- 1). Graduate from high school or receive your GED. You will need either of these in order to get accepted to a college that offers nursing as a major of study.
- 2). Decide whether you'd like to get a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing (4-5 year degree) or an Associate degree (2 year program that requires you to become an LPN first). The argument can be made that the BSN is better because some states do not allow an RN to practice without a Bachelor's degree. In either case, make sure that the program that you're looking for is accredited. You do not want to waste time on a non-accredited program.
- 3). Once you've found an accredited nursing school that you'd like to attend, apply and be accepted to the college or university. Once accepted, make an appointment to see your academic advisor. This is crucial. They will give you an outline of the nursing degree curriculum and steer you on the correct path. This will make sure that you don't waste time and pay more for tuition than you have to.
- 4). Complete all pre-professional program requirements. Most accredited schools of nursing require that you take course before you apply to the actual nursing program within the college. There are many general ed requirements along with nursing specific course. Do well in all of these courses! Competition is tight when trying to get into the professional nursing programs. Do the best you can in the pre-professional course.
- 5). Once you've applied to the Nursing program and have been accepted, complete all required course work. This will involve advanced nursing course coupled with supervised practical experience, essentially on-the-job training with real registered nurses.
- 6). Graduate from the university and take the national exam to become an RN or Registered Nurse. You must pass the exam in order to practice on your own. Study hard and pass the exam. Taking the exam multiple times can be quite costly.
- 7). Complete required continuing education in order to maintain your status as a registered nurse. This can be accomplished by attending seminars and conferences. The learning never stops!
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