These days, trying to apply to a Bachelor’s program nursing school is getting harder and harder. Most schools only accept about 30-45 applicants per year, with 5 times the amount of original applicants. When applying to nursing school, you need something that makes you stand out in comparison to the other applicants. There are many things you can do to get more experience, but the best way to do it is by already having a job in the medical field. There are a few common options that most students do.
Becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant
To become a Certified Nursing Assistant (or CNA) you have to do extra school to obtain a certificate. The classes take about 8 weeks, and it consists of a test to pass the course, and a test to be licensed in the state you would work in. A CNA’s job is to assist the registered nurse in whatever work setting they were hired in. In the classes to become a CNA, you have to do clinicals to train in a real-life situation for 40 hours. This usually takes place in a nursing home because that is where most CNAs are employed.
Becoming a Phlebotomist
A phlebotomist’s job is to take blood and run it to the lab to be tested for whatever the doctor or patient asks for. They can work in hospitals, urgent care centers, and other medical centers that test blood. This job also takes a certificate and classes to work as a phlebotomist. This certification can take many different routes to obtain. There are classes you can take at colleges which can take up to 3 months to obtain the certificate, and there are also classes as short as 3 weeks to obtain the certificate. This certification also takes a state licensing exam, just like CNA.
Volunteering
To get into nursing school, most nursing schools require at least 100 hours of volunteer work in the medical field. This can also be counted if you work in the medical field giving care as well. However, not everyone can find a job in the field, so most people volunteer in hospitals or other places to get the 100 hours. A great option to get this done is volunteering at summer camps for children or even adults who have medical deficiencies. There are many summer camps that are always looking for volunteers, even without any medical certification, or experience, to help their campers have a great time.
All in all, there are many options to make you stand out in front of the admissions staff of nursing schools. Like I said above, even if you do not want to get a job, or get a certification in something, there are still many options that will make you a competitive applicant for nursing schools.