Comparing my nursing prereqs to a trade program changed my mind fast

I spent 2 semesters at a community college in Cleveland grinding through bio and chem, thinking I had to do it all over again after dropping out of a 4-year school. Then I shadowed my cousin's 10-week phlebotomy course and saw how hands-on training replaced all that textbook talk. Has anyone else switched from an academic track to a shorter cert and felt like the practical route just clicked better?

2 comments

2 Comments

matthew_reed501d ago

Short certs work for some people, but two semesters of bio and chem is nothing compared to the years of grinding nurses do on the floor. Just make sure you're okay with the ceiling that comes with a 10-week program.

the_jesse7h ago

Hold up, I gotta push back on the "ceiling" part a little. A 10-week phlebotomy cert isn't the same as a 10-week dead end, it's a starting spot. Lots of folks I know started there, worked in a clinic, then went back for a nursing degree down the road with real experience behind them. That ceiling you're talking about? It moves. Also, the hands-on stuff doesn't replace the book learning, it just gives you a reason to care about it later. So yeah, the practical route can click better, but it's not like you're locked in a box forever.