nurse assistants

unlucky · Feb 11, 2002

If your school has the emergency service department, go there and ask if they do the NA program. I know thats the way I went, when I went for my NA. What they will do is write your name and address down and send you a letter, then you quickly reply and you will get into the class. Good Luck!!!!!

RNIAM, BSN, RN · Feb 12, 2002

Nursing homes offer programs as well.

good luck!

Forevermomof5 · Feb 12, 2002

:rolleyes: The way that I became a CNA was through the community college. It takes a semester and it costs money so if you can find it through a nursing home you'd be better off, but they may require you to work there for a period of time. Better check it out good!

I know here in Las Vegas I saw in the newspaper sign-on bonuses even for CNAs. I'm sure that they aren't near as much as nurses would get, but what the heck...money is money and if you need a job to get through school and gain experience - Go for it!

shyviolet78, LPN, LVN · Feb 13, 2002

In my area there are basically 3 options to become a CNA. Take the CNA course offered by the continuing education department at a community college, go thru a traing course at a nursing home, or a training course at a large hospital. Here, the course at the hospital doesn't prepare you to take the exam, so you are not certified, but you are a nurse assistant or a tech. Both the courses at nursing homes and hospitals requires a work commitment for a certain amount of time. Also, I've heard that either after 1 or 2 semesters in a RN program, you can petition the board for a CNA license.

RNIAM, BSN, RN · Feb 13, 2002

What you may find very funny is that you will be allowed to do more medical care in hospital as a tech. then you would as a CNA. I have no idea why. I am a tech and was trained to do blood draws,ekg's,tube feed set up,mark iv bags, report I&0's (ie write down input & output and then computer chart it), do blood sugars, vitals, and even change small dressings. This as well as patient care, ie bed baths, shower baths,turn/positon,

toileting,feeding, tray set up,walking, ROM, restraints,doing urine,fecal & sputum samples as well as throat cultures.

I have applied for a CNA course and have been told I am overqualified and may be able to test out. The supervisor is looking at my qualifications now and is going to let me know.

I have no idea why I said all this...lol

oh,now I remember, if you want more medical experience you may want to consider a tech position in hospital, the money will be less than an CNA(go figure?)but the experience will make up for it. Good luck in whatever you decide to do!

take care

Rhona

crnasomeday · Feb 14, 2002

I'm a tech (well, where I work we're called PCAs) and we do much much more than CNA duties as Rhona said. As a matter of fact, we do everything the RN does except for no meds, no IV starts, and no ABGs. We do all other aspects of patient care and charting. It's a great learning experience. The reason we can do more is that to be a PCA you have to be a certified EMT, or a nursing student and must have completed your skills classes for the program that you're in.

Rhona, you guys don't make as much as the CNAs? Man, that is crazy! We make a couple dollars more/hour, and you're right, it is great experience.

fnimat1 · Feb 15, 2002

Hi,

I had a question also about nursing assistants. Just in case I don't get accepted into the nursing program for 2002. I was thinking about doing the nursing assistant thing too. (You only get accepted for the Fall semesters in my college). So instead of wasting a whole year...I think I would like to do this to get some experience. So do you have to go to school to become a nurse's assistant. And what's the difference between a nursing assistant, nurse aide, and certified nursing assistant?

Fatima (whose weighing all avenues)

CountrifiedRN · Feb 15, 2002

I originally became a CNA while I lived in California. Over there the course was offered through the community college, and through the adult school dept of the public school system. Also, if you wanted to work in a hospital, you had to take a course that did part of the clinical hours in acute care. The nursing dept of the community college should know where courses are being offered.

Fatima, I could be wrong, but I think that a nurse aide and nurse assistant are the same thing. Much like an LPN and an LVN, they are the same level, just different names. On the west coast, they are called LVN's (licensed vocational nurse), and on the east coast they are LPN's (licensed practical nurse). I think that a CNA has taken and passed a state certification test, and an NA has been trained but has not taken the test. To make it even more confusing, here in NC there are 2 levels of CNA, NA I and NA II. An NA II can do more than an NA I, and you have to be a NA II to work in a hospital. I guess it all depends on what state you live in.

I hope you are not more confused after reading this post!

whatnext · Feb 22, 2002

RN2BNC

I too live in NC and have been trying to figure out the differences between NA titles. I think you finally cleared it up for me. Are you going to school in NC? If so, which one, and do you like it?

I applied for an ADN program starting next fall and am waiting for a reply. In the meantime I was thinking about becoming a CNA. In Wisconsin, where I used to live, there were lots of job openings for CNA's with paid training, especially in nursing homes. Unfortunately I decided to do something else and now I can't find anything similar in NC.

what kind of training do you need to become a tech?

Agnus · Feb 22, 2002

Not only do hospitals and nursing homes and community colleges offer the training for CNA but sometimes Adult education programs at highschools offer it. And sometimes Vocational techinical schools offer it too.

It is tru in many states after a semester or 2 of nursing school you qualify.

Every state is different about this.

Training for tech is offered in these same places. And the same thing about a semester or 2 of nursing school. Again every state and and in the case of Techs every hospital has diffrent rules about this.

Contact you hospitals Education department to ask these questions and good luck.