Virginia Partnership for Nursing

Getting Started
Nursing Schools
Financial Aid Resources
Virginia Health Education Resources

GETTING STARTED
Source: National Student Nurses Association, www.nsna.org

If you are interested in entering the nursing field, you’ll first need to go to nursing school. You can apply to several state-approved and accredited schools of nursing.You’ll require a high school diploma and a sound academic standing in areas such as English, algebra, chemistry, biology, and psychology. At the end of the nursing program, you must pass the National Council Licensure Examination to become a Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN ).

Educational Pathways to Consider:
Associates Degree, ADN — two-year programs (after pre-nursing courses are completed) offered at community and junior colleges.

Hospital Diploma— two to three-year nursing programs based in hospital settings. Many diploma schools are affiliated with Junior and community colleges where students take basic English and Sciences requirements.

Bachelors of Science, BSN— four-year program, offered at colleges and universities. There are also five-year work-study BSN programs. Advancement opportunities are the greatest for the BSN graduate.

A BSN is required for entry into a master's degree in nursing program. The National Student Nurse's Association has many articles on becoming a nurse, from where to begin to what to do for your first job. Check it out at: http://www.nsna.org/career/index.asp.

Or visit:
http://www.aacn.nche.edu
http://www.virginianurses.com/vna/index.htm

VIRGINIA NURSING SCHOOLS
There are many nursing schools for you to choose from — whether in Virginia, around the United States, or internationally. For more information about Health Education Resources in Virginia, click here.

Search Virginia nursing schools

Some general links to Nursing Schools in the United States and internationally.
American Association of Colleges of Nursing's listing of member schools
http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Membership/Membdir.htm

Listing of Schools of Nursing
http://www.nursingsociety.org/education/schoolsUS.html

National League of Nurses' Directory of Accredited Nursing Programs
http://www.nlnac.org/Forms/directory_search.htm

Nursing Schools (U.S. and International)
http://www.nsna.org/career/nursing_schools.asp

FINANCIAL AID RESOURCES
The Virginia Department of Health runs a Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Midwife Scholarship Program. Click here to download a pdf document of the application.

Here are some links you may also find useful:
Financial Aid Information for Prospective and Current Nursing Students
http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Education/finaid.htm

Information on student financial aid from the US Department of Education
http://studentaid.ed.gov/students/publications/student_guide/index.html

Johnson & Johnson maintains a searchable database of scholarship opportunities
http://www.discovernursing.com/scholarship_search.asp

Scholarship Information for prospective students of Nurse Anesthesia Programs
http://www.aana.com/foundation/scholarship.asp

Scholarship Information
http://www.nursingsociety.org/career/scholarships_opps.html

Student Nurse Scholarships
http://www.aorn.org/foundation/scholarshipstudent.htm

VIRGINIA HEALTH EDUCATION RESOURCES
These links are broken down into the various localities in Virginia and they are a great source of health information for nursing students and professionals alike:

Virginia AHEC Program Office
http://www.ahec.vcu.edu/

Blue Ridge AHEC (BRAHEC)
www.brahec.jmu.edu

Southside AHEC (SAHEC)
http://www.ahec.vcu.edu/southside.htm

Southwest Virginia AHEC(SWVAHEC)
http://www.swvahec.org/

South Central AHEC (SCAHEC)(SWVAHEC)
http://www.scahec.org/

Rappahannock AHEC (RAHEC)
http://www.rahec.net/