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Discussion

CNA While Taking ADN Classes...

hello everyone at allnurses.com :)

i'm new to the website and that being said, i hope i put this in the right place.

i'm going to be graduating from high school soon, and i live in an area with a local community college (its about a 30 min drive away) but i'm also lucky enough to live within walking distance of a care facility for the elderly. now that that part is explained, i think i would like to be a nurse (obviously :o). i want to take adn classes at the college, but because i'm going to have to be on my own soon (my mother (my primary guardian) wants to move to another state), i need to find a way to support myself (as everyone does).

with the way things are looking, it will take me awhile to get my adn, because of my little schedule of classes to take before entering the nursing program, it will take 3 years to get all the non-nursing classes done. and so, here's my question: is it impossible to be a cna while taking one or two college classes?

if there's a thread already on this, i'd be happy to read it, but i need to go sleep soon, so i figured i'd ask here first.

my thinking on the issue though is that between 12 hr shifts (the care facility nearby offers), i'll be too dang tired to drag myself to class or do well (depending on the class). also, i thought that a cna degree would add to the resume to compliment the adn.

tell me what you all think, please. thanks for your time, everyone.

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    Absolutely!

    I know a girl who was taking 17 credits and working part time as a CNA and she did quite well in all her classes!

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    It is very doable to be a cna while taking prereqs and often recommended.

    You may very well be tired after a 12 hour shift, but I assume the job is 3/4 days per week? - leaving other days clear to take classes/study.

    The job as CNA would be worth a lot more than holding the certificate. The certificate is worth getting anyway (it is often required before nursing school) for a variety of reasons ranging from giving you some idea of what being a nurse is like before spending the time and money on it to giving you a boost in clinicals by having a least a few basic skills learned and a few "firsts" experienced.

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    You can definitely do it!!! I work full time as a CNA, and usually work 8 hour shifts but work a lot of 12 hour and 16 hour shifts. I end up averaging 50-60 hours a week during the school year. I also go to school full time and carry about 13-15 credit hours a semester. I have been doing this for several years, it is hard work, and often you don't sleep but it will be worth it in the end. I don't have to give up my standard of living and I am still getting an education. I have a 3.2 GPA.

    However, I work 3rd shift, and this allows me to do my homework during the night while the residents are sleeping. I think 3rd shift is ideal for people who also go to school full-time. It allows flexibility in scheduling for classes and you do homework while making money. It takes a few months to get adjusted to working all night and going to school during the day, but it is great once you do. :yeah:

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    • Author

    Thank you very much everyone.

    Yeah, pkuper, that sounds SO difficult :D I'm only going to take two classes most per semester (the college only has Summer, Fall and Winter semesters), until I get into the program. Or at least that was how I planned it.

    Thank you for your responses. :)

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    Be forewarned...sometimes as a CNA, you may not make enough money to live on your own...but you can find roommates/apartments/etc....be careful though.

    The CNA job is MUCH more valuable...I found that nursing school helped me understand so many concepts/lectures/ and interventions when nurses would do them on patients. I am a nurse that helps my cnas, and feels like I am never above anything, and if I know they are in NS, that will make me try to teach them more.

    It is very doable, but be prepared to make good use of your off time, study hard, and try as hard as you can to avoid partying/blowing off school, cause it will surely come back to bite you.

    good luck!

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