Disadvantaged not being a CNA/PCT?

[QueenAnnissa]

I have heard repeatedly by other students going into the nursing program at my school that those without CNA/PCT experience are at a real disadvantage in the program and won't do as well, especially in the first semester. Thoughts?

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

As a fairly experienced CNA working in an Acute care hospital I can say there is often a way to tell if a nurse was ever a CNA. if she was, she usually is okay doing patient care activities like changing briefs, repositioning and taking pts to the bathroom. Not always, but far too often nurses will call the CNA to bring blankets, turn pts or change briefs when there is no reason they can't do it themselves. DON'T be that nurse and you will be fine without that CNA experience.[/quote']

I second THIS.

It is down to the level of comfort

I was a PCT/CNA during PN school, an LPN during my BSN program. I was in my role at work, was the role of the student in school. The plus was the level of comfort in clinials...I tried to keep it quiet, but most of my instructors found out. I made it know I was a student FIRST in classrooms and clinials, so I never had an issue.

The only advantage was getting a job. As a LPN I was offered a job the next day...I was offered a job six months after licensure as a RN; now that I have that year experience, I get more people wanting to screen me for a job because of my previous experience, but that's how the job market in my area is working.

[Bringonthenight]

This isn't really true.

Someone who was a CNA/PCT in a hospital prior to going to RN school has more than just the obvious ADL/direct care experience going for them.

They're familiar with the entire setting. They're comfortable walking into a patient's room and getting started. They know the lingo, they know the flow, they have an idea of how things really work in a hospital, which is very, very different from what you learned in school.

They'll understand the charting better and quicker. They'll know how to work with the RNs on the units better, and said RNs will be instantly more comfortable with a student who is an aide/tech than one with zero experience.

I'm not saying that students who weren't aides will have a rough time. Or that those with the experience won't ever have a problem.

But to say "the advantage is completely gone by the 2nd semester" is just not true.

I agree.

Being exposed to any clinical setting will prove an advantage over the student who hasn't set foot in a nursing home/ hospital at all.

It's not just about the skills- it's the confidence CNAs would have in talking to patients/families, Time management and general knowledge on "how it all works" so to speak.

Not only that, I agree with the other poster who said they can tell which nurses were CNAs prior to becoming nurses. There's more appreciation for each others work.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

I don't think anyone I went to college with was a CNA prior to school... since we were pretty much all 18 when we entered the program. Most of us worked as aides during the summers though and while I don't feel like it made a difference as far as passing school or NCLEX, it made a difference when it came to getting a job.

The advantage I could see a CNA having in school is in clinicals- when I was working a CNA I could have like a dozen patients. You're just more comfortable in the setting in general, communicating with patients and you're faster when it comes to doing vitals and basic care. In clinicals you're often only taking care of one patient and in the earlier clinicals much of what you're doing is what could be described as "CNA duties". I know in my first semester of clinicals we didn't give meds until at least halfway through the semester but we were expected to do vitals, bed baths, linens, ADLs for our patient since day one. That's a breeze when you've worked as a CNA.

[wooh, BSN, RN]

The advantage for me was simply a much higher level of comfort in the setting. I wasn't afraid to talk to patients. I wasn't timid about walking into a patient room. You can't make up for that with studying.

[whattodo4]

No doubt cna/pct will have an immediate advantage. But to say "well if you don't have prior cna/pct experience you better quit nursing school" is wrong. You will be brought up to speed, they will teach you. Unless your program requires you to have cna/pct prior to applying nursing school , you will be okay, the school is going to teach you from the ground up anyway. I am not belittling anyone with cna/pct experience but to those without- you are not at such a severe disadvantage that its time to change careers .

[Despareux]

I was not a CNA prior to starting nursing school; nor did I have any kind of medical background. During my first semester, there were a couple of students who were CNA's for many years. These students seemed annoyed with me because there were things I needed more help with and would occasionally make snarky remarks about me. Well come second and third semesters, these students ended up having to repeat those semesters. Sometimes Karma can be a real stinker. Moral of the story? Be careful with your thoughts and learn to be an enthusiastic team player regardless of your background.