Pre-Professional Nursing
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Registered nurses (RNs) are the largest healthcare occupation, with over 2.6 million jobs. About 60% of them work in hospitals. The three most common educational paths to becoming a registered nurse are a bachelor's degree, an associate degree, and a diploma from an approved nursing program. If you are interested in advanced practice nursing, clinical nurse specialists, nurse anesthetists, nurse-midwives, and nurse practitioners, you’ll need to pursue a master’s degree.
Regardless of specialty or work setting, RNs treat and educate patients and the public about various medical conditions, and provide advice and emotional support to patients' family members. They record medical histories and symptoms, help perform diagnostic tests and analyze results, operate medical machinery, administer treatment and medications, and help with patient follow-up and rehabilitation. Nursing is a highly regarded profession, and you can become a part of it.
This one-year program is for seniors interested in learning more about careers in nursing or who would like to enter a college healthcare degree program.
Credit hours
You can earn up to two credit hours at Metropolitan Community College, or four credit hours at University of Central Missouri.
What you’ll learn.
You will spend a portion of your class time at a local hospital and in a clinical skills lab. Most of your studies will include Healthcare Career Exploration, Pharmaceutical Math, CPR/First Aid, HIPAA (Confidentiality and other regulations), Clinical Practice (Advanced nursing skills), and Medical Ethics. You will learn and use APA style in the production of research papers and projects.
You will have an opportunity to earn Certified Nursing Assistant certification in an evening program, at no cost.
* Dual college credit options are subject to change based on instructor qualifications and college requirements.
Schedule
One-year program
You’ll take classes at:
Summit Technology Academy
777 NW Blue Parkway, Suite 3090
Lee’s Summit, MO 64086
Prerequisites
Minimum 2.0 GPA
90% attendance
Reading and writing at the 10th grade level
Algebra I with C or better
Biology and Chemistry with C or better
Recommended courses
Algebra II
Chemistry II
Anatomy/Physiology
College-prep English
Other requirements
Background check
Demand and Pay
Below are wages and expected employment growth according to the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration’s O*NET career exploration and job analysis tool.
Registered Nurse (associate's degree or higher)
Median wages: $30.65 hourly, $63,750 annual
Number of people already in the industry: 2,619,000
Projected job openings (2008-2018): 1,039,000
Certified Nursing Assistant (career certificate)
Median wages: $11.56 hourly, $24,040 annual
Number of people already in the industry: 1,470,000
Projected job openings (2008-2018): 422,300
Skills, character and physical traits of successful people in this career:
- Desire to care for and interact with patients and their families
- Mature judgment and composure
- Decisive; respect for safety and security of confidential information
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team
- Good verbal and written communication skills
- Attention to detail
- Desire and ability to master new technologies quickly
- Ability to stand or be on one’s feet for long periods of time
- Compassionate and empathetic
- Ability to handle stress
- Appreciation that work is often risky and strenuous
To apply
Contact your high school counseling office to complete an application, student contract and student essay of interest. Your school will determine if you meet the program criteria. If you do not, but your counselor or principal feel you can be successful in the program, they can recommend you.
