CNA Training.....Any Suggestions??

[Ladicapricorn841]

hello all! i am brand new to the field of nursing and i'm starting from the ground up. i am also a mother of a beautiful 9 month old boy:d. the ultimate goal is to become an rn. but in the meantime i want to take a cna course so i can gain as much experience as possible before i take the next step in the field. i've been looking at several courses in my area (methuen ma) and came across the program offered by the american red cross. has anyone taken this course or know of anyone who has? if so how did you like the program? what didnt you like? i'm open to anything anyone has to offer!! thanks so much

[FLNA]

I am not familiar with MA CNA training programs, but I do hear that the Red Cross offers a good Nurse Assistant training program. I would check with them. In my county in Florida, the Red Cross NAT program is a couple months longs, and not too expensive but they are usually booked way in advance because they are cheaper than most schools.

[ann22]

Hi. I am in my second week at the Red Cross CNA program. I can not say enough good things about it. I have learned so much and the instructors are awesome. One is an RN and the other an LPN and they are very knowledgeable. I would absolutely go through the Red Cross. I am sure they offer it in your area.

[NhNikki]

I second what ann22 said. I just finished my second week with the Red Cross (as you can see, I'm not too far away from you, just over the border in NH) and I love it. My teachers have said that their program really is the best in the state (well, my state, lol) and that when you apply for a position and the employer sees that you went through the Red Cross then they are much more willing to hire you because of that. A lot of areas will advertise a 4-week program for CNA or 2 weeks, but DON'T DO IT! Take at least an 8-week program, because if they're only offering it for that short amount of time then they're skipping a lot. Plus the Red Cross program covers CPR, First Aid, and BLS the first week to get it all done and I'm sure those shorter programs do not cover it. Then you'll have to take another course to get your CPR, First Aid, and BLS certification if that ends up being the case, which is just more money out of your pocket.

Overall, I definitely recommend the Red Cross program!

[Ladicapricorn841]

Thanks everyone for replying to my message! You have all been extremely helpful! Sounds like everyone has had a positive experience with the program. NhNikki I will definitely look into the classes here in MA since you seem to be doing well and are quite close. Thanks again everyone!