I want to be a registered nurse , what are the first steps to take .?

I have been thinking about going to college , i am not straight out of high school so I am a bit out of touch . what are the first steps i take to get the process of my education started and where do i go from there? I have been thinking about becoming a registered nurse for years and i feel like it is what i really want to do .

There are still two options for nursing school. You can do the 2 year route called and Associates Degree in Nursing (ADN) but ,you are an RN, it is a basic fast -track into the profession. There are 2 years of pre-requistes like microbiology, anatomy and physiology etc and then the 2 year nursing program.
There is also the BSN 4 year program which incorporates all of the ADN program plus. Depending on what you can afford or what your desire is., There is a push to make all RN's Bachelor's prepared nurses as, the philosophy is that the nursing profession wants to elevate itself as a science and believes that the ADN program doesn't give the learner the full scope of the profession (due to time constraints). The reality is that there is a nursing shortage and the need to get nurses into the work force is important. The ADN program opens the door and then gives nurses the option of later expanding their education. Nursing is a calling. There are so many different areas of nursing to choose from. The money is decent and you can get a job anywhere in the world. You will never lack for anything in nursing. A wise occupational choice and a fantastic profession! Go to your academic advisor at the local college and find out what you need to do.

The best advice that I can give you is to go to college. While in college, take classes that will prefer you for the profession of nursing. I recommend taking Biology as your major because those are the kind of stuffs that you will be learning.

However, if you feel that going to college immediately is out of the question, I think you should go to the community college and take some of their nursing degrees. Some of their nursing degrees includes being an Associate Nurse. This type of degree last for about two years. Once you're finish, you can go on to regular college and start earning your bachelor's degree in nursing.

Take transfer courses at a community college then transfer to a 4yr college.
Talk to the community coll adviser about your career and mention TRANSFER to 4yr college to him/her.The adviser will help you in deciding on the right course to take.

You need to decide which school to attend and then go there and register. They will give you more info on student aid, classes etc.

You can become an RN without a college degree, but it will be much harder to get a job if you don't have a college degree (since a lot of jobs are requiring people to get Bachelor's in nusing degrees along with their RN status). So I'd suggest that you apply to college this year (make you apply to colleges that have nursing programs). I'm not sure whether it would be a good idea to start out in community college or not.