Emt or cna..which is better route?

zoe92 · Mar 12, 2013

Theres a thread further down on the pre nursing page that addresses this same question. I would look there for answers.

emily12345 · Mar 12, 2013

I know I just realized that after posting it but I couldn't find my answer if its still possible to work as either cna or emt and still mange to get good grades.

hodgieRN · Mar 12, 2013

Becoming an EMT won't increase your chance of failing. I was neither a CNA or an EMT before nursing school. Nursing school is going to give you all the info needed to pass. Besides, I have some personal opinions on how much a CNA job actually prepares you for school. Sure, you will be able to change bedsheets, do draw blood, or get blood sugars, but you are going to learn that in the first month at school. There's nothing really that can prepare you that much. CNA's get worked to the bone. Many places don't even allow CNA's to study at work and many people are under the assumption that CNA's are given that opportunity across the board. Not true. They want you working. If you are drowning at work, you definitely won't have time to shadow nurses as much as you think.

But, CNA's aren't limited to nursing homes. I would say a huge portion of them work in the hospital. Where I work, we don't have CNA's. We have PCT's (patient care techs)and they can work anywhere in the hospital, including the ER. I don't think we hire that many EMT's. In the ER, we mainly have nurses, paramedics, and PCT's.

You can work while in school if you wish. Most people have to work during school b/c they don't have a choice. It will basically come down to how much time you need to study. I don't think there is anything wrong with working as a waitress while in school. Do what ever gives you the most time to study. That's what I did and I am glad. My girlfriend at the time was also a waitress during nursing school. Her hrs were more flexible verses getting her butt kicked as a tech for 12 hrs. I picked a job that allowed me to study at work. However, if your are a tech, you may be able to get your foot in the door for a job.

Do what you want to do. I don't think one is better than the other. There is another thread that talks about this and many said to work as a CNA, but it really depends on you. I am biased toward not being a CNA because that's what I did. Other people may be biased toward being a CNA because that's what they did. Do what makes you happy and do whatever will give you time to study and be successful in school. Find out what hospital you want to work at and ask if they hire EMT's or PCT's. That might give you the answer you need.

Keep_Calm · Mar 12, 2013

Find out what hospital you want to work at and ask if they hire EMT's or PCT's. That might give you the answer you need.

^this

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · Mar 13, 2013

If you're looking to become a Nurse, go to nursing school. It'll teach you what you need to know to START in the field of nursing. Becoming an EMT won't hurt you much, but it won't help you much either. Being a CNA will help you with certain very basic skills of nursing, but it won't teach you the critical thinking part of being a nurse. Becoming a Paramedic will teach you critical thinking skills, but you'll be using a different model of thinking to arrive at your decisions. You'd do most of the same skills, so you'd be OK there, but the cost and time investment to become a Paramedic would be about the same as getting through part of nursing school, so don't go that far down the EMT road if RN is your goal.

The problem with either is that you'll likely have little time for studying. Your bosses will want to have you moving for the entire shift, so they can get as much work out of you while you're there. The only time I ever got any good studying in while working as an EMT was when I was doing a stand-by of some sort because I had to be there physically and available. Otherwise, I rarely had time to open the books. In my current job, I have time to study while working, and they're OK with it as long as nothing impacts my job performance, so I actually lucked out most greatly with my job.

My suggestion is simple: do what you feel will benefit you the most, but make sure that your job will allow enough flexibility to continue with schooling with minimal disruption.

In my case, I never did do CNA. I learned what I needed in the first semester of school, and then some. My EMT/Paramedic skills do come in handy, but I have to shelve the thinking process because it's NOT nursing, and some of those skills are not in my scope of practice while going to school. So I have to be VERY careful about what I do.

Fireman767 · Mar 13, 2013

Ive been an EMT for some time as well as a nursing student. Ive found that during my semester breaks looking for jobs is easier for CNAs, however most employers wont hire someone who will only work for 3 months and then leave for college again. Where as EMTs are generally understood to leave for classes and most employers understand their gaps in working. EMTs can also volunteer with ambulances and EMS services, which will see more diverse work. So between the two which is better, Id say the volunteering as an EMT will help more because theres diversity in EMT actions and calls they respond to.

If your still on the border, Most places (ER rooms and Med-Surg floors) will hire an EMT as a "student trained Aide" or "patient care tech", positions that are unlicensed to do the same thing, since to be honest, most of the things a CNA does, an EMT can do. Anything specialized usually an EMT can be taught in the workplace since they understand the basic principles of infection control, nonmalificence and such. And with EMS you will develop whats called the EMS sense, a clinical judgement where you take in all the data and make a judgement of the situation, it helps amazingly in assessing patients in class.

Music in My Heart · Mar 14, 2013

I'm an ER nurse at a level 1 trauma center. We have no CNAs; our techs are EMTs or paramedics.

I did both EMT and CNA and I can't really recommend the latter. It's a role that's very helpful to the floor nurses but not of much use in preparing one to be a nurse.

The preceding is my opinion only and one which is routinely flamed by other members of this site so take it for what little it's worth.