Did CNA work help in nursing school?

dannyc12 · Jan 12, 2010

I'm live in Atlanta, GA where the job market is great if you're in the healthcare industry. That's if you have experience of course. I don't have experience at all. Do any of you CNAs feel like your previous work experience has helped you at all while trying to earn your BSN? I guess what I'm trying to ask is...is it worth getting your CNA at all? Do you feel like it was a waste? If so, why? If not, then what college/nursing school did you go to after you became a CNA?

Experience as a CNA was extremely helpful during my first clinical experience. A few of my non-CNA classmates were struggling to tears with just interacting with a patient, let alone getting them cleaned, dressed and off to breakfast. Meanwhile, the experienced students were able to build on CNA skills by focusing on our actual assignments instead of trying to figure out how to change briefs.

I cannot imagine going through first semester clinical without CNA experience. My program requires you have a CNA cert, but not that you had any experience.

Further, my year working as a CNA in a nursing home has paid off with a recent hospital job offer and 36% increase in pay. More good experience and better able to pay the bills while in nursing school.

HighNursingGoals · Jan 12, 2010

Thanks DannyC12. I really appreciate your honesty. I'm all about getting ahead and making my life easier. I just hope I can become a CNA before I start my pre-reqs for the ADN program I'm interested in. You've been a great help.

Thanks Again

Bug Out, BSN · Jan 12, 2010

My CNA experience was both a detriment and an aid to me in Nursing school.

My CNA experience was extremely helpful in clinicals. I was well prepared and comfortable with interacting with patients, Nurses, and Docs. I had a familiarity of basic procedures and knew my way around a hospital. It helped we bridge the transition from a classroom student to a hand on student.

The bad part of being a CNA prior to Nursing school is you have expectations, bad habits, and wrong ideas when going through school. The problem is that school is teaching you the right way to do things, not necessarily the real world of doing things. This is something that you have to fight with during school. You are trained to think like a CNA, Nursing school has to first break down that thinking before it can build Registered Nurse thinking. A layman has no expectations or prior knowledge so is much more accepting of the Nursing school.

Overall I would say the benefits of being a CNA far outweigh the negatives.

missy--kay · Jan 12, 2010

I am in my last semester of the RN program, and REALLY wish that I had CNA experience. Our program required us to get the licence, but not have experience. I really, really wish I had. You can really tell the students with the CNA experience from those without.

R.NICU · Jan 12, 2010

I started working as a texh after 1st semester and it helped with school tremendously. Before working as a tech, I was tired of working with patients and going into rooms with family members. Now, I'm more than comfortable with patient and family interaction. I work in a rehab hospital and working there helped with certain lectures in school since I'd been exposed to those health alterations at work. I believe being a CNA or tech is invaluable experience prior to becoming a nurse. You will have those skills down by the time you get your LPN or RN, and can focus more on drugs, assessments, treatments, and so on....

slacktime · Jan 12, 2010

i just graduated from adn program. cna was prerequisite to getting accepted to our program. instructors thought this prerequisite was questionable so they asked graduating rns, all of them thought cna training was worth the time and expense. on this advice, it is now a prerequisite. i don't know if this reduced the number of students washing out or contributed to our success in any objectively measured way. since we all had some bedside experience, i think we were all competent students on day one of clinicals (week 2 of the first semester).

HighNursingGoals · Jan 12, 2010

I'm working on finding a CNA program right now. Thanks again.

rachelgeorgina · Jan 13, 2010

In Australia you don't need to do a course to be a CNA if you're a nursing student. I worked first in a nursing home and now with disabled kids. That, combined with my personal experience with hospitals (family members etc) didn't look good for me on clinicals. My facilitator and the nursing staff thought I knew to much for someone at my level... Apparently it doesn't look good to "show off" what you know.