professions; they just happen to work together. If your daughter is drawn to nursing, then that is just great.
You have to be smart to a nurse. It is not considered an "easy" major. The first 2 years are science pre-reqs, psych/sociology classes, university core classes, etc. Students are usually admitted as pre-nursing majors and if a certain GPA is maintained, then they can become nursing majors and start their clinical classes/experiences. Most university programs begin the nursing classes sophomore or junior year. A few universities begin freshman year (CWRU). Clinical rotations can take up anywhere from 1-4 days a week, depending upon the class.
As other posters have mentioned, the career opportunities are numerous. That I feel is the big attraction for nursing. You can practice in a variety of settings (peds, psych, hospitals, clinics, visiting nurse, etc). Plus go on for advanced degrees in nursing (nurse practitioner, nursing education, administration, anethesia...) Or go for a MBA, JD, MSW etc. Even go to med school.
Competition for getting into nursing school can be tough, especially at places like UPenn and NYU. There are limited number of spots and it is becoming a popular major. Schools turn down many qualified applicants. The fact that your daughter has a strong academic record now will make her an attractive applicant.
Good Luck to your daughter!

[bethievt]

AND, no matter which direction she might decide to take it later, she will easily be able to get a good job right out of UG. It was a great feeling of self-sufficiency and independence for me to know this.