Cna Before Rn

Your idea of becoming a CNA is an awsome idea. It will teach you basic skills of nursing and will get you comfortable with people (or atleast a good start). It is also a good job during school. A male CNA would be good in a nursing home or get a CNA job at a hospital.

and congras on starting school in January :balloons:

KENT

In NE Florida, after you complete your first term of the nursing program, you can work as an assosiate care provider (ACP). An ACP is interchangeable with a CNA. That may be an easier route.

Your idea of becoming a CNA is an awsome idea. It will teach you basic skills of nursing and will get you comfortable with people (or atleast a good start). It is also a good job during school. A male CNA would be good in a nursing home or get a CNA job at a hospital.

and congras on starting school in January :balloons:

KENT

Can you choose what department you want to work in as a CNA or do they place you?

If you can choose, what departments do guys generally like better.

Wow that is a good question. There is no department that guys like more as a majority. It is kinda what is appealing to you and what job description fits best with you. You can chose the position you would desire by applying at that certain position. If you like the elderly nursing home would be great. If you like challange go to icu (Don't know if CNA's get challenged there). If you are intrested in psycology apply to the psyc ward. Med-surg would even work.

What would a cna do in icu or er?

Here in Arizona you are REQUIRED to become a CNA before you are even allowed into the RN program. I think it is a great idea.

Becoming, and working as a CNA will help you immensly for school.

I'd recommend the ED for anyone (male or female) because you will see a lot there, and see the rest of the hospital (if briefly for transports of patients). There is a thread on Nurse aides in the ED in the Emergency Nursing section. It describes what CNAs do. I might mention that our ED is 65% male nursing staff, the women are in the minority....

But where-ever you work- being a CNA can really only help you. It helps you to learn to manage a load of patients. It helps you to learn to manage different situations. It gives you exposure to the hospital (or nursing home SNF or whatever) and it's different rhythms, language etc... and if you do a good job, it can lead to instant job offer on graduation. Plus the odd thing: I was being interviewed for a travel position the other day and happened to mention that I was a CNA in the ED before I became a nurse... and the woman said, "Well, that says a lot, nurses who were CNAs always make the best nurses..." (her opinion not mine).

:)