CNA as a student - should I?

meanmaryjean, DNP, RN · Nov 29, 2017

Good plan. Being a CNA teaches you a lot about time management, people skills and fundamentals of basic nursing care.

midwifemae · Nov 30, 2017

If your school did not already require you to be a CNA, you will learn those same skills first thing in your program along with other health assessment basics and fundamentals. There are very few people I know who are able to both work and do nursing school at the same time. If you are able to have your parents support you right now, take it. You will need all the support you can get so should you get your CNA? Meh, I guess it's up to you but if it was me I would not waste my time. I got mine 4 years ago and worked for 3 before I quite a few months ago bc it truly was to hard and I am due to graduate in May. Good luck tho, with whatever you decide. :)

Orion81RN · Nov 30, 2017

The first class of my nursing program was an intensive 5 weeks in which we were taught "CNA" skills and had clinical. (We had 2 other core nursing programs at the same time that lasted the entire semester.) But after the 5 week class was complete, students were eligible to sit for the CNA certification exam. I'd see if your school has something similar to this instead of spending extra money on a CNA program when it may already be included in your nursing program.

OveRNineThousand · Nov 30, 2017

I would, all other things being equal. The thing is, sure they teach that stuff in the first 5 weeks of nursing school, and sure it's a lot of what you do the first semester in clinicals, but people who had experience like that working with patients and doing CNA stuff were at a huge advantage those first 5 weeks and beyond. They were comfortable working with, bathing, helping, changing, escorting, positioning, toileting, etc etc etc, while the others were still dealing with the "ick" factor, or were afraid to touch the patients or worried they were going to hurt or kill them. Experience is experience, and that confidence will let you shine for your instructors when others are helpless.

tynil · Nov 30, 2017

Having CNA experience on your resume looks great and really helps you stand out after graduation when you start applying for jobs so I'd highly recommend it. Also, you get a chance to network in the hospital with the staff and the more exposure you have, the better!

NICUMurse87, BSN, RN · Dec 1, 2017

I don't know how it is where you are, but where I live, after the first semester of clinical experience, I was on par with CNA's as far as the hospitals were concerned. I didn't need to sit for any exams or get a special license, my classification as a student nurse was enough. I say that to say that you could look into that and save yourself some time and money getting a certification that you may not even need.

mcluvin · Dec 1, 2017

Do it. In Maine, we take a 3 month course and I have been working as a CNA on an oncology floor for over a year now and I have learned A TON from nurses and other CNA's about basic nursing care that was not covered in an entire 3 month CNA course. I also ask RNs a ton of questions about stuff I learn in my nursing classes (my night RNs have been a huge help with my pharmacology studying). CNA experience will allow you to focus more on meds, charting and many other areas that will need attention during your first RN job. If you're still wearing training wheels while trying to change a soiled bed as a busy new grad RN you'll wish you had that CNA experience, not just the 5 weeks training you got in school. Also, working as a CNA gives you a feel of what's it's like to have a scope of practice and how to stay within it, advocate for your patients, and also how to set boundaries with patients, families, and coworkers; these skills will be huge to have before you get your first nursing job. They don't really teach any of that in nursing school, you get it through working experience. Be a CNA, just find per diem or part time and you'll be fine with time management. Also, I work at a teaching hospital and when we get nursing students or new grad RNs on their first day...it's real easy to tell if they have had CNA experience or not. Get the CNA, work as a CNA--it only helps, it never hurts.

S7ud3n7_Nur53 · Dec 1, 2017

I don't know how it is where you are, but where I live, after the first semester of clinical experience, I was on par with CNA's as far as the hospitals were concerned. I didn't need to sit for any exams or get a special license, my classification as a student nurse was enough. I say that to say that you could look into that and save yourself some time and money getting a certification that you may not even need.

Same here. Many hospitals will consider one clinical nursing school rotation as equivalent to a CNA license. These are un-licensed patient care positions sometimes called "Patient Care Assistants." In those cases, the hospital does not offer actual "CNA" positions.

dread_pirate_roberts · Dec 1, 2017

For what it's worth - when I was in my second semester of nursing school, I was rejected from an internship on OB/L&D. I was heartbroken because I thought it was what I wanted to do. Regardless, I wanted some experience and the only open part time CNA position was on a cardiac/telemetry floor. I realized in that CNA job that I really liked cardiac patients. That led to an internship on that floor. Which led to an internship at Mayo's Medical Cardiac ICU, which led to multiple ICU job offers as a new grad. Which helped lead to my acceptance to CRNA school (which I wasn't sure I wanted to do until after I had all those experiences!)

You never know how getting that experience is going to change your career trajectory - I always tell students if they think they can do it without hurting their grades and focus in school, go for it!