1st Year Nursing Student In Need Of Advice...

You want to be a RN so go straight for your RN.

I had no experience in medicine before going back to college (my first major was a BS in Social Work). I went straight into the RN program.

It was no detriment for me not to do the CNA and/or LVN program first. You learn all the CNA stuff in the first part of clinical. LVN means you work, for the most part, Long-term Care . . which is honorable but if your goal is not LTC, then why take the long route?

If I were you, I'd go the Registered Nurse route.

steph

I agree. I have a BS in Criminal Justice and later decided I wanted to become a nurse. So, now I am in an accelerated program and will become a RN in 15 months. There is no requirement to be a CNA first. So, if I were you I would try to go the accelerated route instead of an extra 2 - 3 years in college.

I have a BS in business and am currently finishing up an ADN degree. I would personally go right for the RN. You can always work part-time as a CNA to gain experience while you are waiting to be accepted into nursing school. As you mentioned there are waiting lists for many schools so I would apply ASAP - the longer you wait to apply - the longer you will have to wait to start school. Also - try to get as many of the pre and co-requisites out of the way before the RN program begins - if your school allows it. My part-time evening program required 3 nights of class and 1 night of clinical per week. I was able to eliminate 2 of those class nights by completing the co-requisites beforehand. Allowed me to spend a lot more time focusing on the nursing stuff.

Good luck!

I think you should go for the RN. Look around your area. You may find an accelerated program designed for second baccalaureate (sp) students. I have a BS in Nutrition and was able to earn my BSN in one year through an accelerated program. Check your area, and see what the waiting lists are like. Becoming a CNA is a good idea because it will give you invaluable experience in physical care. But it's not necessary to do that first. Good luck to you.

I agree with the above posters about going straight for your RN ... getting as many pre-req's done, etc.

I would add that you should use the time in-between now and when you start your RN program to earn as much money as you can. You'll need that money to pay for school and to live on while you go to school. You can probably earn a lot more with that accounting degree than you can as a CNA -- so I recommend that you use your accounting skills and earn some bucks.

Many, many, people go to college right after high school and earn their BSN at age 22 -- without ever working as a CNA or LPN -- and they do just fine in the profession. While that experience can be helpful, it is not at all necessary. You'll be better off with your pre-req's (and any supporting courses you can take) done and with money in the bank. That's especially true if you have any student loans from your first degree to pay off.

One exception to what I have just said that you might want to investigate: If you can find an employer to pay for your RN education, then you might be better off getting into health care as a CNA or LPN. But you have to investigate that option carefully and "read the fine print" of any arrangements before you make a committment to that route. People sometimes find themselves quite disappointed with what they thought would be a good deal.

If it were me, I'd be focusing on paying off any debts and building up my savings so that I could afford to go to school without taking out an excessively large loan.

Good luck,
llg

I too have a B.S. in accounting, If you can find an accelerated program ,
do it. I personally would skip the others, most RN programs start from the beginning.

There is not that much correlation between what a CNA does and what an RN does except that they both can do hands on nursing care. RN duties far outsurpass what a CNA does. An RN has to learn to make judgment calls regarding the management of patients that are just way outside the realm of a CNA. As a CNA you may get an idea that this is going on, but will have very little to no participation in it. As far as getting an idea of what it is like to do hands on care of people, then CNA is a good place to be. Everything that you are learning to do as a CNA you will cover in your first 9 weeks of nursing school. Don't fall under the misconception that you are going to nursing college to learn to empty bedpans. You are going to nursing college to learn to cite the 500 reasons why to empty bedpans, which ones are better than others and which authorities back up your reasoning. Just kidding! RNs are managers and supervisors of patient care. They have to know what a CNA does so they can correctly delegate duties to them. RNs also need to know what a handful of other medical caregivers do as well for the same reason. This is part of what you learn in nursing school.