[Experienced] Even those with only a junior high education or working adults can become nurses! What is required to achieve this?

Nice to meet you.

I am 39 years old, a mother of one, and I am known as "Neesan" (Big Sister), a former junior high graduate and NEET who became a nurse as a working adult.

The nickname (?) "Neesan" is what I was called by the students who were a generation younger than me when I was in nursing school.

In this article, I will introduce myself and talk about how to become a nurse as a working adult with only a junior high school education.

Even those with only a junior high education or working adults can become nurses

Even if you only finished junior high school or are a working adult, you can become a nurse.

I was originally a truant and barely attended junior high school.

However, after I started working, I developed a dream of becoming a nurse, and although it took time, I was able to make that dream come true.

At the time, I felt anxious about my low level of education and my complete lack of understanding of academic subjects, but

by researching things in my own way and working steadily, I cleared the challenges in front of me one by one.

I will explain the challenges for a junior high graduate working adult to become a nurse later on.

What is required for a junior high graduate working adult to become a nurse

Here, I will explain what is necessary for a junior high graduate working adult to become a nurse.

1. Pass the High School Equivalency Exam

2. Enroll in a nursing school

3. Overcome three years of clinical practice and study

Pass the High School Equivalency Exam

To become a nurse as a junior high graduate working adult, you must first pass the High School Equivalency Exam.

Once you pass the High School Equivalency Exam, you gain the qualifications to advance to vocational schools, junior colleges, or universities.

If you do not have any credits from high school, you need to take 8 subjects.

Since I never went to high school in the first place, I took the exam for all 8 subjects.

After researching various methods and studying efficiently, I was able to pass all of them in two attempts.

For the High School Equivalency Exam, there are correspondence courses available to help you pass, but you can pass without spending that much money or time.

In this note, I will also introduce study methods to pass the High School Equivalency Exam in the shortest time possible, even if you are not good at studying, so please check it out.

Enrolling in a nursing school

Once you have obtained your High School Equivalency, you need to take the entrance exam for your desired nursing school and pass it.

I think there are various criteria for choosing a nursing school, but based on my own experience of attending one,

• choosing a place that is easy to commute to

• choosing a place with a high national exam pass rate

• choosing a place where the clinical training hospitals are nearby

• choosing a place with low tuition fees

are the key points.

If you choose a school with high tuition, distant clinical training hospitals, or a low national exam pass rate just because the competition is low, it will not only be difficult to attend, but there is also a risk of failing the national exam, so be careful!

Also, to enroll in a nursing school, you must pass the entrance exam.

Since working adults have been away from studying, it might not be easy to reach the same academic level as current high school students.

However, just like the High School Equivalency Exam, it is not that difficult if you grasp the right techniques.

Since I was able to pass even though I couldn't even study properly in elementary school, there is a possibility that anyone can pass!

I will also explain in detail in another article about study methods for working adults to get into nursing school.

Overcoming three years of clinical practice and study

When becoming a nurse as a working adult, the hardest part is overcoming three years of clinical practice and study.

During clinical practice, you are actually assigned to patients and provide the necessary nursing care while applying what you have studied at school.

To do this, you must write out the necessary goals and plans based on evidence, present them to the hospital nurses, and proceed only after receiving their approval.

This is truly difficult; if your thinking is naive or not suited to the patient,
you will not only be scolded by the nurses, but you may also have to rewrite your plan from scratch, or in some cases, fail the rotation.

Although the degree of leniency or strictness varies by school, it is generally understood that most are strict.

Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that whether a nursing student survives depends on these clinical rotations.

However, overall, I feel that working adults have the ability to handle even these tough clinical rotations.

At the nursing school I attended, there were students who came straight from high school who could not endure the clinical practice and ended up failing or dropping out.

However, not a single one of my classmates who were working adults dropped out, and I felt that it was precisely because they were working adults that they could utilize their past social experience.

Once you enter nursing school, make use of your past experience and manage to make it through to the end.

Benefits of becoming a nurse as a working adult with a junior high school diploma

You may be wondering what the benefits are of becoming a nurse as a working adult.

Here, I will introduce the benefits I feel as someone who actually became a nurse after being a working adult.

1. You will never have trouble finding work in the future

2. Higher salary compared to other jobs

3. You can use your qualifications to do a wide range of work

You will never have trouble finding work in the future

If you become a nurse as a working adult, you will never have trouble finding work in the future!

Nurses are in high demand and there are always job openings.

With the population continuing to age, the demand for nurses will likely continue to rise.

When I was a middle school graduate, there were few jobs I could apply for, and I had a very hard time finding work.

However, now that I have passed the high school equivalency exam and obtained my nursing license, I have nothing to fear.

I feel that obtaining my high school equivalency and nursing license has been the most valuable self-investment of my life.

If you are a middle school graduate and a working adult who is wondering whether to aim for a career in nursing, I recommend taking the plunge and taking that first step as an investment in yourself.

