cna to lpn

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Hi! I am starting my CNA certification classes tomorrow but I'm questioning if I should start my LPN instead. I have a 6 month old son and while I'm getting my CNA I can work full time. I plan on doing one step at a time so I can work with the certifications that I get. I don't want to work fast food any longer. Should I skip the CNA and just go to LPN or should I do what I planned and get CNA certified first? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Oh also am I going to need scubs to wear to my classes? I really am ignorant about anything that happens with it other than i know I want to be nurse.

Thanks,

nodrama

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Specializes in Rehab.

When you get accepted to your CNA classes, you will get a list of what you need, including what color scrubs you will be wearing. It will probably be white, or green. If your initial goal is to get into the medical field faster, then getting your CNA will be the first fastest route, you're looking at only a few weeks of training vs. up to two years of classes, depending on your school. You will also want to purchase a stethascope as well, b/c even though everywhere you go now a days has the elctronic bp machine, you will learn how to do it by hand. Good luck!

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Well, the way I see it, it can't hurt to become a CNA first. You'll make more money as a CNA than you would in fast food, and if you want to be an LPN, being a CNA for a while is a GREAT idea. It lets you get used to working in a healthcare environment and will make you more comfortable doing patient care. I have found that CNAs tend to make the best nurses, because of the extra experience and the different perspective.

As for uniforms, wait until your class gives you a list of things you need. Some require a certain color or style of scrubs, some don't. You probably won't need to wear them until your clinicals. Don't buy any supplies until you know what you need - I'd advise showing up with a pen, a pencil, a notebook, and a binder or folder until they tell you what to buy.

As the above poster mentioned, you will probably need a stethoscope and/or blood pressure cuff, but DO NOT buy one until you are told to, because some programs require a specific brand!

Good luck and let us know how things go.

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Hi, I think you should go for your lpn. After your first semester you can get your cna. (the first few months is CNA schooling). And work part time and keep going for your lpn

regi:twocents:

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Id get a CNA first.

Im also planning on becoming a LPN but wanted a better job while im in LPN school so i decided to become a CNA.

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Specializes in LTC, Memory loss, PDN.

I suggest to become a CNA first. You will learn the basiscs and have some experience in the field. Furthermore, a lot of LPNs end up supervising CNAs and I always ask: how can you supervise if you haven't done it yourself? Also, working as a CNA could provide you with excellent resources for school.

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You sound a lot like me!!!! I live in IL, & you have to have a C.N.A. first to get into LPN/RN. I am also a mother of two boys 3 & 1. I have enrolled into a C.N.A. class which takes 5 weeks and during the summer I plan to take a few pre-reqs course for L.P.N. While working as a CNA. My mother who as RN always said you could tell the best nurse because "they were once a C.N.A." Enroll in a CNA class get the basic the setting of the job. Working on your CNA will allow you to make money for your family and then you can start LPN course work FT/PT and step higher up the scale to "success"

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Hi, I think you should go for your lpn. After your first semester you can get your cna. (the first few months is CNA schooling). And work part time and keep going for your lpn

regi:twocents:

Around here being an STNA is often a requirement even for entry into the LPN programs...

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Specializes in LTC, Home Health.

I am looking to enroll in an LPN school this year. I have a 3 month old, and my CNA wages were ok, but not enough to support the both of us. Being a CNA first is a great way to get your foot in the door. It is like a stepping stone. You get to see first hand if nursing is the type of career you would like to pursue. You don't want to enroll in a $17,000 nursing program, just to find out 4 months in, that it's not for you.

My best friend is in school to become a RN. She is currently a LPN. She always tells me about the students that wasted money on tuition, just to find out half way through, they can't stand the sight of blood or the smell of wounds & other things! They end up quitting but they take up space from those who have the stomach for it! Not to mention they still have to pay back all that tuition anyway. She says it's tuff because the RN's look down at you but that is at any job where you have a boss. People, (especially patients) always comment how good a nurse she is. I credit that to her being a CNA first. She was a CNA for 3 years before she became a nurse. CNA's make the best nurses. I am a firm believer of that. I believe it should be MANDATORY to work as a CNA before becoming ANY kind of nurse.

LPN schools in my area always have a waiting list. If you know you want to be an LPN, start applying soon after you get certified as a CNA. Both are jobs that are in high demand that are almost recession proof!:yeah:

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Specializes in med-surg, geriatrics, adult homecare.

I totally agree with everyone who says that being a CNA first has it's advantages.However,I feel your question has two differnt aspects to it. One part seems to ask ,Is being a CNA first better than just jumping straight into `

LPN school ? I personally do not feel working in a LTC facility,is the best way to prepare for a nursing career.Too many negatives there when it comes down to the way nursing is supposed to be.Not just my opinion,as I have read threads on this forum that RNs who have only LTC experience are considered not qualified to work in a hospital . setting. A better experience is to get into a program that offers you the oppurtunity to work as a student nurse tech in a hospital,where you can properly begin to fine tune and learn new skills. No need to work in a nursing home to find out if nursing is for you. Just go volunteer in a hospital. A friend of mine did this and in short time realized nursing was not for her.

The second aspect of your question seems to be that being a CNA will offer you economic relief . If you need more money now to take care of you and your family,than being a CNA first would be the most logical thing to do.The training is short,and employment outlook is good. Most fulltime workers have a benefit package as well, with desireable benefits. There may also be tuition reimbursement,which you can use to pay for prereqs and/ or nursing school. That being said,making more money should not be your primary motive, in becoming a CNA.because it ,is hard demanding work, which in dealing with human life,one should have the compassion to do. You want to read these threads carefully,ask questions,along with getting some exposure to a nursing home setting,to have a better understanding of what working with a geriatric population would be likE. As for my own background thank goodness I started in a hospital setting first. I also worked in nursing homes due to a move, and it is an experience I do not relish. It was only tolerable because my heart was in my work in caring for my elderly residents. Kudos to all of you that deliver outstanding care,in such a difficult enviornment.

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Get your CNA first to get pais more while in school for LPN. But keep going to school so you don't just settle. It will be hard trust me I have 3 kids.But it will end eventually

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