CNA before RN

nursing 101 · Dec 30, 2005

As someone said before this is a personal matter. I was never a cna but I respect them just as much! Respect comes from respecting people not because you walked in their shoes... I respect the cna, the nurse mgr, housekeeping, the physical therapist and the list can go on. Nevertheless I think as a student in my neck of the woods I had enough cna training. When we used to be in clinicals the student is called first before the cna is called to wipe or clean the patient and I had no problem doing whatever it took. I know of a few students that left nursing after the first semester because they didn't think they would have to deal with BM and urine. I honestly can say until I started on the floor as a new grad I almost didn't finish nursing school. Does it a take a scientist to figure out how to put a bedpan on? No! you might not get it the first time (like alot of other things) but you should get it the next.

I have no problem with poop, vomit, blood or any body secretions as long as they are not flying across the room:rotfl:

I say if you wanna be a nurse follow the nurse around and help out the cna's when they need your help. You will get enough of basic training in clinicals when it comes to doing the cna's job.

dsomday · Dec 30, 2005

Speaking of which, does anyone know how to go about becoming a CNA in Ohio? My daughter took the classes years ago and worked at a hospital, though was never tested by the state. Is this still possible?

Drysolong · Dec 30, 2005

My plan also was to work as a CNA, LPN, RN. I took my CNA training last year while waiting for LPN school to start. Worked as a CNA in LTC for 5 months. Hope to graduate LPN school in March, then plan to complete RN training through Excelsior, while working as an LPN. For various reasons, this is a good plan for me.

Working as a CNA gave me great experience in direct patient care (which I didn't have). It taught me more about what type of facility I'm better suited for and what type of nurse (in terms of committment and attitude) I want to be. It gave me a chance to observe and learn from nurses in the LTC environment. (Learn what to do and what not to do) Also, although I don't particularly like LTC or some aspects of CNA work, it reinforced for me that I had made the right decision to become a nurse. I think ALL experience is good because it is a learning tool, one way or the other.

allnurses Guide · Dec 30, 2005

Not necessary. The nursing program will teach you everything you need to know. If you want to be a CNA to make a decision on whether or not to go to nursing school, maybe it's OK. The job of a CNA and the job of an RN are different. You can only stand by and observe what an RN does until you get your own license. While the RN knows how to do the nursing care a CNA does, she spends a much greater part of her time managing and supervising not only the nursing care, but other aspects of the patient's care as well.

I agree (again) with you on this subject (we need to have this question and all the other responses through the last few years as a sticky somewhere).

I didn't get my CNA on the advice of my mentor. She told me to enjoy the summer off before the nursing program and spend time with my family and NOT take the CNA course. I would learn all that in the 1st semester and that is exactly what we would initially be doing in clinical anyway.

I did take the summer off. I am so glad because the program was very stressful and I had to spend alot of time away from my family (which in some ways I regret).

At our hospital, we work as a team and I am not "above" emptying urinals or making beds. Just yesterday, I emptied a patient's full urinal 4 times (I was diuresing him). When the CNA took him to the shower, I made his bed.

These are not hard tasks - just helpful. Important. Meaningful. And stuff you can learn in the nursing program.

And the truth is, as stated above, RN is different than CNA. Not better. Just different.

steph

mollysn · Dec 30, 2005

I have worked as an aide at 2 different hospitals while going to school. I graduate next Dec! The job has been good because you get to observe lots of things and you get a taste of the real world. Because you have your own pts and responsibilities it helps with time management skills. I think it has helped me develop a good bedside manner and how to deal with difficult situations.

It has also helped not take things personally, thicker skin you might say. Where I work right now the staffing is better than my old job but the nurses and techs are rude- not everyone but way to many. Being treated like crap by nurses makes me dread going to work and it is starting to make me not want to be a floor nurse. I really love the patients but I hate being disrespected and running my butt off with no help.

The job also made me see the realities of nursing, seeing the nurses at my old job working way to short and constantly being overwhelmed.

At the beginning I knew the basics of nursing when my classmates had never been in a hospital before. Now I don't think it makes a difference because it is a different job and you learn everything in school and during your career as an RN.

I need the insurance and the extra money is nice .

