Any advise for a (new) male CNA?

KnarfKS · Jun 17, 2005

I feel that the experience gained would be conducive to my understanding/learning how to become an effective RN.

According to some of my instructors all it does is build bad habits, while at the same time they require the CNA for my program :rolleyes:

I am a CNA and a nursing student. I personally think it is good because you lose a lot of your fears and feel more comfortable in the hospital and healthcare setting. You begin to learn how to communicate with patients, this is probably the best thing to come out of being a CNA. It is also a good way to begin to learn how to prioritize things. CNA priorities are different than a RN, but it is good to learn time management skills in any case.

And the simple fact is that many of us have to work though school and CNA work pays better than most part time jobs, esp. agency or PRN work.

Also let your nurses where you work know that your a student and most of the time they are willing to show you things and bring you in to see interesting things when possible.

Roy Fokker, BSN, RN · Jun 18, 2005

Can't really add onto that excellent post by KnarfKS but just wanted to say:

with your choice of sign-on name/handle/username, I'm guessing you've got a good sense of humour.

I humbly suggest you hang onto it! Makes nursing school all that more "bearable" :)

leopold · Jun 18, 2005

Yes it's true that being a CNA you can pick up a lot of bad habits, I was one for two years and really had a time of it in my first few nursing labs (where they teach the basics like hand washing and bed-making -- I failed hand washing!!). But I would say it was a very good experience over all. I was fortunate to work with a couple of excellent nurses and watching them was a great learning experience. I also worked with some really awful nurses and learned a lot about what not to do. It also has been very helpful as my schooling has gone on, because when the instructors do labs they just stand there and demonstrate while we're furiosly taking notes and I cannot learn that way -- I need to have a context to understand why I'm doing something and I need to do it hands on over and over again. And I've seen most of these procedures done so it's not like it's some totally foreign thing for me. So that's just my experience. :)

nursemike, ASN, RN · Jun 18, 2005

I think there is much to recommend working as a CNA before and during nursing school. First, you get some practice on the most basic nursing skills. Beds, baths, and toileting don't sound like rocket science, and they are, but doing them efficiently takes practice. Second, just spending time in a hospital is beneficial. Clinical time in school is scarce, and you always have tasks pressing. Even a busy job allows for opportunities to look around and talk with co-workers. Just getting familiar with the environment is helpful. Of course, this is also where the bad habits can occur. You'll see the difference between nursing in the real world and nursing in school. The problem is, the real world is often wrong. On the other hand, you're a student, not an instructor. Your focus should not be on explaining to more experienced co-workers why their handwashing techniques are wrong, but on figuring out the factors that lead to poor handwashing (lack of time, for example) and developing strategies to avoid the problem in your own practice (better time management, perhaps). Then again, nursing school can also be wrong. Nursing school practice is usually based on evidence from research, but that research can occassionally be outdated.

I know some very good nurses who never saw a patient before school, but the broad consensus among my coworkers is that nurses who "come up through the ranks" generally do better, sooner. If nothing else, it's a lot easier to delegate when you know the job you're delegating.

Finally, if you are working and doing well in a place you may want to work as a nurse, that can be a significant advantage in gaining employment. I had my nursing job in place six months before I graduated. And employers may be more accommodating to a valued employee who is working to become more valuable.

Er, I meant to say they are not rocket science. Not usually, anyway.

Ekklesia · Jun 18, 2005

with your choice of sign-on name/handle/username, I'm guessing you've got a good sense of humour.
I humbly suggest you hang onto it! Makes nursing school all that more "bearable" :)

Yes, thank you. The Gaylord Focker jokes started the nanosecond that I told friends/family my goals. LOL, I expected it, and it does not bother me at all. I usually join in on the fun. Besides, noone can embarrass me more than I embarrass myself already.

Not to mention that I will actually like my job (and get paid well), while my friends hate their factory jobs.

nursemike? and leopold, thanks for the inside info. I am a pretty meticulous and anylitical person, so I think the experience gained will be priceless, especially if I can identify any bad habits along the way.

The nursing school that I'll be attending is part of a hospital, therefore clinical training is a top priority. In fact, within 8 weeks of starting school we will be "out on the floor" (I hope that doesn't mean I'll be passed out on the floor).

Plus, as an added bonus, I see ads in the paper for CNA's starting at $13.00 per hour. That will help allot! Heck, my wife is thinking about getting into nursing. :)

donsterRN, ASN, BSN · Jun 18, 2005

I think you're receiving some excellent advice.

I worked fulltime as a nursing assistant 25 to 30 years ago, while I was getting a degree in another field. Back then, we were called orderlies and we weren't required to be certified. All of my training was done on the job. The hospital was small (about 65 beds) and rural. I was also the only male employee in nursing services; the ONLY one. I was lucky in that I was taught basic nursing skills (and some that weren't so basic) by some very wonderful RN's. Probably because I was a big guy, I was sent to most of the units throughout the hospital to help lift and reposition some of the patients. I floated through and took assignements in the ED, ICU, M/S and Peds, and consequently got to know the units quite well. Not long after, the hospital began training its own ER Techs; I was the first graduate. And even though my education took a different path, nursing has never left me. I'm starting nursing school this fall, after taking Chemistry this summer.

My point to this ramble is to tell you that every experience can be a good one. Working as a CNA can expose you to all different types of patients, it can teach you appropriate communication, assessment and documentation skills, as well as A&P and pathology. It'll teach you aseptic technique and universal precautions. Everything you do has the potential to be an educational experience if you let it.

Congratulations on choosing nursing as a career, and good luck in your studies. Nursing needs us all!