Welcome! I am the Moderator of the new CNA - Nursing Assistant Forum. I am also an RN who works in various health care settings. I have experience in Long Term Care, Home Health, and Hospital settings. I have been a Nurse since 1998 starting out as an ADN; I received my BSN in 2001.
I wish I had been a CNA prior to Nursing School; I know it would have helped tremendously. The jitters I encountered make me blush now. I remember not wanting to look at a wound for a new patient because I was "uncomfortable" lifting the covers and envading someones privacy! It is safe to say, "those days are over ;)"!
Please take a moment to introduce yourself. If you have time, grab your cup and tell us about yourself. Feel free to PM me if there are any concerns that are of a personal nature. Oherwise, post your conversations and questions here so we can all learn.
Hey all I have been a CNA for almost 10 years. Dang has it really been that long... I love being a CNA and helping people but I am ready to move on to being an RN... Every where I look though you need to be an LPN first to beable to take RN courses... I live in Colorado and I hear they are doing away with LPNs soon and I dont want to waste my time with a profession that will be gone in 5 years.. I want to go straight into an Associates or bachalors degree in nursing. Does anybody know how I can accomplish this and at what schools in Denver might offer this...... Thx
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
Hello, all! :kiss
I worked as an aide from late 2000 through mid-2001 at a group home for mentally retarded adults, although I never pursued the CNA certification. I have been working as an LVN in LTC throughout the past 2 years.
Been a CNA for almost 6 yrs now. I can't wait to use all my people skills and expierence towards being a real nurse! lol
As one person posted here, our job can be back-breaking but it is WELL WORTH IT! The gratification I get from knowing I've made some small difference in a pt's (and family) day or week (or however long) is WONDERFUL! I still keep in touch with a handful of pt's I took care of (over a year ago), very rewarding.
To all the CNA's who are in the midst of nursing school or will be there soon, keep on trucking (I sure am!) and don't give up!
thank you. That was a very nice thought and whiff of encouargement to all the wanna be nurses out there. I totally argee with you, nursing can be hard at times, but well worth it. :):):)
Hi. I am a CNA also that have been doing this work for 6 years. I also now live in Colorado. My family and I moved here in June of this year. I plan on attending Araphoe Community College to finish my nursing. I plan on just getting my associates so that I can become a RN. I have no desire to get my BSN. I'm going to be 41 yrs old in January and I just want to be an RN and make some real money. I hope this helps. I live in Littleton so it's not far from my house.
Specializes in Med Surg, Long Term Care facilities, ICU.
I have been a CNA since late 2005 and I owe my love to the nursing field to my family who has been VERY supportive. I have decided after being stationed in Germany and coming back to CO that its past time for me to get my RN.....the tremendous support I have at work also helps alongside my family support.
I just received my CNA from Boise State, where I will begin the nursing program this spring. I'm doing a mid-life career change and thought working as a CNA while in nursing school would be good experience, although I don't want to work in a nursing home. I did one of my clinicals in one and was appalled at some of what I saw...ie, being ridiculously understaffed, not providing oral care to dying person (or anyone else), sticking your hand in someone's crotch to see if they are dry or wet, etc...
I have been CNA for 4 years and also am a Junior in a BSN program. I love my job. I think that I will miss the time that i have to interact with the residents once I become an RN.
I've been a CNA since 2002 and an CMA since 2003. I've worked for quite a few nursing homes, a hospital and a few doctor's offices. I absolutely love being in the medical field, and just completed my LPN diploma. CNA work is hard, but it is rewarding, and has given me valuable experience, not only academically; but it has helped me to work with people. I grew up in the profession, starting at the tender age of 19. I highly recommend that anyone who wants to be a nurse, or in the medical field in general start out as a CNA. For those of you who are working and going to nursing school, do not give up. In the end your hard work will pay off. We CNA's are a special breed!!!!
:balloons:Hello everyone. I am new to this site. I am a CNA, I work at the local hospital in the psychiatric ward and on occasion I work on the Med/Surg floor. I have worked in nursing homes and home health and now in a hospital. I have been a CNA for 2 years now. I have been working in this field of work since I was 14. My aunt was diagnosed as a quadropolegic and she needed someone to take care of her. I love being a CNA because we get the first hand to care for the pt's with. I look forward to reading some more threads on here. :idea:kat
i've been a cna for 6 years, 5 of which have spent working on a med/surg floor and icu. i am taking prereqs for rn and am done with prereqs for lpn. waiting to get into a program. i know exactly what area i want to go in when i'm done - nicu. i have wanted to do that since i was 12. possibly considering going into the navy after graduation but that depends on my health. been wanting to get into the navy since i was 5. i love the military and travelling, so why not get paid for what i love?
wow! i'm kinda the same, except i've only been a cna for almost a year and half...but i have wanted to be a nurse since i was like 5 years old. :] my mom tells me that when i was two, and that when she came home from the hospital with my baby brother i gave him chicken pox (i had it at the time), and soon after that my mom came down with the flu! my dad has always traveled alot for his job, so he wasn't home at the time, so i deceided to take it upon myself as a two year old to give "baby" brother his medicine so he would get better. fortunately, my mom woke up in time to prevent anything drastic from happening....i still get a kick out of it today. :]
:up:Thanks so much for this CNA Forum!!! I was a CNA for about seven years and loved it. I have worked in many nursing homes, hospital, and doctor's office as a medical assistant. I love the medical field. I look forward to reading more on this site. Happy New Year too everyone!!!
Thank you for starting this forum. I am a nursing student and will recieve my BSN from John Hopkins in May 2009. I have a CNA in Maryland and plan to transfer it to NY (where I used to live). I am having a very difficult time finding jobs in New York City. When I lioved in NYC I was not involved in Healthcare.
Can anyone show me where to look for a CNA instern/externship?
mra1205
1 Post
Hey all I have been a CNA for almost 10 years. Dang has it really been that long... I love being a CNA and helping people but I am ready to move on to being an RN... Every where I look though you need to be an LPN first to beable to take RN courses... I live in Colorado and I hear they are doing away with LPNs soon and I dont want to waste my time with a profession that will be gone in 5 years.. I want to go straight into an Associates or bachalors degree in nursing. Does anybody know how I can accomplish this and at what schools in Denver might offer this......
Thx