Is it worth it to become a CNA on my road to becoming a nurse?

Nursing Students CNA/MA

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Is it worth it to become a Cna on my road too becoming a nurse. I am still not done with my prerequisite and am looking to gain experience. I am thinking about getting Cna training and trying to find a job. But I have a question do Cna's even make decent money(I live in Sacramento)? Will Cna experience help me with nursing as a student and finding a job? I just am unsure.

Here in SoCal, $10 at SNFs and around $14 in hospitals.

As for me, I would tell fellow students and in job interviews that I did CNA to gain nursing experience. That's a partial truth. The real truth is that it was very easy to get a CNA job (early 2012) and my aim was to work wkend nights so I could do my pre-reqs with minimal distractions.

Overall OP--besides being a bit more comfortable in the health care setting--becoming a CNA first is good for full-time students who'd also like to pull in a humble paycheck. Would I recommend it? I have to say I'm neutral.

And my personal view is this: A brand new RN grad with CNA experience is no more than 2 days ahead of a brand new RN grad w/out CNA exp.

I didn't become a CNA for the money personally. I became a CNA for the love of people. I love people and I love my job. I do want to go to school and become an RN eventually, but right now, being a CNA is where I'm at in my heart. $17/hour is great pay for CNA. I make a little over $8.

I think all nurses should be required to be CENAS first :) Some of my nurses, you can TOTALLY tell they have no idea how hard our job can be!

Specializes in School Nursing, Public Health Nurse.

I live in Sacramento as well and I graduated with my BSN in May and I've been thinking about testing out and getting my CNA license for experience since the market isn't kind to new grads. However, I'm worried that because I do have my RN license I won't get a CNA job because the hospital would see me as just uping and leaving once I get an RN job which is technically right but I'm not sure what else to do at this point.

...I do have my RN license I won't get a CNA job because the hospital would see me as just uping and leaving onc...

Hello female Ken. Are you even allowed to work below your license?

**just received my adscope 603 (?) and for $27, it's WAY better than the cheap $19 Omron I got for my CNA program.

e.g. on a scale of 1-10 (10 being loudest), Omron's at 4 and Adscope is a 8.

I'm starting my RN program in January and started working as a CNA earlier this year. I'm currently at a pediatric hospital where I'll do one of my clinical rotations. Everyone I've spoken with has said that the easiest way to get hired after graduation is to prove yourself as a CNA so that's what I'm doing! At my school, one of our admissions requirements is taking a CNA course so that we all have a basic understanding of ADLs; we start clinicals the second week of first semester. I'm not at all nervous about clinicals: I know I'll be comfortable in patient rooms, dealing with families, doctors, and nurses, using the equipment, etc. because I have experience.

Specializes in School Nursing, Public Health Nurse.
Hello female Ken. Are you even allowed to work below your license?

**just received my adscope 603 (?) and for $27, it's WAY better than the cheap $19 Omron I got for my CNA program.

e.g. on a scale of 1-10 (10 being loudest), Omron's at 4 and Adscope is a 8.

Yes we are.

I live in the Philadelphia/ Delaware County area and CNA's making $20 and above an hr have years of experience and work in hospitals

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