Soon to be nursing major questions!

hemingways
Tue, 29 May 2018 02:52:14 +0000

Hi everyone! So a little background: I’m a senior in HS right now and will be attending a direct entry nursing program in the fall (very pumped!!). Obviously it’s early now, but my plan is to go to grad school and become a nurse practitioner after I receive my BSN. The thing is I don’t personally know any nurses and am a first generation college student, so I have quite a few questions about the process of becoming an NP or even just scoring a job as a new RN in general. I’ve mostly been doing internet research, but I’d love to get some advice from the college confidential community! Here goes:

Should I work as an RN first or go straight into an NP program after my BSN?
Do student nurses work in hospitals over the summer? Are they considered internships? Do I need an LPN license to do so?
What sorts of things would make me a competitive applicant for NP school?
I know there is a major nursing shortage in the US currently, but is it still tough to find work straight out of school? (both as an RN or NP). What would make me attractive to employers?

I apologize for the bombardment of questions! Thank you for helping