RN and Mommy · Dec 30, 2005

Not necessary. You can only stand by and observe what an RN does until you get your own license.
That is true, but you can still OBSERVE! I believe that I do have some advantage to my classmates because of the opportunities I have had to observe the RNs while I am at work. In clinical I am able physically do the actions of a nurse, but at work I can still critically think and observe the nurses. We only spend a limited amount of time in clinicals with one or two patients, at work I am working directly with a RN and six or seven patients for 12 hours at a time. I have much more time and opportunity to OBSERVE a greater variety of situations than I would ever have had at clinical alone. I recommend working as a CNA.

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · Dec 30, 2005

I have heard from classmates that it helps to some, while others feel it is a waste of their time.

It is not required here either, but if you find a job as a CNA and they will help pay for school..........go for it.

Good luck

mustanggirl · Dec 30, 2005

I think it is a good idea to work as a CNA while going to school for nursing. I took a CNA class may freshman year of nursing school at a nursing home and found it very helpful with my nursing classes, especially patho. In a nursing home it seems like you see almost every disease imaginable. It also was helpful to kind of give you a heads up as to what to expect working as a nurse, I had a classmate who took the CNA class the same time I did and decided nursing wasn't her thing. :nurse:

maxcat · Dec 30, 2005

My CNA course was very easy, academically speaking, and cost $300. I am now licensed. I do not work as a CNA but I am thinking of nursing as a second career, and I figured for $300, it was worth taking, just so I could get a glimpse into the medical world. I can't see what the disadvantage is!! I know I don't want to work as a CNA as a career, but I feel it was *great* experience-the class and the clinicals. I saw a ton of things in my clinical (outside the scope of what a CNA does).... very interesting. Anytime one of the nurses was doing something cool, they'd call us in to watch (if it was OK with the patient). You can't beat that experience. All of the CNA's at that hospital were either in nursing school or were taking the prereqs. Most of the nursing programs that I looked at don't *require* it, but it's certainly recommended and it helps improve your chances of getting in. I figure it just makes that first semester of nursing school that much easier. Why not get some of the material out of the way, and at least be comfortable in a hospital environment, dealing with patients??

ohiorn_78 · Dec 30, 2005

I agree with this idea. I never worked in or hardly even been in a hospital before in my life, so I was a nervous wreck when I started nursing school. Those in my class who were either a STNA or a PCT had a advantage over us who were new to the field. Yeah, I did just fine with the bookwork portion but the communication and bedside manner was a toughie for me. I got lucky and got accepted to the local hospitals' nurse extern program. I attribute that experience to the confidence that I have today.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Dec 31, 2005

speaking of which, does anyone know how to go about becoming a cna in ohio? my daughter took the classes years ago and worked at a hospital, though was never tested by the state. is this still possible?

in ohio, cnas are listed by the ohio department of health, nurse aide registry, p.o. box 118, columbus, oh 43266-0018. (614) 466-466-3543 or (800) 582-5908.

http://www.odh.ohio.gov/odhprograms/io/nurseaide/nurseaide1.aspx - this is the web site of the ohio department of health for the nurse aide registry. this site includes the requirements, a list of frequently asked questions, contact phone numbers and forms you need to complete. you'll want to check out the 6 page document of frequently asked questions (or link to it at http://www.odh.ohio.gov/assets/499b3733986e417ba7377a062e09eff0/nurse%20aide%20registry%20frequently%20asked%20questions.pdf ). in there it states that "you may call the nurse aide training competency evaluation program (natcep) at (614)752-8285 for information about the location of nurse aide training classes" in ohio.

1BlessedRN · Jan 2, 2006

I totally agree:yeahthat: , I was an aid for 8 years before I went back to school to get my RN. You would not believe some of the simple things that the RN's on the floor(who had never been aids) did not know how to do. For instance, I had an RN place a fracture pan underneath a pt for me one time. When the pt put her light on for me to take it out I saw her bed was soaked...the RN had put the pan under the pt backwards. If there is one thing I can say about CNA's, they are professional pan placers...among many other things!

I totally agree I was an aid for 4yrs....you will have viewed both sides and statistics have proven you will become a respectable RN....some people and I did say SOME go straight into nursing are still left clueless as in their job description, and how to approach someone when delegating a task...