When you’re applying to nursing school, you can’t control how many other applicants are applying for the same slot – and these days, that number will be HIGH. You will be facing some stiff competition if you are applying to a community college or traditional four-year degree program. Here are two things that you can do to make yourself more attractive to a nursing school.
1. Get some health-care experience before you apply. One way to get experience is to volunteer at a local nursing home or hospital. Make sure you do this for at LEAST a few months before applying to nursing school. This shows that you are comfortable working in a healthcare environment and you have a genuine interest in caring for others.
Another way to get experience is to get a job as a certified nurse’s aide (CNA). To do this, you need to take a short course. If you look for online CNA programs, you can usually find a course that takes just a couple of weekends to complete. After your course work, you will take a test on your CNA skills and you’ll undergo a criminal background check. If you pass them both then you can work as a CNA. The pay is not high, but there is very high demand. Don’t let the pay discourage you. Remember, this is just a stepping stone to get experience and to show the nursing school admissions counselor that you are serious about a healthcare career.
2. Improve your GPA. What is your GPA? If there are any pre-requisite courses that you’ve taken and did not do well in, it would be worth your while to retake those classes at a local community college and improve your GPA. Again, there is a lot of competition to get into nursing school these days so a sub-par GPA isn’t going to cut it. If you can retake a class and improve your GPA, then you will boost your chances of acceptance when applying to nursing school.
