Does Having CNA Exp Help so Much in Nursing School?

canigraduate · Feb 1, 2011

It's helped a LOT so far. It will also help later when it's time to get a nursing job.

myty23 · Feb 1, 2011

I am graduating in May and just got a job as a PCT at a hospital. The manager and many other nurses have told me that in their experience nurses who were techs/CNA's before they were nurses have generally become better nurses and have a much better team approach to the job since they have been on the other side before. I'm sure it helps in nursing school too, but look even further down the road and it will help you in your job as a nurse also. Go for it!

mtnsandsky · Feb 2, 2011

Thanks,

I'm checking into a program that will begin in March. Then to find a job, sigh:rolleyes:

mtnsandsky

jjjoy, LPN · Feb 2, 2011

Absolutely necessary? No. Benefitial for many? Yes. Benefitial for you? Maybe. Best option for you? Let me check my crystal ball... (wish I had a crystal ball for myself, too!!)

For myself, in retrospect, more CNA experience would've been a good thing. I've since realized that when it comes to learning the type of skills required in nursing, I don't thrive with a steep learning curve. And nursing has a very steep learning curve! My working part-time as a nursing assistant while in nursing school was incredibly helpful to me in building confidence and simply getting repeat, mass exposure to patients and the clinical environment since student clinical rotations speed by in no time.

But in my imaginary "what if" world, I would've had a great CNA job that built skills and with nursing co-worker who would teach me. I could very well have become a CNA prior to nursing school and not have been able to land a job at all prior to starting nursing school. Or gotten a miserable job without much opportunity to learn and with mean, unhelpful co-workers who would've turned me off of nursing altogether!

Regardless, one doesn't become a CNA just for the money! Depending on your circumstance, it simply may not be a worthwhile investment for you if it's not required for acceptance to nursing school in your area.

NurseGuy30 · Feb 2, 2011

I worked as a CNA/unit secretary at a hospital for a year before I started nursing school. I have to say that it has helped me tremendously, mainly in knowing how to deal with patients--bedside manner, I think. Also, being a unit secretary was incredibly helpful because I knew the tests, procedures, etc., before they were brought up in the reading.

wishinguponastarLPN · Feb 2, 2011

For me becoming a CNA while in Nursing school has put me a step ahead most of my peers for a few reasons. One, I am a lot less akward with patients and procedures and my confidence.

But also because I already had a job waiting for me when I graduate in a few months. And so do all the other students who have worked as a CNA, PCT, Transporter, Phlebotomist, or ER TEch, Unit Secretary, ect.

I truly think that most students who have difficulty finding jobs after graduation are the students who didn't work in the health field during school. There aren't a lot of hospitals hiring right now, but they still need people and usually look internal first before hiring someone from the outside. If you are able to get into a facility that you like then it will be a whole lot easier on you to find a job when you graduate.

Good Luck!:heartbeat

P.S. I am mother of 2 children and took a pay cut to become a CNA because I knew it would set me up for a job once I graduated.

turnforthenurse, MSN, NP · Feb 2, 2011

I worked as a nursing assistant and now I work as a nurse tech (I was never "certified.") Both really helped me become more comfortable in the hospital environment and with patient interaction. It also helped me with the more basic nursing stuff that you learn your first year (morning care, vital signs, ADL's, patient transfers, I/O, etc).

As a tech, I can do everything the RN's/LPN's can do except for do assessments and pass meds, but of course there are "gray" areas. We're allowed to do dressing changes (including sterile, and my unit tends to get those big gaping wounds that need to be packed) and of course you always have to assess the wound when you're doing it and then document it.

For the most part on my job, I do vital signs, help patients with their needs and answer call lights. I also do blood draws/blood cultures as they're ordered, IV starts, foley caths, and dressing changes if they're needed. Sometimes if the nurses are really big they'll let me hang fluids, but just normal saline.

Overall, having NA/NT experience has helped me a lot in nursing school, especially with skills. I've done tons of IV's in nursing school, but few of anything else.

Nepenthe Sea · Feb 3, 2011

I never got my CNA. I worked in a grocery store as a cashier during my school breaks, and went on leave whenever school started back up. I did okay when I started clinicals, but I was really uncomfortable with the bathing and stuff. Last summer, as I was about to begin my second year of school, I got a tech job at one of the hospitals. I can say it has made a HUGE difference for me. I only work PRN, so I still don't work much while in school, but it's good experience, and I get paid well enough to make it worth my time. I am much more comfortable with my fundamental skills, and the nurses let me try new stuff sometimes. I also hopefully have my foot in the door for gettting a job when I graduate in May.

Somebody mentioned that some schools require that you be a CNA before you can even apply, and I can actually see the wisdom there. If you have some CNA experience you will have a better idea about whether or not nursing is for you before you go spend the time and money trying to get into a competitive program. I only wish I had been a tech longer, because it's been such a good experience for me.