Advice to High School Students Seeking to Study Nursing
It is important that you prepare carefully for the study of nursing. Nursing requires strong interpersonal skills, and a solid understanding of human beings, human society, and the scientific basis of medicine and nursing. As a nurse, you will be responsible for clinical judgments based on your scientific reasoning. Likewise, with a Bachelor's degree in Nursing from Concordia University, you will have the potential to be a leader in nursing and health care.
As a nursing leader, you will need to express your ideas clearly. A solid foundation in the liberal arts will help you understand the events that are shaping health care and the health of individual patients. You will not simply be a technician at the bedside; you will be making decisions that impact the health of people in your community. Therefore, you need to lay a careful groundwork in high school so that you can succeed in the demanding college course work that is essential before you can even begin nursing classes.
College Preparatory Courses
Your high school program needs to be a strong preparation for college. Take as much writing as possible; that includes advanced courses in composition. Take three to four years of a spoken language; Spanish is highly recommended. You will need to communicate with people from diverse cultures.
Science and Math Courses
The best predictor of success in nursing school is a strong understanding and interest in science. To do well in science, you need to take mathematics at least through trigonometry. You should be ready to take pre-calculus in your first year of college. Adequate science courses should include biology, chemistry, and physics. It is extremely valuable to take a second year in biology, which might include molecular biology, oceanography, ecology, anatomy and physiology, or another option. If you have the opportunity, take advantage of courses offered at local community colleges in partnership with your high school. Consider taking AP or CLEP exams. If you test out of basic college courses, you will have more opportunity to take electives at Concordia. Electives broaden your understanding of human beings and human society.
These courses will prepare you to meet the demands of Concordia University's science classes. You will need at least a 3.25 grade point average in your college freshman and sophomore science classes in order to continue into the Concordia BSN cohort your junior year. To see a complete list of the requirements to continue with the BSN program as a junior, please view our Freshman BSN Program Expectations.