CNA before RN?

CNA is immensely helpful in becoming an RN. You learn basic bedside care, time management, and (most importantly) how to interact with patients and their families.

However, I'm not sure I understand, you want to be an NP but the program doesn't require you to be an RN or BSN first? I didn't know there were programs like that out there.

CNA is very useful in teaching you what we take for granted, until were in the nursing setting in school and have to go back to the basic stuff. Maybe your 10 steps ahead of your fellow classmates; that maybe why your not getting the responce your inquiring.

Absolutly....The first semester of RN classes is basically CNA skills with a tiny bit of other skills thrown in.

You can double or triple or quadruple the hours of actual time you spend providing care to patients. (Therefore you also get to observe many many situations...and I swear much of nursing clinicals is observation....I think I did one cath and one NGT the whole 3 years of my clinicals)

CNA skills are the Basics..the building blocks...(IE Hydration, working with diverse population, diagnosis and personalities, nutrition, hygiene, nutrition, mobility, promoting safety, using adaptive equipment, ect,) You would be surprised how many nurses I have encountered that do not consider these factors to be as important as they are to healing and promoting comfort.

But this give you a leg up academically as you likely have mastered many skills that others have to learn at the same time as learning all the meds and nursing specific information.

These skills were so automatic after awhile..

Now if you want to talk about hiring aspect...It would have helped me more if I had worked as a tech in the hospital or as an EMT, when I was seeking hospital work...versus Nursing home where I worked...big mistake I made...I was told that flat out in an interview.

CNA is a useful precurser to hospital tech tho...50-65% of any hospital population are geriatric...(thats a unique skill set) And hospital tech is basically a CNA plus...same basic job with a few extra duties such a blood glucose readings.

CNA work will definitely be more helpful than hospital volunteer work, speaking as someone who did both prior to getting my RN license. Every hospital's volunteer program is different. At the hospital I volunteered at (a small-ish community hospital with something like 5 inpatient units) volunteers would do things like find wheelchairs to bring to a floor, bring stable patients to tests/appointments, deliver labs, find equipment, and bring patients to their cars following discharge. Interaction with patients was minimal at best and basically involved transporting them. CNA work is actual clinical work. Working as a CNA teaches you basic skills, time management, interaction with patients/families. You can work as a tech following your first clinical placement but from your post it isn't clear where you are in the nursing school process. Sounds like getting the actual certification may get you into the hospital in a clinical aspect faster and the more experience you have there, the better.

@Halfmarathoner - UIC has a general entry master's in which you choose your specialty when you apply. You then proceed to earn your earn your RN in 15 months, and continue part time or full time until youcomplete the master's (NP is one of the routes). It's the only program like it I have found, and UIC is (I've been told) the best school to attend in Chicago.

Thanks for everyone's responses....for someone completely new to the healthcare field it's a little confusing! There are so many different routes to take.