Did being a CNA make you NOT want to be a nurse anymore?

gymnut · Aug 31, 2010

I think in order for us to help you should let us know what exactly do you dislike about your current situation.

Are you overwhelmed? Do you not like the work? Are your co-workers lazy? Evil supervisors? Bad scheduling? Crap facility? What makes you specifically say "I don't want to be a nurse!"?

Also remember that being an RN is NOT like being a CNA. I know my friend was a CNA before she became an RN and hated every minute of it and wanted to quit and go be a vet tech. She plowed on though and now loves, loves LOVES being an RN! I also have another friend who wanted to be an RN but loved being a CNA so much she just stuck with that!

fuzzywuzzy, CNA · Aug 31, 2010

I don't want to be a nurse anymore. I never had any interest in working in a hospital- I only want to deal with elderly. I thought about becoming a nurse a while ago because there's no way i want to make these crappy CNA wages the rest of my life. But the nurses where I work push pills at warp speed twice a day with a mountain of paperwork immediately following. That's not something I want to do. Plus they have to work every other weekend, just like us. So I decided to do PT. They look like they actually enjoy their jobs, they get to spend actual time with the residents and they're not as stressed- plus they apparently can do no wrong. The nurses and CNAs get yelled at for everything but therapy is like the star of the nursing home.

emily_ganshert · Aug 31, 2010

I think in order for us to help you should let us know what exactly do you dislike about your current situation.
Are you overwhelmed? Do you not like the work? Are your co-workers lazy? Evil supervisors? Bad scheduling? Crap facility? What makes you specifically say "I don't want to be a nurse!"?
Also remember that being an RN is NOT like being a CNA. I know my friend was a CNA before she became an RN and hated every minute of it and wanted to quit and go be a vet tech. She plowed on though and now loves, loves LOVES being an RN! I also have another friend who wanted to be an RN but loved being a CNA so much she just stuck with that!

I AM overwhelmed, yes. I only had four days of orientation before they put me on the floor by myself with 12 residents. Luckily, I asked for more orientation today and my boss said that was fine. I just felt like it was too much, too soon, and my schooling was over a year ago, and very inadequate, in my opinion. So hopefully things will look up...

Thank you for adding that last part about your friend; that's very encouraging :)

fuzzywuzzy, CNA · Sep 1, 2010

It's normal to hate it when you're new. i think everyone does. Once you get into the swing of things you may like it.

jjjoy, LPN · Sep 1, 2010

Give it some time before coming to any conclusions. It's not uncommon in many health care settings to get a very short orientation and then "sink-or-swim" and "learn-on-the-job" - so the first weeks or months can be really disheartening as you struggle with what exactly you need to do and how to do it effectively and efficiently. If you can get through the first weeks or months, survive them day by day with patient safety as your primary concern, then one day you'll be at work and realizing that you actually feel like you know what you're doing and that you're doing a good job given the heavy workload one often has. Then, you may actually start to have a little more time to interact with patients, to get a little extra information, to observe the nurses and ask questions. But the first weeks or months may be just a matter of getting through the day. It's uncomfortable and stressful, but normal.

Music in My Heart · Sep 1, 2010

Based on my CNA training, I would hate being a CNA but I like being a nurse.

amy874 · Sep 1, 2010

I'm a new CNA, and about 3 months into my first job. When I read your title I thought that I could have very well written this post too! I took this route to get an idea of the health care field, to see if I really wanted to put the time and money into becoming a nurse. And I've decided no! I work in LTC, and yes all the nurses do is push pills, and fill out tons of paperwork. Yes I know there are other aspects of nursing, but I've realized that I wouldn't work well under that kind of pressure. I feel enough pressure trying to get all my residents cared for properly and in bed when they want to be, I can't imagine actually having someones life in my hands. Giving residents/patients medication worries me too, what if I missed something and gave the wrong thing, or didn't catch that the new prescription might not go with the current meds.

It's also a bummer always working every other weekend, and knowing that I will have to work on many holidays. I would like to have a family one day, so I need to think about that.

I went into being a CNA wanting to help people and feel like I'm doing something beneficial to humanity. I know that I am accomplishing that, but I also feel quite jaded by the work load, and the constant bell ringers. I always thought of myself as a sweet go-for type person, maybe it's helping me to turn over a new leaf in life.

Through this experience I have decided I still want to help people. But I think I may take a more alternative medicine route. I believe our bodies are so amazing, and would like to learn more about the truly holistic aspect of things. I know there is definitely a time and place for medications, but I feel like we jump too quickly into them. It would be nice to learn more natural ways to deal with different ailments.

Sorry for the long post, I guess I needed to vent.

Poi Dog · Sep 1, 2010

If anything, being a CNA has kindled my fire to become an RN.

emily_ganshert · Sep 1, 2010

If anything, being a CNA has kindled my fire to become an RN.

Really? How so? I'd really like to hear your experience!

gymnut · Sep 1, 2010

I AM overwhelmed, yes. I only had four days of orientation before they put me on the floor by myself with 12 residents. Luckily, I asked for more orientation today and my boss said that was fine. I just felt like it was too much, too soon, and my schooling was over a year ago, and very inadequate, in my opinion. So hopefully things will look up...
Thank you for adding that last part about your friend; that's very encouraging :)

Good for you that you asked for more orientation! Never EVER be afraid to ask for help especially when you feel overwhelmed or are unsure of something.

As a former supervisor I get really annoyed when places don't offer adequate training and then expect you to know everything. I have trained a lot people and was very thorough in doing so. I didn't care how many questions you asked or how many times you needed to be shown something I was right there by your side helping you. I know I will foolishly expect that when it comes time for my training but hopefully I'll get lucky and get a person with a strong work ethic.

jb2u, ASN, RN · Sep 1, 2010

You can't really know if you will like "nursing" by being a cna due to the fact that there are many types of "nursing." You may not like LTC nursing or bedside nursing, but you may love being a nurse in the ER. Being a cna helped me know that I did not want to work as a RN in LTC or floor nursing. Of course, if you look at this website, you will see that there are many, many possibilities in nursing. The question is "why do you think that you want to be a nurse"? Know your reason why you want what you want. That will help you more than being a cna. I hope that makes sense.