i have a previous bachelor's degree, and currently work in the field. however, i want a career switch, and nursing seems to be a more stable field in terms of future prospects than my current profile. however, i am currently taking my science pre-reqs (have just started), and reading all the posts in this forum, it seems like it would be better if i work in the field and have prior experience in order to attain a job after being an rn.
as a result, i am thinking of going ahead and getting my cna certification. by this process, i will get some experience of patient care, network with rns, and also can earn some money on the side. however, do you think the route of being a cna to be an rn a good one? or should i consider being a surgical tech, or a ward clerk?
i am very new to the field, and don't have much experience or knowledge..so any suggestion/feedback/experiences will be very much appreciated!
My feeling is do anything that will help you and will fit into your schedule. I had to wait one semester before being accepted to a program. During that time I finished Org Chem, Stats, Nutrition, and Human Development and taught suppl. instruction in physiology. I always planned to do the CNA training, but never could fit it into my schedule. One of my friends is taking the CNA class at a nursing home and hates it. So she won't have much work experience. One of my friends (a RN-DON) said the training is substandard anyway and the CNA's need to be retrained when they hire them. I signed up for a phlebotomy class at a local ROP and was planning to take in the fall and then my acceptance letter came in. If you're like everyone else, it helps to stay busy, keep an active To Do list and do what you can b4 getting accepted. Good luck.
Hospitals by me do not hire CNA's, only LTC's. They consider CNA's the same as an STNA (which I have to become to get into my nursing program). Hospitals by me only hire PCA's which is an additional class after becoming an STNA.
That being said, after I become an STNA I am going to get my PCA certificate so I can work at a hospital.
I am currently a CNA and I am about to start my Junior year of nursing school. My professors constantly tells us whatever u know as a GNA, CNA, tech, etc...get rid of it because you are moving into nurse world. Everything I am learning is totally different then what I have been taught as a CNA because it is within a different scope of practice. So to answer your question the experience you get as a CNA is not the same as what you will be learning in nursing school. However getting comfortable with the healthcare setting could possibly help you out in the long run and maybe guarantee you a job. You never know!
apoppyfield, BSN, RN
161 Posts
My feeling is do anything that will help you and will fit into your schedule. I had to wait one semester before being accepted to a program. During that time I finished Org Chem, Stats, Nutrition, and Human Development and taught suppl. instruction in physiology. I always planned to do the CNA training, but never could fit it into my schedule. One of my friends is taking the CNA class at a nursing home and hates it. So she won't have much work experience. One of my friends (a RN-DON) said the training is substandard anyway and the CNA's need to be retrained when they hire them. I signed up for a phlebotomy class at a local ROP and was planning to take in the fall and then my acceptance letter came in. If you're like everyone else, it helps to stay busy, keep an active To Do list and do what you can b4 getting accepted. Good luck.