CNA before nursing

[amandaamanda]

Do you think it should be a requirement to have obtained your cna before entering nursing school?

[littlemznurse]

I don't necessarily think that it should be a requirement, but I think it's a really good idea. I was a CNA before I was a nurse and that helped me a lot in nursing school.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

Requirement? No, don't think it's at all necessary, as everything taught to become a CNA is taught in first semester nursing programs. HOWEVER, I think if I had been a CNA first, it would have helped me to become a more competent student faster, and certainly would have helped my self-confidence in the ADL arena :)

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

No, I don't think it should be a requirement. As RNsRWe mentioned, you learn all that in first semester of nursing school.

I was a second-career nursing student. I was advised not to take a CNA class before school started in the Fall but to simply enjoy my family all summer and relax.

It didn't hurt me at all. Our CNA's and RN's are a team. We all work well together.

You have to do what you think would be best for you but I'm grateful I didn't take the CNA class before and don't think it should be a requirement.

[chevyv, BSN, RN]

I'm not sure if the thinking behind needing to become a CNA is really as thought out in real life as it looks on paper. I was a CNA for many years before becoming a nurse. The experience really helped me in nursing school and my career. The idea of having students become CNA certified, I was told, was that many schools don't have the time to teach the fundamentals such as bathing, feeding, general ADL's, and even collecting vitals. Just getting that certification doesn't mean a whole lot if a person doesn't use it to get comfortable touching and caring for a pt in the basic sense. In many tech schools in WI, you have to become CNA certified before you can get into nursing school.

[marcbladebreaker]

My thoughts exactly MzNurse.

[workinmomRN2012, BSN]

I think it's a really good idea. It helped me a lot, especially to be comfortable with patients and what generally needs to get done. How can a nurse work with an aid and be able to direct the aides as to patient care if they haven't done it. It helped me to see the whole picture of what needs to get done and when. Some people might not need this but I thought it was very helpful. This way I knew the aides job and the RN's job. I was more well rounded.

[Nursing24/7, LVN]

I hear a lot of nursing schools are starting to have CNA cert as a pre req/requirement. I think it is a good idea.

My goal is to become an RN but I decided to do a CNA training first & I am happy I decided to take this route...it really is giving me a good look at nursing from the trenches & giving me hands on experience doing routine nursing skills & building my bedside manner/patient care skills. I definitely feel the CNA training has been a good and valuable stepping stone to my nursing career.

It's a very touchy subject though. I think it's going to be nothing but helpful to me as I grow in the nursing field but others may not feel the same way and that's fine. :-)

The most important thing to remember is to do what works for you and what you think will help you succeed.

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

Becoming a CNA before being a nurse was one of the best investments of time I ever spent. I worked summers and weekends at the hospital while I was in nursing school, and I learned all kinds of things I would probably have struggled with had I not had that experience, e.g. prioritizing and managing competing demands. I don't think CNA certification ought to be required, but it is extremely helpful and it does give you a leg up when you start nursing fundamentals.

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

My own experience is different Viva my friend. Becoming a CNA first would not have made me a better nurse.

But this has to be decided on an individual basis. It certainly doesn't hurt anything to be a CNA first. But you can be a great student and a great nurse and a true team player without doing that.

I really don't think it should be required.

Edited to add . . . this has been a question since I joined AN a long time ago. Many many threads have been written about it.

[Sbrewster]

I don't think it should be required, but it was definitely helpful and gave me am advantage over my classmates. There were a lot of times they would come to me during basic nursing clinicals asking for help with skills because they were honestly lost. I'm pretty sure though that the Basic Nursing area of nursing school covers most CNA skills, and a lot of people are able to test as a CNA of they want after they have completed basic nursing!

[RunBabyRN]

Our program requires it before starting. Now, that said, there's a difference between having your cert and actually having WORKED as a CNA. I think there's some benefit to working as a CNA prior to and during nursing school, but I don't think it should be required.