How to get Accepted into Nursing School as an EMT

Introduction:

Recently, I was lucky enough to be accepted into a BSN program in the Denver area. I absolutely pumped and a little terrified about this endeavor. As awesome as it is, I know it will suck.

Why Nursing?

Honestly, the number 1 reason I chose nursing school was the flexibility after graduation. You may not know this, but there's a shortage of nurses everywhere. While this sucks for the healthcare system as a whole, it's kinda awesome for new grads and those hoping to expand their professional careers.

How Did I get into school?

Most nursing programs have relatively similar pre-requisite courses. In no particular order, they are usually anatomy and physiology 1/2, general chemistry 1/2, biology 1/2, nutrition, pathophysiology, and an English course of some kind. Some schools may also require some patient care time as well but we can touch on that later. All of these courses are super doable and your local community college should have them every semester.

How Covid affected my journey

While Covid absolutely wrecked hospital systems and rocked education to its core, it also created opportunities for most college-level courses to be taught online. These online, or hybrid courses, offer opportunities to learn at your own speed and work a full courseload into your schedule. The only issue that I faced with these courses is discipline. You have to be able to make a schedule in stick with it.

Is Medical Experience Necessary?

Some Nursing programs require a medical background. Some do not. The particular program that I applied to required around 500 hours of either paid or volunteer bedside time. As an EMT working at any agency you should have well over 500 hours of patient care time. If you're concerned about this, I would recommend working as an ED tech. Working as a tech is not only a wonderful way to get hours, but also provides you with real-world experience assisting nurses.

Conclusion

Ultimatley, the road to nursing school can suck. The pre-reqs can be challenging and do require a decent amount of discipline. However, it is more than do-able, especially with remote courses and an EMS schedule.