Confused

[cawin1975]

I was wondering what would be the best career path for me. I currently work as a Medical Administrative Assistant in a Radiology Department at a hospital. I would like to be able to work in a doctor's office where I could bring patients to their rooms, take vitals, chart symptoms.:redbeathe Should I just start out with a CNA? I was interested in going to Nursing School, but I am not sure if I want to work in a hopsital setting. I am so confused! I have heard how difficult nursing school can be. I need to work so I was going to take night classes until I got to the Nursing Core Classes. Does anyone know what classes are the hardest? I was thinking if I could get past the biologies I would be good, are the Fundementals of Nursing Courses equally difficult or more difficult then the A&P and Mirco biology? PLEASE HELP!

[ambertut]

I would suggest becoming a CNA and "getting your toes wet" so to speak. I would recommend trying to get a CNA job at a hospital so you can see all different kinds of patients and work along side nurses. As far as prerequisites go, I would say A&P was the most challenging but still not that difficult; just keep in mind that it is different for everyone. As I said, I would recommend getting some experience first and at the very least see if you can do some job shadowing. Nursing school is tough and if nursing is not something you think you would enjoy, then I would not recommend this as a career for you! Try it out first :)

[tlburnsrnbsn]

Hi,

Have you applied for a position in a doctor's office yet? If you can get your foot in the door there, some will even pay for your continuing education. Perhaps try applying at the community health center in your area. They may not pay as well as a private office but will give you the experience you need. I personally think you can do more as an MA than you will as a CNA. Remember to spotlight your experience working in radiology as an MA on your resume. This is experience that is a plus for anyone working in a doctor's office as many patients are sent for imaging. Yes, nursing school is tough but not impossible. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication. If you have it in your heart to be a nurse, you will make it work. Good luck!

[mammac5]

Having CNA training may not get you into a doc office, depending on how things are in your area. Where I'm from CMAs (Certified Medical Assistant) are preferred since they have a greater background of knowledge to go along with patient care skills. They also learn about procedure and diagnostic coding, third-party payor systems, scheduling, telephone triage, venipuncture and basic testing skills, EKG, administration of meds (injections) etc. These are things CNAs don't get in their basic training.

LPNs and RNs sometimes work in physician offices; you might check in your area to find out how common that it, what type of work they do there, and what the pay is like. Then you could have a better idea of what route you want to take.