Should I be a Certified Nursing Assistant?

Nursing Students CNA/MA

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Specializes in Medical Surgical-Oncology.

Hi Everyone! I need some advice from CNAs. I have a BA in Psychology; however, I have decided to go back to school for an Accelerated Nursing program (ABSN). I applied to nursing schools and if I get accepted I will start in 2012. In the meantime I was thinking about enrolling in a CNA class which is only 7 weeks in my town. I gave in the deposit of $200 and have $1,000 left to pay. My mother thinks it's a bad idea because she wants me to wait to get into a nursing program instead of investing in CNA. I did my research for CNA and I think it would be beneficial for me. I never had experience in the health-care field and I want to learn these skills. I have volunteered in a hosiptal in the past but I didn't learn much. I wanted to know if being a CNA would help me find a job as an RN after I graduate. I have a BA in Psychology now and my mom wants me to find a job in this field for the meantime. But I want to be a nurse so badly and land a job after graduation!!! I am so confused and lost. As of now I have a temporary job in retail and don't earn much. Please help!!!!

thanks :nurse:

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hi everyone! i need some advice from cnas. i have a ba in psychology; however, i have decided to go back to school for an accelerated nursing program (absn). i applied to nursing schools and if i get accepted i will start in 2012. in the meantime i was thinking about enrolling in a cna class which is only 7 weeks in my town. i gave in the deposit of $200 and have $1,000 left to pay. my mother thinks it's a bad idea maybe she thinks it will be too much with school? because she wants me to wait to get into a nursing program instead of investing in cna. it's a good investment. i did my research for cna and i think it would be beneficial for me. yes, it can be. you will be familiar with how things work and have an opportunity to practice basic skills and communication with patients. i never had experience in the health-care field and i want to learn these skills. i have volunteered in a hosiptal in the past but i didn't learn much. i wanted to know if being a cna would help me find a job as an rn after i graduate. it sure helps to have your foot in the door and some places will help you pay for school. i have a ba in psychology now and my mom wants me to find a job in this field for the meantime. if you get a job as a bha in psych, the hospital may help you pay for your education, too. mine did. i paid a grand total of $1000 for school. but i want to be a nurse so badly and land a job after graduation!!! i am so confused and lost. as of now i have a temporary job in retail and don't earn much. no benefit in that, lol. please help!!!!

thanks :nurse:

good luck :)

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Specializes in Emergency.

The upside: It would be a great idea. It will get your foot in the door and it will expose you to all sorts of thing in health care. You'll have an edge up when you apply for jobs when you graduate simply because of your experience.

The down side: Accelerated BSN programs don't leave you much time to do breathe let alone have a job. That, coming from 3 ABSN students I've spoken to in person. See what others on here say. Some may say it's doable. How good are you at budgeting your time?

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Specializes in Medical Surgical-Oncology.

Hey thanks for your replies! :yeah:I think I do an okay job budgeting my time. I was thinking about working as a CNA in the weekends once I start the ABSN program but I don't know if it will be too much all at once (with school and work)...or if I can even find a job as a CNA just for the weekends...I spoke to one of my friends who has a job at a hospital and just graduated with her BSN and she told me that many people get hired at the hospitals without a CNA certification and just get trained on the job but I don't know how that is possible....I thought that you needed the CNA certification to get hired for the position.

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At the hospital I work in the requirements to get in are you have to have gone through your first semester of nursing school OR have your CNA. You might want to check the requirements of places you want to work while in school to see if they require a certification.

Best of luck.

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Specializes in Medical Surgical-Oncology.

Thanks for clearing that up for me :nurse: I will definitely look into the requirements.

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Before I start: Yikes...$1200 for a CNA course?!!! Mine will total around $550 when everything is paid for. Is that a typical cost for programs where you live?

That being said....I'm starting my CNA course next month while I wait for nursing school acceptance for 2012. The experience certainly can't hurt and working as a CNA will be a great way to get a feel for working in hospitals and nursing homes and it will be an advantage on my RN resume as well. Also, the program I've applied to requires nursing students get their CNA after the first semester--I'll be ahead of the game!

Good luck!

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I started my nursing program last fall and I'll tell you what my instructor told us on the first day. She said that we were eligible to take the CNA exam after our first semester and she recommended that we do because it will open up alot more doors for us once we graduate and start applying for nursing jobs... just sayin :) I JUST got my CNA and I wish I had done it back in December when I became eligible. After applying for jobs and interviewing and working out my orientation it has taken about 2 months to even get started working as an aide. On the other hand nursing school is an enormous amount of work and I'm not even in an accelerated program. Just do whats best for you and don't take on more than you can handle.

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Specializes in Medical Surgical-Oncology.

Yes, my program for CNA is so expensive. I was really surprised and taken back by the cost of this program. I think it's expensive because the agency helps you find employment afterwards and because there is a high demand for CNAs in my county. My program starts in 2 weeks and I am really excited. I am also waiting for acceptance into nursing programs for ABSN and registered nurse diploma 2012. I have been researching the topic of CNA and what I found is that it will help with finding a job after graduation. Nowadays, employers are looking at resumes and hiring people with experience. I am so excited to start the CNA program :D. It will be one step forward into the nursing profession :nurse:

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I dont think CNA school itself is likely to be particularly valuable to you as a nursing student or RN, unless you are trying to get into a program that requires you have your CNA first. The skills you learn arent exactly rocket science, and most are probably covered while you are training to be an RN. I guess it might save you a little fumbling and embarrassment during clinicals. However actually working as a CNA would probably give you some useful experience. You'll gain experience interacting with difficult patients/residents, familiarize yourself with medical procedures and equipment, learn some time management skills, and get to see whether you really want to be a Nurse before you get too invested in training.

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Specializes in Medical Surgical-Oncology.

You're absolutely right. I was thinking about getting a full time job as a CNA after I get certified. I'm going back to school for nursing as a second career and I really need to be 100 percent sure that nursing is the career for me. I think working as a CNA would give me a good idea about what nurses do on a daily basis from observing them at work.

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don't waste your time taking a CNA course, unless your still trying to decide if nursing is right for you. You will learn the skills once your in school, or at least during your clinicals. IMO having CNA on your resume won't make that big of a difference looking for a job. My wife was in the same boat as you, no previous nursing experience, and had no problems finding a job after graduation.

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