Becoming a Nurse

Interested in becoming a Nurse? We have gathered a few resources to help you on this exciting journey. From required coursework to scholarship opportunities, the pages within this section can help guide you to your goal. To find the information that's best suited to your needs, select one of the links below.

Find a Nursing School in Ohio

Nationwide Children's Hospital hires candidates who have graduated from an accredited school with state board approval. We do not hire new graduates from Online/Distance Nursing Programs (ie. Excelsior College).

The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) provides types of nursing programs and lists of accredited schools.

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing provides a list of CCNE accredited programs and explains about different careers in nursing, financial aid and other helpful information.

Nursing Program Requirements

All nursing schools differ in the high school courses they require for application and acceptance. Find a program that you feel comfortable in and speak with that program's counselors to determine specific prerequisites.

If you are interested in a career in nursing, you should considering volunteering to gain experience in a hospital environment and learn about your areas of interest. Find out more about Nationwide Children's Volunteering.

There are many resources which offer information pertaining to nursing education but below, we have provided the web sites that we believe are the most credible and informational when making the decision to become a nurse.

  • Ohio Board of Nursing provides information under Education about nursing programs, reports of nursing schools and NCLEX reports.
  • Ohio League For Nursing offers information about schools of nursing in Ohio and describes types of nursing programs.
  • All Nursing Schools provides a comprehensive listing with contact information to assist you in finding a nursing school in Ohio that best suits your needs.
  • Discover Nursing is sponsored by Johnson & Johnson and provides an overview of many opportunities in nursing.

Nursing Scholarship Resources

U.S. Department of Health Resources & Services Administration, Bureau of Health Workforce
In exchange for at least two years service at a health care facility with a critical shortage of nurses, the Nursing Scholarship Program pays tuition, required fees, other reasonable costs (including required books, clinical supplies, laboratory expenses, etc.) and monthly stipend.

National Student Nurses Association
The Foundation of the National Student Nurses Association (FNSNA) was created in 1969 to honor Frances Tompkins, the Association's first Executive Director. Organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes, the Foundation awards scholarships to qualified nursing students.

American Association of Colleges of Nursing
The AfterCollege-AACN Scholarship Fund supports students who are seeking a baccalaureate, master’s or doctoral degree in nursing. Special consideration will be given to students in a graduate program with the goal of becoming a nurse educator; completing an RN to BSN or MSN program; and those enrolled in an accelerated nursing program.

CampusRN.com
CampusRN.com has been designed to service the needs of nursing/ allied health students and recent grads and their potential employers.

Discover Nursing
Tools to help you on your road to nursing.

Broke Scholar
Welcome to BrokeScholar, the home of 650,000 scholarship award listings. Use our free service to apply for billions of scholarship and grant dollars.

FastWeb.com
The leading online resource in finding scholarships to help you pay for school.