Does anybody work as a CNA?

tookewlandy · May 28, 2006

I am a CNA to but the place i work at you dont even have to be certified. I work with people with Mental Retardation(MR) and Deveopmental Disabilites, i work full time and am currently taking pre req's but starting nursing in the fall. Ive had this job the whole entire time i have been taking classes and i have been taking no less than 11 credits a semester. But the good thing about my job is that the guys i take care of live in houses through out the community, and since i work in their house its basically gives me a lot of time to study, because there is downtime after dinner( i work the afternoon shift) and after i give them their showers and bath and put them to bed, so even at work i have at least 3 hours to study. If i were you i would try to work in home health or something, i know working at a nursing home or hospital probably dosent give you that much down time to study, but there are plenty of jobs for CNA's in home health.

AuntieRN · May 28, 2006

I work as a Tech (cna) at the hospital. I work 2 12's on Fri and Sat night shift only. That leaves me the rest of the week to attend classes and study. I also usually have some down time at work when I can study. I used to work in a LTC. There was never any down time to study. I like the hospital much better. Good luck in your adventures.

karmyk · May 29, 2006

I work full time as a CNA at the moment... but I already finished my science prereqs that require labs. Right now, I'm just taking online classes, so it isn't too difficult to fit things around my work schedule. At work, there's very, VERY little down time... and it seems like if family members see you even trying to catch my breath for maybe a minute or two, they start complaining about it. =(

I took my science (a&p, micro, etc.) prereqs doing a full-time college load while I was working full time as an officer in the military.. even during the last few years while I ran our help desk... what a nightmare! I had to ask to be excused out of class to answer phone calls from my commander because he was angry about little things like his e-mail or web browser not working.... But it was manageable. I didn't sleep much, though... and what made it somewhat difficult to deal with was the mandatory runs we did every other day. It was tough... but I made it through...

...but CNA work involves a lot of heavy lifting, and it can get dangerous if you're doing it while you're not that alert AND extremely tired... if you really need to do some prereqs this year while working, try to do the "fuzzy" prereqs as online classes (as much as online classes suck)... that might be easier to work out. Then... once you're more confident about how to work around your full-time schedule, you can try to ease in the other, more intense classes.

Good luck!!!

tookewlandy · May 29, 2006

But just make sure you learn all the info you can from you rpre req's, so that when you get accpeted to NUrsing school you can think back on the information that you learned in lets say, Psychology and A&P and use it in Nursing school and When you graduate. I can see now why nursing has the pre req's that it has, it all comes together.

adamsmom · May 29, 2006

I work as a cna at a ltc facility. I work 6:30p-7a fri and sat. I also have a small part time job at a vet. I think if you work during the day see if you can find a college that has nite classes. Last year I had a chem class one nite a week from 6-10pm.

If you really want it you can do it.

Good luck

BeccaznRN, RN · May 30, 2006

I worked as a tech while in nursing school - it's very difficult to keep pace depending on how many hours you work and your course load. However, most facilities are VERY understanding of the demands of nursing school and are more than willing to work with nursing students (given the nursing shortage). Working as a tech or a CNA will give you very valuable experience in the field before you even have your RN license, so if you can successfully work part-time and attend school I say go for it. I did more things at work than I would have ever got to do in clinicals (blood draws, catheters, etc).

LoriAlabamaRN · May 30, 2006

While I was in nursing school I worked the 11-7 shift as a CNA at a local hospital. Had I known then what I know now, I would have worked at a nursing home. Much slower pace, more time to study.

Good luck!

Brazilian · May 30, 2006

I work as a Medication Aid, 24 to 30 hours a week and take pre-requisites at a local Community College. It's been hard. There's no much time left for mysef and the things I like to do. Sometimes not even time to do my nails. But I keep going.

One thing:I try to eat healthy, take vitamin suplements, sleep as much as I can and do outdoor activities at least 2 hours a week. It works like a boost for me.

Some of my friends have been very helpfull... they empower me all the time. Some of them tell me I'm crazy... I ignore them (smiles). I'm just following my dreams, they are not doing anything for their dream to come true!

My husband has been supporting me, it's very important. Otherwise, I think the marriage would be in trouble... there's not much time left for "doing things together" as well.

My employer is very very very suportive. We manage my schedule around my needs and, of course, their needs too. I'm glad to work for this company.

Let's keep moving! Let's make the dream come true!

lovingtheunloved, ASN, RN · May 31, 2006

I work full time at a NH, and had a full-time class load this past semester. All I can say is, it's freaking HARD! You have to be very disciplined, and be prepared to have no life.

TBird81 · May 31, 2006

In all of the CNA jobs I've had my employers have ALWAYS supported the continuation of my school. I believe this has to do with the fact that they want you to stay on board with them when you complete...makes since