CNA training before RN/BSN

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I have my heart set on going back to school and was going to begin prereq's this spring (january)....at my comm. college

anyway - I found a program at my local hospital where they will train me as a CNA if I am accepted - provide the textbooks and training and pay for it....

however, I have to work for the hospital for a year - which isnt a problem

My question is - should I become a CNA before I try to apply to nursing school to get my BSN or should I just focus on getting my BSN?

And, if I do get my CNA and do the training - does anyone think it is feasible to do my prereqs at the same time - or will I have to put that on hold while I get some experience?

Basically - should I go the long route - or the short route...??

Thank you!!! :)

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working a full-time job and going to school is always challenging no matter what your major is. you are going to need time to study and time for yourself. it is done by many people but if you need the financial help with school then i would try it. if you are over 24 and have a low income then you are elligible for pell grants. you may want to look into that if it applies to you. personally i wouldn't want to be a CNA for 4 years while going to school but others don't mind it. check out the job and make sure you really want to it for that long. it's not fun.

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Jrnalist2RNinOR,

I am scheduled to start my CNA class on December 1st. I'm taking an advanced method and I'm knocking all my classes and stuff for it in a two week period. I didn't want to take the three months training. God, I'd feel like I was never getting there. It's probably actually going to take me a month instead of two weeks now because I'm switching to the 120-hour course instead of the 75-hour.

However, here is my view on it. I am going to get my CNA certification and then I'm getting a job somewhere (I'm leaning more towards a Nursing Home right now but, I have my reasonings and that's my prerogative and choosing). After that I am fully planning on working for two or three months to make absolutely sure that this is what I want to do and if it is then I'm getting started with school again. I'm going to sign up for the Nursing Program at my local Community College and get started on my A.S. degree. (There's a two year waiting list right now at my ComCollege so it'll be perfect timing - or very near to it.)

Now, I am also a single guy though. No wife, no children .. haha, not even a girlfriend (no time, heh). I'm keeping all my distractions two miles away and I'm making a "b-line" straight for my goals and plans. I'll worry about everything else after the major pieces of my puzzle have been put into place.

I've worked full time and gone to school full time before. It's tough .. it's very tough. At times (okay, possibly the majority of the times) it's absolutely no fun. But keeping your eyes on the goal and stayin focused is your key. You can do anything, ANYTHING you put your mind to!! :)

There ya have it. See ya on the boards ..

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Oh and hey friend ..

I have talked to several, several Nurses as well as head-hunters for Hospitals, Nursing Homes, etc .. and I haven't had one person respong negatively in any way when I have talked to them about my plans. In fact, they (and I kid you not) .. ALL of them have told me that "if you can manage it and stay focused you'll come out better in the end for it if you work a CNA position while you're school." One, you're getting the knowledge from school (learning something new everyday). Two, you're gaining the experience that (unfortunately, these days) everyone wants before deciding to hire you.

Why get all the way through school and STILL have to work two or three years as a CNA when you have the qualifications for an RN or whatnot when you can simply work as a CNA and be gaining that much needed experience WHILE in school? :)

One more thing .. if you didn't want to work full time at as a CNA there are TONS of places out there (I know Nursing Homes for a certainty - not sure on hospitals though) that will hire you on a "weekend-package." You work the weekends, make $12-15 an hour over the weekend and you can get a little experience that way too. Personally, I don't want that. I want a full-time. :) But it's up to you, friend!

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Coffeejavule ----> thanks for the advice! The program that I am applying to they market as "earn as you learn" - even though really I just want to gain some experience from the whole thing and maybe work on the side while I go to school for my prereqs or for my BSN....

I think the experience would be invaluable....

Besides, I am worried that I will be placed on the huge waiting lists that I hear so much about for nursing school and if I am trained as a CNA - well, it will let me work in the field while I wait to go to nursing school....

Thanks again for your advice...Sounds like you pretty much have things planned out...

Staying away from women, no kids.... ;)

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Teehee .. girls = icky icky bad bad. Well, at least right NOW in my life. :) The day will come .. I assure you! Heh.

And in regards to having things planned out .. blah. I wished I'd done all this earlier. I've always had my head screwed on really good coming from a military family all my life. Unfortunately, when I moved out on my own I got .. side-tracked, yes. It took about a year for me to learn my lesson and realize my life was going absolutely no where running the track I was at that time, bleh!

All is good now .. mistake(s) made and lesson(s) learned. All you can do is make the best of them. Everything happens for a reason. The only good thing I can think of that came from this is that I didn't finish school and go into Networking/Web Design (which was my major for a year and a half before I dropped out and decided to "party-it-up"

Good luck to YOU friend. I know you will make the best decision for yourself and I wish you only the best! Keep in touch! :) It's good to know someone else is out there in my shoes starting from the beginning and figure all of this out .. ;)

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Specializes in Critical Care, ER.

I wouldn't do CNA unless you have to. If you're a hospital tech, you will learn some but not critical thinking- more procedural stuff. My husband is an RN, all my friends are, I worked for 5 yrs in an ER as clerk/ ERtech. It helped me for fundamentals, and self-confidence. You have the rest of your career to get experience in nursing, the real thing. What you need to do is get the most from what *school* has to offer. It sounds like y'all have made up your minds, so be it.

Either way, there's nothing like first hand experience to determine what's right for you!

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Well, I am not starting quite at the beginning myself...

Went to jr college for a couple years as a psych major - trained as an EMT - never took the test though and actually became certified....

Transferred from Jr College to University of Idaho as a Psych major....

From there - changed majors lets count the ways...

English to...

Preprofressional English....

to.....

WOW - Journalism...which finally stuck (thank God) my parents were pretty tired of me calling and going "Guess what, I changed my major"

They would say, "And what is it this week and what are you going to do with that one"

well graduated with a degree in (take a big breath)

Bachelor of Science in Journalism and Mass Communication with a minor in English writing - whooowheee

sounds fancy - sure as sh!t aint - got me a job out of college - then they fired me....

yeah, thanks....now I don't have a job and am looking for one....

college was great to me....I am left with a piece of paper...and loans to pay back....

whoooptee

but it was one helluva a party (sometimes) and a lotta studying - I would always go back and do it again though in a heartbeat....

;)

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Haha .. funny funny stuff!

Okay, yeah well .. *goes back to his lonesome corner* I guess I'll shut up now and go back to my own little corner and keep carryin' my flag high as hell! :)

*waves flag furiously* (My flag says, "Newbie's ROCK!!" and it has a stickman figure of myself on it, thx.) :roll

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Originally posted by coffeejavule

*waves flag furiously* (My flag says, "Newbie's ROCK!!" and it has a stickman figure of myself on it, thx.) :roll

HAHA - sure do!

I love that your artistic sense doesn't extend beyond trying to draw a stickman....

:roll

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Very funny .. ass. :D Hehe .. hey you should get an IM. I replied to your PM you sent me on allnurses.com.

Do you have an IM? I've got Yahoo, MSN and AIM. All nicks are the same: coffeejavule

You should PM me. Or click my nick on my signature and e-mail me sometime, heh. :) [email protected]

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Specializes in ICU, CM, Geriatrics, Management.

Hi, folks!

Getting my CNA in Dec (three-week program), in between semesters at CC. Finishing A / P ! now, and II starts in Jan. My clinicals begin next September. All other prereq's are done.

In Jan, will commence working (part-time only) in med / surg till I graduate in 2006.

Every nurse I've spoken to has advised this is a great plan and a terrific learning experience.

Good luck to all!

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