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What are some things I can do to better my chances getting into nursing school?

Can I just walk into any hospital and ask to volunteer? How does that work? I want to do something right now that can help me in the future. #medical-school #medicine #nursing

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Doc’s Answer

RESEARCH ALL THE HOSPITALS IN YOUR AREA

Review the volunteering page in order to figure out if the kind of volunteer work you’re looking for is available. Complete the volunteer application as necessary. Some hospitals will have you complete it online, while others will request you mail or hand it in physically. Most hospitals will require new volunteers to attend an orientation. During the orientation, volunteers learn about rules, expectations, and their role in the hospital. Each hospital may require volunteers to complete additional steps before they begin volunteering. These steps may include meeting with staff, completing online training, and purchasing/picking up a volunteer uniform.

The hospital offers an endless way to volunteer your time and talent. It’s completely up to you how much time you will spend on volunteering each week or month. You can work with hospital staff, spend time with patients, do some administrative tasks with staff, assist doctors during operations, etc. For people with no medical background, there are many tasks that need to be done. For those who wish to be in the medical field, volunteering at a hospital is everything. In other words, getting the opportunity to work with doctors and actually being in the same vicinity even if you aren’t doing the actual work is somewhat of the experience of a lifetime. The chance to really be with doctors and learning from them is a chance to look into a world that you hope to be in the future. The children or even just the patients, in general, is what makes the idea of volunteering everything because you get to somehow strive to make them better.

Volunteering in a hospital is a way to learn about possible careers in health care. A hospital volunteer comes into contact with doctors, nurses, and many other health professionals. You might have a particular interest in radiology and want to volunteer in that department. Some hospitals have internships for new graduates; a volunteer who is a familiar face in the hospital may have a better chance of being selected for an internship.

Doc recommends the following next steps:

Try to explore different departments if you can. It is helpful to gain experience in various departments that focus on clinical care, research, this will look good when applying for schools.
Try to initiate and maintain relationships with people who work at the hospital. You never know when you might need a reference, recommendation, or connection.
Thank you comment icon Thank You Deborah. “Volunteers are the only human beings on the face of the earth who reflect this nation’s compassion, unselfish caring, patience, and just plain loving one another.” – Erma Bombeck Doc Frick
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Suzanne’s Answer

Hi Ingrid,

This is Sue and I am a retired oncology (cancer) nurse. You are asking such important questions. Nursing and medicine have always been and still is an in-demand professions. As you can see on the news, nurses and doctors are saving countless lives during this pandemic.

So, I am guessing that you are in high school and would like to start on the path that will lead you into a great nursing/medicine program. I will have several suggestions here, but the first is to speak with your high school guidance counselor to make sure you are taking the correct classes that will help you get into the college of your choice. And, just saying, try to keep your GPA up. You will want to make sure that you are academically competitive with others wanting to enter these fields.

Volunteering is an excellent way to get a feel for the hospital environment. I recommend reaching out to hospitals in your area. Please keep in mind, that due to COVID19, many volunteer hospital programs will be on hiatus. It just isn't feasible right now. But the pandemic will ease eventually. Here are links to your local area hospitals:

https://www.memorialcare.org/employees-volunteers/volunteer-long-beach-medical-center

https://www.millerchildrenshospitallb.org/healthcare-professionals/volunteer-center

https://www.dignityhealth.org/socal/locations/stmarymedical/about-us/volunteer-opportunities

I also highly recommend that you investigate opportunities with the American Red Cross:

https://www.redcross.org/local/california/los-angeles/about-us/locations/long-beach.html

My final suggestion is to take Red Cross CPR and First Aid classes and earn your certifications. These are really early entry into the health care field and you will meet other like-minded individuals.

https://www.redcross.org/about-us/our-work/training-education.html

I am wishing you all the best. I'm so sorry that things are complicated by the presence of this COVID disaster. But, a pandemic can be quite insightful into how medicine, nursing and public health all intersect for the public good. Please make good grades and take your CPR (and other) classes. I hope this information is helpful.

Best,
Sue
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Darleana’s Answer

Make sure that you maintain a high GPA in your prerequisites. Nursing school can be very competitive. Have your plan in place when you sit for the interview for school. Know exactly and specifically why you want to be a nurse. What you are looking to achieve. How you plan to achieve it. Being a nurse is about knowing how to prioritize and execute in the best manner that is patient centered. The stronger and more realistic your plan the better, Hope this helps.
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