CNA before RN

I became a Student Assistant on a Med/Surg floor after my 1st semester of school and I honestly didn't learn anything more than what I learned my 1st of clinicals. I was so freaking busy with 15+ patients I never got to watch what the RN's did - I just ran around for 12 hours straight. I did however get used to patient contact but I'm not a shy person, so I probably would've overcome that without being a SA.

Now I'm a tech in an ER. I learn a lot there - you see a lot of different stuff in an ER and since we are small enough, I'm able to watch almost every procedure, I get to check out the labs and X-rays...it's pretty nice. The nurses and docs go out of their way to show me cool new stuff. I have to say the ER thing has put me further ahead than my classmates. At clinicals I'm able to focus on the stuff I don't get to see at work or get to do at work such as meds and IV's.

Im a Nursing Assistant right now... actually i think they call me a tech because i do things that CNA's dont normally do... I work a MRT (pool) position at the VA hospital. In the last 2 weeks I have learned how to do EKG's and Draw blood. An RN showed me how to insert a couple of foleys but I told him right now I dont want to do that until i see a few more... I think the experience has been great! I do agree though because i worked LTC as well and now im in the ER.... in the LTC i found myself numerous times wondering if i was going into the right field... now that im in the ER i love it and i KNOW im in the right field... I think that for me going into Nursing school in a couple weeks the things i have seen and done puts me two steps ahead of everyone else... If you want extra experience GO FOR IT!

Just be careful that you dont let burnt out employees scare you (because they sure did scare me, like i said above i wondered if i was in the right field) Just a simple switch from Long Term Care to the ER made all the difference for me!

Good Luck to You!

when i was in nsg school, i asked an instructor if she thought me getting a job as a cna would be helpful. she responded that it wasn't comparing apples to apples and no, it wasn't necessary.

but once i got my license and became a hospice nurse, i learned quite a few tricks from the cna's. i appreciate their work tremendously. and as steph said, i've changed many a pt., emptied/cleaned bedpans, changed linens, etc. their services are invaluable.

leslie

I was a unit clerk-hated it. It wasn't really what unit clerks do, it was the hospital I was at. But if anything-I am glad to know what they are really like so I will not go seeking employment there.

Anyways-I am currently taking on a position as a home health aide. This is giving me a ton of options. There is regular home health, we have an agency that speciailizes with neurology, there is a hospice that hires them and an assisted living facility. So I am glad that I have done this but I also have to have a job-so my take is, "why not get experience, any experience, while I am going to school?"

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.

I already observe nurses. I am in the hospital a ceritian amount, this past summer was my fifth surgery and i will be having another in the spring. While in the hospital I watch the nurse and ask her (I have only ever had women, not trying to be sexist by saying her) questions.

I think been a CNA first is a big plus for you. I did CNA a few years ago while I was in college. Matter of fact, some nursing programs would prefer someone with a CNA background. Eventhough, been a CNA is very different from an RN, you still communicate with patients and do basic care.

Good Luck to you

What do you guys think of being a CNA before you become an RN?

In our school, they just made it a requirement to be a certified nursing assistant to be accepted into the nursing program. IMO, the first semester of nursing school, you learn many CNA skills, such as bed baths and bed linen changes. That can all be bypassed if the CNA is required before acceptance in the program. IMO there is enough to learn without spending time on CNA skills (which I know are important and used in nursing, dont get me wrong). That's just my opinion.

I and a CNA foring for RN--I would definately recomend being and aid first. I fell that this will help you with clinicals and the understanding with your patients. I feel that there are some RN that have never been aides and it shows-they don't know how to treat the aides and have not respect for them. But as and aide you will see how you want to treat the staff that works with you. I would rather have the support of the aides than not, and being one is the best way to know that not to do or say to your aides.

Besides when you are and aide so of the RN will let you watch and help with certain procesures so you can get some experience. Experience and confidence are the keys to success in this business.

As an aide you learn to be a team player-and you are not allowed to pass the buck. Some RN don't like to help and expect the aide to do all of the dirty work. (you know)

I had a situation the other day where a patient needed to be cleaned up-but it wasn't my patient. She came to find me to ask me to clean the patient up. I didn't have a problem with this part but, she said that she was coming back to help me. When I walked out of the room to get some supplies--she was at the front desk talking with the other nurses who were on the computer shopping for clothes.

Now this really ticks me off-b/c I was trying to be a team player and she just abused her authority. If she didn't want to clean the patien upo she should have said so and not pretend that she was really busy when she wasn't.

This nurse has a bad habit of doing that and this is why so aides don't loke working with her. She passed the buck .

Just my input.

I am a 32 y/o CNA/RN student. I have worked as a CNA since I was 16 excluding 3 years when I tried different things to make sure nursing was for me (it is). How ever for -me- I think that being a CNA first has it up side and down side. For instance starting my first semester of Nursing School I was not scared of going into clinicals like a few of the students that had never worked as any kind of health care provider. I am thinking of one student that had never been inside a hospital for any reason besides to visit. She was so scared and you could see it on her face. But she did fine and is very confident now. The down side for me I think was that I was too confident. I knew to much and found myself to busy getting the linen's and running to the supply closet because "i knew what was needed" and I missed out on some really important (if not neat) things. This next semester I plan to not "know it all" and not miss out on anything even if is something I already know.

Sue

I don't agree with the generalized statement that RN's who were not aides are NOT team players or don't know how to help with CNA responsibilities.

We learn all that stuff in the very first part of nursing school and if you are not a team player in life, being a CNA will not make you one.

There are many who post here who were not CNA's, including me, who make it a first priority (after pt advocacy) to work as a team. I love my CNA's and respect the job they do and help out all I can. When the CNA takes the pt to the shower, I make the bed. I empty urinals. I clean up BM messes.

Generalizing never helps. I could do that by mentioning a RN I work with who started out as a CNA and then an LVN and she RARELY helps the CNA's out. In fact, she has been warned about this. She is pretty lazy - but was lazy as a CNA and as an LVN. But I'm not going to generalize that into saying that RN's who used to be CNA's and LVN's are lazy.

steph

I will graduate nursing school in May (RN) and I have recently accepted a position as a student nurse. I feel that even though the work that I'm doing now is different than what I will be doing when I graduate, it is a way for me to become more comfortable in the clinical enviroment. Also, sometimes I'm lucky and have a nurse that really likes to teach and let me do "nursing" things (IV's, venipunctures, caths, etc) so that's an added bonus.

I work in the pool, so I only am required to work 12hrs a month.