“Congratulations, you’ve been accepted into nursing school.” reads the first line on your acceptance letter. You grab your phone and start calling everyone to share the great news as you tuck away the rest of the information packet on a shelf, figuring you’ll worry about it closer to the start of school.

Don’t wait. Read all the information ASAP and get started right away. There are things you may need, like immunizations, that may take months to complete. Below is a typical checklist of prerequisites for nursing school with tips and links to help prepare you for school.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

CPR certification is a requirement for entry into all programs with clinicals. There are several types of CPR certifications such as: Adult CPR, Child/Infant CPR, First Aid, Blood Bourne Pathogens, Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and CPR for Health Care Providers (usually recommended). Don’t sign up for one without checking with your school to find out exactly which type(s) they require. Courses will run about 5-8 hours and cost around $45-$80. Usually getting requirements done early is a great idea however, take this course between semesters. You don’t want to have to re certify your CPR just as your May finals begriming.The American Red Cross and The American Heart Association both hold classes and you can enter your zip code, on their web sites to find a class near you. You can also check your local hospital for classes. Hospital Sponsored CPR is less expensive and is usually good for 2 years. Note that the Red Cross Certification is good for one year while the Heart Association’s is good for two years.

Immunizations and Physical Exam

Make an appointment with your doctor right away and check with your school for any forms your MD needs to fill out. Immunizations common to most all schools are:

• MMR-documented 2 dates given or positive titer (Do not get MMR if you are pregnant and do not become pregnant within 3 months after receiving the vaccine)
• Hep B-documented 2 or 3 dose series, or have had 1st of 3 dose series (2nd dose in 30 days, 3rd in six months), or positive titer
• Varicella-(Chicken pox) documented 2 dose, given 4-6 weeks apart, or positive titer
• Td-documented booster within the past 10 years
• Tuberculin Skin test (PPD)/Chest X-Ray-All nursing students are required to have a TB skin test every year. Students with a positive result are required to provide results of a recent chest X-ray.
• Drug Screening - This is becoming more common as medical centers, where you may do clinicals, are requiring this of anyone providing care in their facility.

Uniforms

Many schools have distinct school uniforms for purchase in the school’s store, while others may say any white scrub-type top and bottom is acceptable with your student ID. Lab coats with your school’s patch sewn on the sleeve is common. If you can choose your own style, get scrubs with pockets. You may or may not use them however, they will be there if you need them. Check with your school on any shoe restrictions. All white, no laces (for cleaning purposes), no open backs, are some of the common restrictions.

Stethoscopes and Accessory Items

You may have to buy a specific stethoscope, or they may issue you one and the cost will be included in your fees. There are nursing student starter kits sold by several companies. Your school may have contracted with one of the suppliers and have a custom kit issued to you with all the supplies you require for your program. Here are some typically helpful items for nursing students.

• Watch-one with a second hand is a must. A watch that includes military time is very helpful if your clinical site works in military time.
• Stethoscope-a double bell is good to have and may be required by your program.
• Blood Pressure Cuff-not absolutely necessary if not required by your program but, it’s nice to have your own. These run about $20.
• Medical Scissors-blunt tip scissors do come in handy.
• Penlight-A must for checking pupils among other things.
• 4-Color Pens-or at least 3 colors (Blue, Black & Red), depending on the colors your clinical site uses.
• PDA-More and more, Personal Digital Assistants are becoming a requirement. Even if it’s not required, it’s HIGHLY recommended.

Liability Insurance

You will either purchase your own or your school will purchase a group policy and will include the cost into your fees. An individual policy price varies by state. The average cost of a year’s coverage is $30.

Background Checks

CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) and SORI (Sexual Offender Registry Information) background checks are required by many clinical sites. Most schools will process these check and include the cost in your fees. If you need to submit one to the school it shouldn’t cost more then $20.

Read your school’s entrance paperwork; including the fine print. I heard many stories of students being dismissed from programs for not having all their requirements in order. Read everything the school sends you and if you are unsure of anything, give the school a call and ask. Also, be aware of general school requirements such as, health insurance, registration and financial aid deadlines, signing up for online school user accounts, housing, meal plans, etc. Get it all organized and completed and you’ll be ready to start school.

Have you done all the above and still have some time before school starts?

Would you like to know what else you can do to prepare yourself for school? Honestly, nursing is a very tough course. Reading over nursing material suited for beginning students will be of great benefit. You will have a chance to become familiar with nursing terms so they won’t seem so foreign when your professor discusses them in class. Student Nurse Journey (SNJourney.com) is the resource community for nursing students. The more time you can spend there the more prepared you’ll be for the work ahead.

Congratulations again! You are on your way to a challenging and rewarding career full of unlimited possibilities.

Nursing is a discipline of the medicine sector. It focuses on assisting individuals, families, and communities in attaining, re-attaining, and maintaining their optimal health. Nursing is a science or art that focuses on offering quality healthcare to persons and their families throughout their lives.

There are many options available in nursing for those who want to pursue nursing as a profession. Nursing is a very diverse field and offers many different sectors to work in, such as, people can work with hands-on patients or they may work in a lab or a research facility, or they may go into the teaching field to guide and educate students. This field is very vast and people can opt for any option as per their interests.

Nursing has many applications in modern day medicine. Nurses can do their specialization as Registered Nurses (RNs), nurse practitioners, head nurses or nurse supervisors, Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), home nurses, home health nurses, hospital nurses, office nursing, or nursing aides. Each specific type of nurse has a different set of responsibilities to perform.

