Hello...

I am graduating in about a month with a generalist MSN. Prior to nursing school I had a different career (I'm in my 30s now) and then spent about 3 years getting experience as a nursing assistant before starting my nursing program.

I'm wondering if my experience as a CNA is of interest at all to prospective employers. Should I be emphasizing this more during applications and interviews? Right not it appears that no one seems to care about it - it's all about who you know and getting your foot in the door. I thought I had a bit of a leg up because of my different experiences as a CNA, but I'm wondering if that is really the case.

Trying to stay positive in this rough and tumble market. :)

I hope you'll get more responses than just mine! Generally speaking, they don't put very much emphasis on prior experience as a CNA. Compared to when I went through school, the trend is more regimented into separate tasks altogether. I liked total care much better, it jusn't isn't the reality.

I see a much greater emphasis on the nurse's delegating and team building abilities these days, so when you discuss your experience, you might approach it from that angle- you understand the CNA job, makes you a more effective leader, etc.

Personally, I think people who were CNAs are more effective nurses. They do understand the job, and they can actually provide some hands on help when need be! I really dislike the more common attitude these days of, " I want to be a nurse but I don't want to touch or see poop, vomit", etc. Best of luck in getting a job. :)

They will be interested in your experience as a nurse. CNA experience would be of interest if you were seeking a CNA position, but most employers don't consider it when seeking to hire nurses.

I did a year as a nurse extern and that hasn't helped me find a job at all. I think it actually hurt me because people keep asking why they didn't hire me. If you are currently working as a CNA it may be easier to get a job as a nurse at that hospital. If not it probably won't help. Good luck in your job search!

It might give you a slight edge over a new grad with no CNA experience, but, in general, it doesn't mean much. As caliotter noted, you're applying for RN positions (and as an MSN-prepared RN, even), not CNA positions. Most employers don't even care a great deal about previous LPN experience if one is applying for RN positions. While the CNA role and tasks are encompassed within the RN role, it's only a tiny part of RN responsibilties and not the part(s) potential employers are concerned about when they're looking at RN applicants.

It seems to me that where CNA experience most comes into play is if one has worked as a CNA for a particular hospital/employer while in school -- in that case, already being an employee often gives you an advantage after you finish school and are looking for a first RN position; employers are often more likely to consider someone "inside" before they hire an entirely new face.

Thank you all for your responses. Quite frankly I'm surprised more people don't at least look at CNA experience and say "OK, this person has had 5 years of experience working in a hospital and doing direct patient care, at least they know how to work with nurses and have experience working with patients." Whereas most of my nursing school counterparts have never set foot in a hospital outside of doing their clinicals.

It's frustrating right now because the hospital where I'm working isn't doing a lot of hiring, especially of new grads, as are pretty much all hospitals in the area. I won't go on about that except to say that I am terrified to graduate into this market.

It's frustrating right now because the hospital where I'm working isn't doing a lot of hiring, especially of new grads, as are pretty much all hospitals in the area. I won't go on about that except to say that I am terrified to graduate into this market.

Yes, unfortunately, this is a difficult time for all new grads. Best wishes! :balloons: