[Monk]

Hi! I'm new here, and not technically a medical student, buy have hopes to one day be a nurse. I have many questions I need to ask and please somebody help.
1. What classes should I take in high school? I am a freshman.
2. I want to go to J.D. Patton ATC (vocational school) in my area, how will this benefit me in the path to becoming a registered nurse?
3. How long does it take to become a registered nurse in kentucky?
4. I want to be a nurse at a children's hospital, will I need extra college to do this?
4. What will I get to do as a nurse in a children's hospital?
5. How long does it take to be a pediatrician compared to a nurse?

Thanks.

[Paracroz]

Hiyas, Monk! I'm fairly new here, too, and not yet a Nursing student (I'll be starting in 2 months... ) but I'll see if I'm able to help answer some of your questions. Let's take them one at a time:

1. What classes should I take in high school? I am a freshman.

If it's offered at your school, you might consider taking a Health Occupations class as soon as you are able. Here in NC, you come out of that with your CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) - but you'll at least be that much farther along than I am at the moment, even if you don't get any kind of certification where you live. Short of that, a strong background in science (namely the life sciences - biology, chemistry) would serve you well. 'College prep' classes, if available to you, would also be a good idea.

2. I want to go to J.D. Patton ATC (vocational school) in my area, how will this benefit me in the path to becoming a registered nurse?

I'm, of course, not familiar with that particular school but both of the technical schools in this area each offer an ADN (Associate's Degree Nursing) program - check with the school and see if they offer such a course. If they don't offer such a course at JD Patton, it might still be possible for you to take some of the general education courses required for a degree in Nursing at a lesser expense than at another college; whether or not the courses would transfer would really be up to the school that you would, eventually, be attending for your Nursing degree though.

3. How long does it take to become a registered nurse in kentucky?

Someone else may be able to answer more accurately than I can (and it depends largely on how deep you want your education to go - RN, ADN, BSN, MSN) but, generally, it takes about 2 years to complete the schooling and then you take nursing boards and the NCLEX-RN (not sure in what order, though ) to get your RN license - the requirements for licensure are different for each state. Here is the Kentucky state Nursing board website; you may find some information there that will help.

4. I want to be a nurse at a children's hospital, will I need extra college to do this?
4. What will I get to do as a nurse in a children's hospital?

I'm going to have to let someone else answer this for you, as I would have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about here.

5. How long does it take to be a pediatrician compared to a nurse?

A 'pediatrician' is actually a doctor that specializes in the care of children so to be one, one would have to go through medical school (several years past the traditional 4 years of college) then (and this is a guess) through a couple of years of specialized training beyond that - so, QUITE a while longer for a pediatrician when compared to a nurse.

Thanks.

You're welcome - I hope I helped at least some! And welcome to the Nurses Forum, as well!

[Monk]

Thanks so much Paracroz! It really helped me I think I would like to specialize in pediatrics nursing, because I enjoy children. Their energy is so fun! Exept when they're sick, but then they won't be running around. got off subject for a minute... Anyways... I would like to know more about pediatrics nursing. Sorry for this, I must be annoying with all my questions:

1. What exactly to pediatric nurses do in the hospital setting? Doctor's office setting?

2. Will I need to take extra years of college for this major?

3. Is this considered a major?

4. Is there anything else I should know about this?

Thanks a bunch.