What's the different between Nursing assistant and Certified nursing assistant?

Nursing Students CNA/MA

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I want to become a nursing assistant and work there while learning registered nurse in the future.

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Nurse assistants aren't certified by the state. You can get a job at a facility as a nurse assistant, but then must take the course and be certified by a certain date.

Certified nurse assistants have gone through a state-approved training course including classroom lecture and clinical experience. Once they have completed the course they take a state exam in order to become "certified."

Certified nurse assistants typically make more $$ than nurse assistants.

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Nurse assistants aren't certified by the state. You can get a job at a facility as a nurse assistant, but then must take the course and be certified by a certain date.

Certified nurse assistants have gone through a state-approved training course including classroom lecture and clinical experience. Once they have completed the course they take a state exam in order to become "certified."

Certified nurse assistants typically make more $$ than nurse assistants.

I know this is old..

So not worth it to pay $950 to learn nursing assistant?

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It IS worth it.

You can typically only be employed up to 4 months without taking a training course.

Also, as a uncertified nurse assistant, you will probably not be making much more than minimum wage -- hardly worth it for the amount of work required for the job.

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It IS worth it.

You can typically only be employed up to 4 months without taking a training course.

Also, as a uncertified nurse assistant, you will probably not be making much more than minimum wage -- hardly worth it for the amount of work required for the job.

Thanks! I know, it is worth it! I can't wait to start helping people.

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Red Cross has the course for like $850 in Boston or so.

IF you have never done health work, yes it is a good thing to do.

I worked at a VET and was trained (on the job training, not a school) in the Navy. I was NOT Cert.

Got job at a very well to do Hospital $14/hr (not very high for Boston).

They DID have a course at the Hospital to learn, so if you can get in and do their course that is better.

This has links to each state at the bottom of page

http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.1a019a978f421296e81ec89e43181aa0/?vgnextoid=3724081a7a593210VgnVCM10000089f0870aRCRD

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Specializes in ICU.

It really depends on the state's rules and regulations.

I got a job as a Nurse Aide in a hospital with no healthcare experience, no certification, and no requirement to attain certification within X amount of time. My state does not require nurse aides to be certified to work in hospitals.

I made the same amount of money as the CNAs who worked in my facility (who had comparable experience, of course), and had the same duties. Because we were not required to have our CNA, having a CNA did not give an employee a pay boost.

That's not to say a certification course doesn't have value - I did end up taking a CNA course eventually (I needed it for application to an RN program), and it was a good experience.

OP, check with your state's rules and regulations. I would not plop down $900+ if I didn't need the course to get a job as a nurse aide. You'll get great experience with on-the-job training and working as a NA over time.

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Also, don't waste your time taking an EKG course. They WILL teach you at a Hospital for that, all of about a day training.

You are NOT reading them, just taking them as a CNA/PCT.

Now a Cardio Tech I think is different, I can not say for sure as I am not familiar with it.

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