CNA's First??

USM_SN · Mar 9, 2005

You're right!

germain · Mar 9, 2005

I don't know if its necessary, but I think its good that nursing schools reward experience by giving experienced aides priority. Otherwise, why be a CNA at all, if you can never move anywhere with your experience. It helps give a bit of motivation to a job that is otherwise one of the hardest, lowest paid jobs you can have that never advances anywhere. Hell, even Walmart greeters can move up some... :uhoh3:

llg, PhD, RN · Mar 9, 2005

exactly one of my concerns, triage. It can be a way for t hese schools to make more money from people who can simply learn these skills very quickly WHILE in nursing school already. I do not like that too much.

Agree 100% with the above. If a certain skill is necessary for an RN, it should be part of the RN program. Adding more layers only makes things more complex than they need to be and raises costs.

llg

Nurse Hatchett · Mar 9, 2005

I think it may help you feel more comfortable at first with clinicals, gong into a clinical setting can be scary, even with experience in the health care. Ultimately though if you are going to be a kind caring nurse, being a CNA first isn't going to help any. I used to think that being a CNA first helped you understand the role of a CNA and be more understanding as to how hard they work. You could tell with a lot of our nurses who were CNA's first. I have since then changed my mind as the years have went by in healtcare. It doesn't matter whether you were a CNA before or not. It matters what kind of person you are. I've seen many nurses that were aides before and since school have completely forgotten what it was like and somewhere along the way earned a status of "being above their aides" I have also seen a lot of nurses who haven't been aides, be the first ones to change someone or whatever is needed. So basically what I'm rambling about is it comes down to what kind of person who are in the first place. :)

SmilingBluEyes · Mar 9, 2005

Going to clinical was scary for all of us us, including the prior LPN's and CNA's among us. As a matter of fact, I was glad NOT to be an LPN or CNA cause it seemed clear to me, the instructors concentrated on "breaking them of bad habits" and were much harder on them than the generic RN students like me. I observed this all the time in clinical rotations and was glad they did not see that they needed to "break me" the way they did these other folks.

Nurse Hatchett · Mar 9, 2005

Going to clinical was scary for all of us us, including the prior LPN's and CNA's among us. As a matter of fact, I was glad NOT to be an LPN or CNA cause it seemed clear to me, the instructors concentrated on "breaking them of bad habits" and were much harder on them than the generic RN students like me. I observed this all the time in clinical rotations and was glad they did not see that they needed to "break me" the way they did these other folks.

I can agree with that and even see in some instances where it would be true. We all know you learn things the proper way and do some things the way you have to to get them done, as long as they aren't pt harming

smk1, LPN · Mar 9, 2005

our school is implementing this for next winter and on for nursing students. BLECH! just more money and another hoop to jump through inmo. I can see the benefit, but to REQUIRE it? and make you pay the 80 dollars for the certifiying test? that is beyond ridiculous to me.