Prioritize math, like algebra and geometry. (This could be important for calculating medication dosages and applying scientific principles.)
Science classes like biology, chemistry, anatomy, and physics will help you understand how the human body works.
Computer and technology classes will teach you to be more comfortable with the variety of machines nurses use, such as ventilators, used to monitor organs like the heart and the brain. Plus, nurses use computers every day to communicate and record how their patients are doing.
Students should also take English and communication classes to learn to write and speak well.
(https://www.wcnursing.org/be-a-nurse/helpful-information/)
Many high schools offer advanced placement courses, which expose students to higher-level coursework. Colleges often offer credit to incoming high school students with high AP scores. Even just seeing AP courses on an applicant’s transcript can help boost admission chances too.
(https://nursejournal.org/articles/ways-high-school-students-can-prepare-for-a-career-in-nursing/)
Within the AACN (American Association of Critical-Care Nurses) educational objectives for Nursing lies a strong foundational knowledge of STEM-based education.
Foundational STEM elements in nursing education include, but are not limited to: chemistry, biology, microbiology, informatics and technology, statistics, anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, and the social and behavioral sciences of sociology, and developmental lifespan psychology. (https://www.nursingisstem.org/)
Each middle and high school will offer different classes that can help prepare students for a career in nursing and admission to nursing school. Another great opportunity for a head start on nursing school is taking college courses while in high school. Two local programs: