CNA experience = more competitive?

Seems that in the hospital I work in if you were an aide at the hospital before/as you were going to nursing school etc...and you are all ready on the radar, then you have a chance at a nursing position...just having that experience say from "outside" the institution does not seem to matter as much...of course the more one knows the better.

The best thing I can say as another new grad with 3 years paid/volunteer EMS, psych tech, anatomy & physiology tutor who can't find work, the best answer I think is "maybe." I was talking with a nurse about getting my first job and he told me one of the key things in this economy is to be patient, keep applying, and hopefully something will happen. It certainly can't hurt to be a CNA, but when its so easy for employers to have hundreds of nurses with 3,5, or 20 years of experience applying for the same job...

There are many sides to this question as with so many things. I tend to think that although becoming a CNA is not a bad thing it might not help you a whole lot if you really want to become a RN. Remember that everything you do involves a set of skills and a road to take so if you start trailing in the CNA road you are working to become a CNA. It will help you be connected to the profession in general but it doesn't necessarily mean you can get hired as a RN because you have CNA under your belt. Same thing goes for volunteering as I found out by volunteering in the ER for almost a year and didn't help me too much to get a job there. Every story is different and what have worked for some might not work for you so you must consider your personal situation above all.

Good luck

I'm pretty sure that after a certain amount of time in nursing school, you can sit for the CNA exam. At least in IL you can. After you have completed the basic fundamentals course, I'm pretty sure you can get permission to sit for the CNA exam. A CNA class is like the introduction to the very basics of nursing. Ask your school! It most certainly wouldn't hurt to be able to put on your resume that you worked as a CNA. It shows that you have a lot of patient experience outside of clinicals and you'll be more familiar with the health care setting than a new grad with no previous work experience in health care.

While it may or may not help you land an RN job...,it most certainly cannot hurt you. If you are working in a facility where you hope to work as an RN it never hurts to network. Maybe that manager doesn't hire you, but keeps her ears open for another opportunity because she likes you, gives you the heads up and you go to interview.

Sometimes in nursing it's not what you know, but who you know. *sometimes*

Also, it would be a great way to get a letter of recommendation or a professional reference one day for when you apply for RN jobs!

I would go for it. I'm not sure if you'll be more competitive, but like others said, it can't hurt. You'll get experience in the healthcare environment and form relationships with nurse managers all while caring for patients in the most fundamental way. Most of my classmates that were CNAs or nurse interns in the hospital landed an RN job shortly before or soon after graduation. Whether or not you get the CNA cert, I would definitely apply for a student nurse intern position at your local hospital. I wish I had pursued it more adamantly as a student!