Higher salary compared to other jobs

One of the benefits of being a nurse is that the salary is higher compared to other jobs.

Before I entered nursing school, I worked as a nursing assistant at a hospital.

My take-home pay at that time was about 160,000 yen.

None of the jobs I had done before that ever paid more than 200,000 yen per month.

However, after becoming a nurse, I was able to earn about 250,000 yen even before I started working night shifts, and about 320,000 yen after I started working night shifts.

In reality, as a middle school graduate and working adult, it is hard to choose your job and difficult to come across such a high-paying position.

Therefore, I recommend obtaining a nursing qualification to those who have to raise children alone as single mothers, or those who will need a large amount of money in the future.

You can do a wide range of work by utilizing your qualifications

Another attraction of becoming a nurse is that you can do a wide range of work by utilizing your qualifications.

Generally, many people have the image that nurses work in hospitals.

However, in recent years, nursing work has become more diverse, and some jobs can even be done entirely from home.

After working as a nurse in a hospital, I transitioned to becoming a 'medical writer' who can work with just one computer.

Now, I am able to earn more than I did when I was working at the hospital while working at my own relaxed pace.

In addition to writing, there are also roles like 'on-call nurse,' where you respond by phone when residents at a facility feel unwell.

Obtaining a nursing license not only increases your income, but the appeal of being able to work entirely from home can also be considered a benefit.

Disadvantages of becoming a nurse as a working adult

There are also disadvantages to becoming a nurse as a working adult.

Here, I will introduce the disadvantages I felt after becoming a nurse as a working adult.

1. It takes time and money

2. You may suffer from lack of sleep or poor physical condition

3. There are times when it is mentally difficult

It takes time and money

It goes without saying, but becoming a nurse as a working adult requires time and money.

Money for courses and reference books to pass the high school equivalency exam as a working adult, nursing school entrance exam fees, tuition, and three years of living expenses,

Time for passing the high school equivalency exam, the period until you can enter nursing school, and the three years of school life...

In my case,

• One year to pass the high school equivalency exam (10,000 yen for reference books)

• One year to enter nursing school (30,000 yen for exam fees)

• Nursing school tuition (1 million yen over 3 years)

• Living expenses during the 3 years of student life (balanced by part-time work and scholarships)

It took a total of 5 years and over 1 million yen to become a nurse, including these costs and time.
Looking back, I can clearly see routes that could have been skipped and money that could have been saved.

From my experience, in order to become a nurse as a middle school graduate working adult with minimal cost and in the shortest time,

I feel it is important not to take courses for passing the high school equivalency exam (focusing on efficiency in studying).

Regarding nursing school entrance exams, it is important to choose a school with affordable tuition and a high national exam pass rate, even if the competition is high.

You may experience lack of sleep or poor physical condition

When aiming to become a nurse as a working adult, you may experience lack of sleep or poor physical condition.

This is because nursing students have so much to do, including exams for advancing to the next grade, studying for clinical practice, and assignments.

Furthermore, schools with high national exam pass rates may have difficult tests and clinical practices, so there may be days when you have to study without sleeping.

When I was a student, I also used to study late into the night at family restaurants with classmates who were also working adults.

Some of my classmates developed stomach ulcers or hives due to the stress of clinical practice.

However, I feel that the joy of passing is precisely because I overcame those difficult times.

If I hadn't had that difficult experience, I might not have been able to become a nurse.

Also, you will be able to acquire the skill of managing your physical condition well while doing difficult studies.

You may experience lack of sleep or poor physical condition when you enter nursing school, but it is important to overcome it, thinking of it as a necessary trial to become a nurse.

There are also times when it is mentally difficult

When you become a nurse as a working adult, there are also times when it is mentally difficult.

The list is endless, but in student life, things like

• being scolded by younger nurses during clinical practice

• not being able to fit in well with classmates

• failing a test even though you studied

and various other things can be considered.

In my case, clinical practice was stressful above all else.

A friend said that the practical skills tests held at school were deathly unpleasant.

Unpleasant things and things that feel stressful vary from person to person.

However, looking back on it now, those are good memories too.

Since your life as a working nurse will be longer than your life as a student, you might find that there are more hardships after you become a nurse.

Whether you are a nurse or working in another job, you probably cannot avoid interpersonal relationship issues or dissatisfaction with your work.

If that is the case, you would be happier doing a job that allows you to fulfill your dreams, right?

The worries of a working adult are endless, but you should recognize that this remains the same even after you become a nurse.

Summary

Even if you are a working adult who only finished middle school, you can become a nurse!

By becoming a nurse as a working adult, you will likely see an increase in income and be able to work in a wider variety of ways.

However, since it takes a lot of time and money to become a nurse as a working adult with only a middle school education, it is important to prioritize efficiency to minimize the time and money spent.

In this note, I will also introduce "how to pass the high school equivalency exam in the shortest time possible without spending much money," so please be sure to check it out.