The Nursing profession requires a great deal of patience, as well as the ability to provide comfort and care to their patients. They have to perform several duties such as provide appropriate health care services to patients including clinical assessments, treatment, diagnosing medical conditions, assessing emergencies, ordering diagnostic studies, prescribing medications, leading cardiac arrest codes and documenting medical care.

There are many nursing schools, which provide nursing education. Nursing schools provide considerable clinical experience under supervision, which is typically provided in various departments of a hospital such as maternity, pediatrics, psychiatry, and surgery. Some nursing schools also offer clinical experience in nursing homes, public health departments, home health agencies, and ambulatory clinics.

There are various job opportunities for nurses in many different departments. Mostly nursing jobs can be obtained in hospitals, while clinics, home healthcare agencies, nursing homes, nursing schools, temporary help agencies, and government agencies too provide various openings.

Nursing jobs are in high demand nationwide and earn a high range of salary. Salary range varies as per the specialization and field of work. A nursing career also offers other benefits including a flexible work schedule, a short workweek, and tuition reimbursement as well.

There are some people who begin applying to nursing school when they graduate high school, but you can consider applying to nursing school at any time in your life. Nursing schools have waiting lists in many cases, especially the 2 year technical school programs. If you are told there is a waiting list you should try to get placed on the list as it will hold a slot in the process open for you. The earlier you apply the better your chance will be of being accepted for the next available slots.

If you are in high school a guidance counselor can offer suggestions on applying to nursing school and check to be sure you are doing this correctly. For those people who have already graduated the nursing schools will assist you in getting your application information completed.

You will need a high school degree or a GED to begin applying to nursing school and this information can be verified through computers. When you notify a nursing program of your interest they will send you the forms to fill out or you can fill out the information online and send it in. Nursing curriculums also include some math, science and English courses. If you have taken some college courses already these may count as satisfactory prerequisites which mean you would only have to take the core nursing courses. The schools can tell you which additional courses you may need.

You can apply to a campus based institution or to an online nursing school today. Many of the programs may have an ongoing waiting list, and you should try to get your name placed on this as quickly as you can. While you wait for an opening to come up you can take your prerequisite courses or brush up on basic math and English skills.

If you’re thinking about applying to nursing school, there’s no better time to do it than right now.

The cost of a quality nursing education, or any college education for that matter, is quite steep and, often, this fact leads many individuals to give up their dream of an education. However, there are many ways to pay your way through nursing school and one of them is getting nursing school scholarships.

While there are many organizations including non-profits, corporations, and the government that provide nursing school scholarships to help nursing students with their tuition needs, you would have to be willing to put in your time and effort to find and secure one.

You can begin your search for nursing school scholarships at the school that you wish to attend. Most likely, they will have a financial service program for their students. The best way to find this out is to contact the schools Financial Service Office or speak to the schools Financial Adviser.

Find out what assistance the school offers to students in terms of financing and what the requirements for eligibility are. However, some schools will provide you detailed information about loans only after your acceptance to the school. Be sure to check with other nursing schools in your area besides your school of choice so you can compare which school can give you the best funding that will meet your needs.

In addition to local nursing schools, you can also check with non-profit organizations in your area that has scholarship programs. However, not all scholarship programs are the same. Some scholarships are available only to certain ethnic minority groups or to students of a particular field of study such as technology or research. With some patience and persistence, you will be able to find nursing school scholarships.

Another great source for nursing school scholarships are hospitals in your area. The typical agreement is the hospital will pay for your tuition if you work for them for a specific period after graduation. Instead of nursing school scholarships, some hospitals have work-study programs where the hospital employs students to help them pay for their tuition.

If you are not able to locate nursing school scholarships in your local community, you can try searching the Internet for funding from organizations that operate within your state or nationwide. The government, nursing organizations, and other agencies have websites that are good resources of information to help you find nursing school scholarships. You may also encounter websites of companies that offer to locate a scholarship for you. Beware of companies that will ask you for a fee. You do not have to pay anyone to do something that you can do on your own. Finding nursing school scholarships may be frustrating at times but if you persist, you will surely find one.

Plus size nursing uniforms come in all colors and styles. They can be bought singly or wholesale. Their chief purpose is for use in medical centers, hospitals, emergency rooms, even in the field or at home. Whether for commercial or domestic use, plus size nursing uniforms give a unified look to staff or service people, so that they can be easily recognized. They also serve as aprons, so that various fluids don?t soil the personal clothes.

Uniforms signify dedication and discipline. Nursing uniforms help create the proper atmosphere in a hospital. If the uniform is in a color that is not at all soothing, like blood-red or fluorescent green, that could bother the person who is being treated. Therefore, a nursing uniform is designed to consider the impact on the patient regarding his well-being and fast recovery.

One often feels demoralized and downhearted when he or she cannot find a uniform because none are available in the right size. It might happen that someone is overweight and has an inferiority complex. This is made worse when well-fitting uniforms cannot be found.

Many manufacturing companies have realized this and have made plus-sized nursing uniforms available in various retail shops and even in online stores for nursing uniforms. Usually, the sizes of 3x, 4x and 5x are rare requirements, but in spite of such rarity, a person requiring such sizes will also get a lot of varieties and products to choose from - starting from quality medical scrubs, print and solid tops, pants, warm up jackets, lab coats and more.