Cna

[Matt 2be RN]

Hey everyone- I am fairly new to nursing and fairly young. I am 19 years old and decided I wanted to go into nursing about six months ago. I'm a sophmore in college and it took me some time to realize that i wanted to go into nursing. I know the basic background of what nurses do including the hard, dirty work( i have a cousin who's an RN and 3 aunts that are CNA's) but i don't know much about the details and all that stuff. I know how hard nursing school is however I am a pretty smart kid and catch on quick. I am planning to start a CNA course this week was hoping you all could tell me if it's hard or not to catch on. Maybe any tips or secrets that will help? This sight has been nothing but helpful to me for about two months so i appreciate everything! Thanks everyone!

[TiggerBelly]

I wouldn't say that it is "hard" just that it is physically demanding and can be emotionally draining. I think being a CNA first, especially if your unsure if you want to pursue a career in nursing, is a good way to test the waters and see if it is something you want to put your time and money into learning. Good luck

[LaLaEm4]

Hi!

I am in the same boat as you...I made the choice last night that I would enroll in a local CNA course to find out if nursing was right for me. So we're pretty much going through the same thing so if you ever need any help or advice or anything from someone in the same situation, you know where to find me! Good luck!!!

[JaredCNA, CNA]

As above, I wouldn't say it was "hard" either and I do agree that it was physically demanding.

However, if you have a passion to do it, you'll find out real quick into your classes. And vice-versa.

Good luck.

[Button2006]

i took a 6 week course and it was great. it was a lot of reading and studying for the first two weeks and then a lot of clinical the last four weeks. cna training is not hard, the hardest part in the entire experience was taking the clinical exam during the state final.

i really enjoyed interacting with the resident during the clinical experiences and i knew that nursing was the job for me. even today i was wiping someone and one of my preceptors was surprised that i wasn't grossed out or gagging. she said it took her time to get used to it. i told her, 'hey, it could be worse. i hear c. diff is quite extraordinary.'

i suppose it just depends on who you are. like everyone else said, it isn't hard necessarily, it is just hard work and it can be emotionally draining.

[casi, ASN, RN]

The basics of being a CNA are pretty much common sense.

The hardest part for me was learning how to interact with a resident or patient. Before becoming a CNA I have never needed to give or recieve personal cares so I wasn't sure how to approach a person. With hands on practice I caught on pretty quickly and am now darn good at it.