CNA Training Prepare You For Nursing School?

JCCCNurseGrrl · Sep 11, 2009

It certainly won't hurt! CNAs do the skills that nurses designate to them - and in nursing school, you'll be doing a lot of those skills yourself. You WILL use this knowledge and experience you gain in nursing school, whether it's a bed bath or prioritizing your day. My school actually requires that you have CNA certification prior to entering the program. Also, having your CNA may make it easier for you to get a job at a hospital, which I'd definitely recommend for two reasons: 1) experience 2) it will make getting a job as an RN easier. Going along with that experience tidbit, you'll get to know people, as well as how the hospital setting works. It may help you determine what are you want to go into (Or definitely DON'T want to go into), and may make clinicals less intimidating.

GeneralJinjur · Sep 12, 2009

I think it's worth doing. I did not get a CNA license before I started nursing school, but I see how I would have benefited from more exposure to nursing tasks. OTOH, we had several experienced CNAs flunk out of first semester because they couldn't make the mental switch from the way things really work to the idyllic world that the NCLEX tests envision. As long as you avoid that little pitfall, I recommend CNA time.

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Sep 12, 2009

I think it's worth doing. I did not get a CNA license before I started nursing school, but I see how I would have benefited from more exposure to nursing tasks. OTOH, we had several experienced CNAs flunk out of first semester because they couldn't make the mental switch from the way things really work to the idyllic world that the NCLEX tests envision. As long as you avoid that little pitfall, I recommend CNA time.

I agree with you, it's a double edged sword, I have no prior CNA experience and so far I am doing well in school, they told us that what we learn in skills lab this first 6 weeks will be the same training a CNA has, after that we dive more past the basic nursing skills, but we have a handful of CNA's having trouble in class for the same reason that and they also keep answering tests questions with how their facility works and not by what we are being taught.

brittany_micah · Sep 12, 2009

I took the course 3 years ago & it helped me to land a job in a hospital as a clinical partner, basically a CNA, but they sent me through phlebotomy training. I learned so much during those few months!! (I was put on bedrest 4 months after I started due to my pregnancy.) I think not only does it help you to learn about nursing, but one day when we graduate it will make us appreciate the CNA's we work with. :) Good Luck!

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Sep 12, 2009

I will add, it would have been nice to know how to do transports and lifts and vital signs and stuff before hand. It didn't take long to learn but it felt like 75% of the class already knew how to do this already from being CNA's or MA's

anoon · Sep 12, 2009

I felt that it was an enormously valuable experience! I was a CNA for several years before I started nursing school and I think it had some huge advantages. The main ones that I can think of is that your CNA work experience will A)acclimate you to the care setting (working in the environment, with pumps, with other staff, with technology and monitors), B)acclimate you to the time schedule of a day C)REALLY help with your organization skills, D)give you a valuable observation of actual nurses doing actual nursing tasks, and E)give you a great opportunity to connect the concepts you learn in class with the actual nursing critical thinking skills before you go to clinical (i.e. before you actually HAVE to get those critical thinking skills right!).

All in all, I think it won't hurt you, and that it will definitely help you. But if you don't get a CNA job, don't worry about it, it won't break you!

Hope this helps,

Amber N