For many veterans, life after a tour of duty can be challenging, and some face an uncertain road to employment. Luckily for military medics, pursuing a civilian career as a practical nurse (PN) is a great way to find rewarding, full-time employment after returning home. And because readjustment poses hurdles for veterans, it’s important to consider schools that offer student-veteran resources, like Prism Career Institute in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. To learn more about how you can make the switch from military medic to PN, Prism Career Institute provides this helpful guide.
Finding the Right Program
The first step to transitioning from military medic to PN is to choose the program that’s right for you. During your search, be sure to look for programs with Equal Opportunity Policies in place. In other words, top institutions should clearly enforce a policy of non-discrimination stating that veterans will be treated equally and given the same opportunities to succeed as their peers.
Next, look for schools that meet the Veterans’ Educational Benefits outlined by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). For example, at Prism Career Institute, veteran students in our PN and Medical Assistant programs can apply for benefits to help ease the financial burden of schooling. By choosing to attend a qualifying institute, you can enjoy an even smoother transition from active duty to civilian life.
Getting Ready for School
Once you’ve found the right school, your next step is to make sure you meet all enrollment prerequisites. For example, to apply to our PN program, students must meet the following core requirements:
- Be 18 years of age or older
- Hold a high school diploma or its equivalent
- Complete an interview with a Prism Career Institute Admissions Representative
- Achieve minimum entrance exam scores
Apart from checking off all of your program’s prerequisite boxes, it can also be helpful to get back into the mindset of being a student. After completing a tour of duty, many veterans find it hard to integrate themselves socially into their classrooms. Some can even find it difficult to focus on lectures and schoolwork, necessitating some helpful measures provided by their school to find success.
That’s why we suggest you take some time to assess your goals before you enroll. By clearly defining the objectives you will strive for as a student, you can better equip yourself to finish complex assignments and make it through long hours of clinical. Plus, be sure to take advantage of the resources your campus has to offer, such as Student Services support, free tutoring, and more.
Apply to Prism Career Institute Today
If you live in Pennsylvania or New Jersey, Prism Career Institute makes it easy to earn your PN. Plus, not only are our campuses conveniently located, we even make it possible to graduate in as little as 15 months. So if you’re itching to get a jumpstart on the road to a PN career, contact us today.