Are you hoping to get into your dream nursing program? There are a lot of schools that offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and many of the best are competitive. You might be asking yourself, how do I stand out? Well, one of the best ways is to show your academic interest in Nursing. By the way, this works for all academic majors, however, it might be easier for a History Major to show an interest by taking APUSH… after all, schools don’t really offer AP Bedside Manner. However, there are still a lot of classes that, if your school offers them, you should consider trying to take.
Get serious about Science.
This is an overall tip for anyone who wants to get involved in the medical field. You will need a good foundation in science. If your school offers AP, Honors, or IB Biology, we would recommend signing up especially. Taking the highest level of Chemistry offered is also highly recommended. While Biology and chemistry are probably the most connected to nursing, any elective science is probably a good call once you have gotten through the prerequisite Bio, Chem, and sometimes Physics that most high schools require. Is AP Environmental Science super connected to Nursing? Not really, but showing an interest in science, when you can, will help you get in.
Look for connected electives
Not every high school offers a wide range of electives, but we have seen a lot of high schools offer the following, all of which are great for hopefully nursing students:
Physiology (sometimes called Human Anatomy)
Psychology
Early Childhood Development
Nutrition
Kinesiology (sometimes this is also a PE course)
While not all schools offer these classes, many will have them or something similar. These are great classes to take as they will be useful during your time in nursing school. More than that, they also show an interest in medical science and the human body.
AP Statistics
This one might feel less connected, but if your school has a Stat class, you should take it. Stat teaches quantitative literacy which is super important for things like medication calculations and measurements. Nurses usually take a good amount of classes that use statistical analysis before they graduate and AP Stat gives you a great base. Nurse practitioners especially often have a background in Statistics as it can help with both operations and research.
Spanish
Ok, this one isn’t a need. If you just love your Latin class, keep it. But if you are planning to be a nurse in America, having some Spanish is going to help you. The US has around 41 million native Spanish speakers and if you plan on ever working in an ER, being able to speak Spanish can be a valuable skill. So if you are choosing between Spanish and French, Spanish might buy you a little more in the field. Plus, a good grade on the IB Spanish assessment has never hurt anyone’s chances of getting into a top school.
Get CPR certified
Ok, so this isn’t a class necessarily, but many high schools offer CPR training after school. If your school doesn’t, YMCAs, Community Centers, and even Red Cross locations often offer a CPR course amongst other medical safety courses including things like Narcan training. These are super usual for everyone but are great to add to a nursing-specific resume.
Take an online or summer course
This tip is especially useful if your school doesn’t have a lot of course or elective options, but taking classes outside of school is something anyone can do. There are a couple of different ways to take classes outside of class.
Do a summer session at a college:
Many colleges have Pre-College programs for high schoolers, however, very few of them are nursing-specific. Instead of trying to find a nursing-specific one, look for one popular with Pre-Meds or that is science related. Many are STEM-themed, so that’s a great place to start.
Take classes at a local community college
Summer sessions for high schoolers at colleges are usually pretty expensive. If that is not in the cards, local community colleges often have classes that high schoolers can sign up for. While community colleges also have tuition, it’s often much more affordable. Look at what your local school offers. Many will have nursing-specific courses, but also courses like Intro to Psychology or Human Anatomy are great choices for high schoolers.
Online classes:
This is a great flexible option. Online courses are usually pretaped, meaning many of them are free and can be taken at your own pace. It’s a great way to explore subjects you may be interested in on your own time. There are hundreds of classes out there, but the ones we love for nurses include:
UPenn’s Vital Signs
Anatomy or Causes of Racial Inequity in Healthcare at U Mich
Yale’s Anatomy of the Chest, Neck, Abdomen, and Pelvis, their course on Intro to Medical Software, and Understanding Medical Research: Your Facebook Friend is Wrong
Essentials in Clinical Simulations Across the Health Professions at George Washington University
Northwestern’s Career 911: Your Future Job in Medicine and Healthcare (this one is great because it’s specifically for young people interested in getting into the healthcare profession.)
Stanford’s Intro to Statistics (if your school doesn’t offer Stat)
You can also take more specialized classes like Duke’s Space Medicine or the University of Hong Kong’s Everyday Chinese Medicine if you just find them interesting.
While not every high school has the perfect set of classes to take if your dream is nursing school, try your best to add a few classes (either in or out of school) that show your commitment to nursing. We encourage our students to push themselves academically. This means different things for different students, but every student should be taking classes that make them think and prepare them for what’s next.
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