I am starting nursing school in a few weeks and was wondering if I should get my CNA in between semesters? I'm worried I won't be able to get a job after graduation due to lack of experience. my school arranged clinical studies already on the first week of school and throughout the semesters (gradually getting more intense each term). Is this enough experience or should I do something extra? My program is an ADN program that seamlessly merges into a BSN program with no gaps (dual submission). Any feedback is helpful! Thank you!!

Most new grads don't have experience and really aren't expected to. I had no experience at all and had no problem landing multiple job offers. If you want to do extra on top of all the nursing school hours you will be putting in, by all means go for it!

YES get a CNA job in a unit you'd be happy in as an RN. I work as a tech in two units and have job offers in both when I graduate in 4 months. However make sure you are a hardworking CNA in order to secure a job at the end!

CNA work is not going to get you the experience that they are necessarily looking for. You are still going to be a new grad with no nursing experience. I guess it depends really on where you live and if you have any connections at any hospitals at all. You would be better off making a good impression in clinical. I've been offered several already because of how I do in clinical. The nurses then go and tell their bosses what a great impression they have of you and will remember you when you apply for a job. If it works out well, they could possibly be used for a reference.

Most new grads don't have experience and really aren't expected to. I had no experience at all and had no problem landing multiple job offers. If you want to do extra on top of all the nursing school hours you will be putting in, by all means go for it!

This is very good to know! Also, if I graduate with my two year degree, I could still get a job while working on my BSN? Just in case I was confusing by asking about getting a job after graduation in general, I meant at the half way mark. Thank you again!

Oh okay, sorry I misunderstood. But still I honestly think you will be fine without becoming a CNA. Like it was mentioned, you will still be a new grad with no RN experience

CNA work is not going to get you the experience that they are necessarily looking for. You are still going to be a new grad with no nursing experience. I guess it depends really on where you live and if you have any connections at any hospitals at all. You would be better off making a good impression in clinical. I've been offered several already because of how I do in clinical. The nurses then go and tell their bosses what a great impression they have of you and will remember you when you apply for a job. If it works out well, they could possibly be used for a reference.

Thank you the wonderful input! I felt like I was at a disadvantage since many of my classmates have some sort of medical background.

This is very good to know! Also, if I graduate with my two year degree, I could still get a job while working on my BSN? Just in case I was confusing by asking about getting a job after graduation in general, I meant at the half way mark. Thank you again!

That'll depend on the job you want and their requirements. Some places will hire ADN, but some require BSN.

The hospital I'm hoping to get into will hire someone with an ADN, but they require you to sign a contract stating you'll receive your BSN within 5 years. So I'd look around and see what the job market requires in your area.

I was never a CNA but got job offers post graduation. However, I did have a summer extension, which I believe got me a lot of interviews. I also had an evening health care job along with some work study, etc. I really think work experience is important, but I don't know that you need to be a CNA to get hired after you graduate.

It really depends on where you live or where you want to work. I was a new grad (BSN) out of San Diego CA and didn't have any CNA or medical experience and I was only considered for 2 positions after applying to over 100 postings. When talking to recruiters they all said that they wouldn't consider my application (or give me the position) because I did not previously work in a hospital. Because of that I had to start looking outside of CA and ended up landing my dream job in Kentucky.

Also, most of my classmates did not get jobs in CA or are still struggling to get a job. The only ones that are getting offers are ones that were CNAs for the hospital and worked on a unit that hired them once they graduated.

If it was up to me I would do it all over again, get my CNA and gain experience while going to school.

I've heard California has a tough job market before. I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Many of my regulars at my job where I bartend are also in the healthcare industry and want me to work with them when once I graduate but who knows how serious they are and what their requirements are. I know for sure all the hospitals are slowly trying not to hire ADNs unless they are trying to get their BSN in the near future (I'm sure it's the same as the contract mentioned above.)

thanks for sharing all the input, perspective, and experiences!! I love this website for this reason. Immediate help from those who are knowledgeable :)

This is very good to know! Also, if I graduate with my two year degree, I could still get a job while working on my BSN? Just in case I was confusing by asking about getting a job after graduation in general, I meant at the half way mark. Thank you again!

It depends on the area you live and how saturated the market it. I live close to Indianapolis. The town I currently live in is fairly rural. It used to be a big booming, GM town, now the only people that are left are the GM retirees and those in poverty. So, it's a fairly sick town, but the heavy duty things get shipped to Indy. Nurses are needed here. Most places are understaffed right now and you can get a job with your ADN. They have LPNs working the floors here. I was surprised to see that in clinical. In certain areas in Indy also you can get a job with your ADN in the hospital. I check the job listings once a month to see if anything has changed and what the different floors are looking for. I'm hoping to move to the southside of Indianapolis after I graduate and I don't anticipate having a difficult time. I am going to go for my BSN at some point, but I don't know when that will be. I have a friend who just graduated the LPN program and she had 2 job offers before graduation. She is waiting on her date to take the NCLEX then will have to decide between jobs.

So for as many people that say there is no nursing shortage, there are some areas that need them. I know CA and New York city are heavily impacted right now, but I also notice that people are flocking to those areas to live right now. Indianapolis is steadily growing right now. Especially on the northside. I can remember when I first moved here the north side was mainly cornfields, now it's a bustling suburb of Indy. Fishers just got declared a city and they built 2 brand new hospitals there. There is also a fairly new state of the art heart and vascular hospital on the north side. Health pavilions are popping up everywhere. The town I live in just got a new psychiatric geriatric hospital and nursing homes are starting to go up. A new plasma center opened here also.

My boyfriend owns a construction company in commercial construction and a lot of times I get the first info of when something is going in here. It's pretty cool as I will say Hey, what's going in there and he tells me because his company is somehow involved in it. I like being in the know. Lol.

Get the CNA if you can do it w/o messing with your RN study time, otherwise, just get hired as a nurse aide later right before you graduate (like 6 mo's or so) at a hospital that might need you. In my area they will "court" you to stay on and have a job waiting (look at rural areas-they are slower/easier to start). You don't need the CNA and I don't think they will consider it "experience" when it comes to nursing just "hospital" work experience. I think getting the CNA or nurse aide job is good b/c it gives you an understanding of delegation and get'er done attitude that MANY of your future co-workers won't have.