CNA position as a stepping stone into nursing?

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Has anyone started out as a CNA to kinda get a head start in nursing?

This is my plan. Now that I have all the books and what not I am kinda second guessing it. I am HORRIBLE for second guessing myself.

I am just kinda suprized at all the stuff that you CAN'T do as a CNA.

Although on the flip-side You do get to watch the stuff that you cant do and you will at least know basic procedure one your in nursing school.

The bed side care that we will learn as CNA's will be pretty valuable.

The basic medical terminology will also be a bonus as well as being use to working in a hospital setting.

If you have used a CNA position as a start to nursing did you find that it helped you as a student and a new grad?

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My daughter is a Sr. Hosp Asst. (CNA equivalent) during her 1st quarter senior year and is graduating in June. Clinical instructor's been telling them to work as CNAs, other's did not want to. My daughter was the first in her batch to get offered a RN Residency Program. So I'd say it helped to be a CNA. It also depends on what you do during your free time, she volunteered countless hours at a hospital. Your resume should stand out in the end. Good luck!

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Specializes in Long Term Care.

i think it's a great idea that's why i'm doing it! i've talked to many nurses who told me they started out as cna's, as well as one's who said they wish they would've have been cna's 1st. good luck!!! :up:

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Ohh good!!

Thanks for the info!!!

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I was also told by many of my RN friends as well to become a CNA first and actually some RN programs in my area actually required that you are a CNA first! I think the experience will be very helpful!!! :)

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I had experience when I started nursing school and it did help at times. Not enough to where I'd say it was even close to being necessary though. It helps with confidence during clinical in nursing school cause you know how to handle patients. After one semester of nursing school, you usually qualify for tech positions, so a lot of people did that. If you don't work as a tech now, do it during nursing school at least.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Trauma.

It has been helping me... the best part of being a cna is that you get comfortable working with and touching patients... that i believe is the hardest part.:twocents:

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Yes, as others have said, the only tasks you get to perform are basic nursing tasks, but the experience you gain as an aide is priceless. You will become more comfortable in the environment and much, much more seasoned when it comes to working with patients/residents. I've worked with so many different nurses, and in my experience, some of the best nurses are the ones who worked as aides.

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I am making a complete 180 degree career change and CNA is the first step. I just finished the BNA program with a 96.8 on the exam and now I'm gearing up for the State Certification exam. I'm confident that I'll ace that exam in June. Not to be critical, but for myself, I don't see the CNA postion as a stepping stone into nursing.

I see it as the beginning foundation of my nursing career. I think one of the things I was shocked to find out was that there are some nurses who go to school and get hired and have no clue on how to change an occupied bed or any of the other tasks that a CNA does. Our instructor told us that we were getting more hands on clinical experience than some of those people sitting in classrooms.

I can't say if that's true or not, but I do know this; my weeks of clinical training convinced me that I had made the right decision, but I realized that the CNA is an important member of the health care team. But I also came to realize that if I'm an awesome CNA, then I will be an even better nurse because I will have that body of experience that I can relate to.

I do plan on going on and getting into nursing, but I don't want to rush through my CNA experience. Good luck to all of us.

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It has been helping me... the best part of being a cna is that you get comfortable working with and touching patients... that i believe is the hardest part.:twocents:

You hit the nail on the head.

That, I noticed, is the biggest obstacle of anyone new to nursing.

We have our own personal boundaries and put as much space between ourselves and others depending on how well we know them and how comfortable we feel.

Now you are in a position where you must breech that comfort zone. You have to get closer to a stranger than you ever ever thought you would.

It's daunting!

This is part of the reason why being a CNA before nursing school is a bonus.

There is quite enough stress, already, without have to struggle with that issue, as well.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Oncology.

The care you are allowed to give is basic, but getting experience with how to communicate with people is priceless. If you're wanting to do more, you can always look into furthering your CNA certification to the next level. I'm in NC, and here we have CNA I's and CNA II's. The II's can do more like trach care, suctioning, tube feedings/DCing tubes, ostomy care, cathetertizations, and wound care. :nurse:

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I decided that I wanted to be a nurse, after my wife was in the hospital for 2 weeks. At the time, it was too later for me to apply for the accelerated program that was starting in 1 month. So, I decided to go challenge the NC state CNA exam. I passed easily. It took me about 2 months to find a CNA job. So far, I love it! I figure that it is a whole lot cheaper to become a CNA first, to see if you like it. It would be terrible for you to finish nursing school only to realize that you hate it!

I always let the nurses know that I am going to school, so they come find me when they have something interesting.

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