Former CNAs who are now nurses

[emmasma]

Money aside

Which job do you like better?

Which is harder?

I am a CNA preparing to enter nursing school. I want a better income, but am alittle nervous because I really enjoy my job. I can work hard and like to take care of my people, and I hate paperwork.

The nurses always seem even more under staffed and stressed than us. This scares me some because I work to my absolute limit sometimes and still end up having to cut corners. Even though I am capable, and efficient; I feel that I might not be able to do it.

Did anyone else feel this way?

[catshowlady]

I would say that the stress is different, not more or less. As a PCT, I was responsible for a lot of physical tasks for a lot of pts. That was stressful, and physically hard. As an RN, I am responsible for a lot of somewhat-less-physical tasks for fewer people. Med passes are not as physically hard as a bunch of baths, but I'm still on my feet all the time, and I still help bathe and clean incontinence on my pts.

There is an added level of responsibility when you are the nurse vs. the aid. When I was the aid, if there was a problem, I would defer to the nurse. When you are the nurse, the buck stops with you (although if you are in a supportive unit you can always find help/guidance from colleagues & people like your charge nurse or nurse supervisor).

I enjoy being a nurse so much more than being a PCT, although my PCT experience was invaluable. It's hard to put my finger on why. I like pt education, which I get to do more of now. I like problem-solving, which I get to do plenty of now. It's not a lot of repetitive stuff (vitals, baths, OOB, toileting), meaning I have the opportunity to learn more every day.

I'm not saying you must become a nurse, only you can decide what's right for you. But I'm glad I did. I don't dread going to work like I did when I was a PCT. And I know you specifically wanted to discount pay, but the paycheck's a lot better.

:paw:

[springfieldrn]

I was a CNA for 15 years before I got my RN. I find it equally rewarding and challenging in a different way. There are times I long for the days that all I had to worry about were ADL's. I missed that when I became an LPN then RN but the rewards are just different. It is my experience that being a CNA prior to being a nurse gave me a boost in confidence and the skills I developed as a CNA have been invaluable in my practice as a nurse.

Good Luck with school.

[guislander]

I guess I would say, CNAs/PCTs spend much more time directly with the patients. Nurses do spend a lot of time on paperwork. also, nurses have the added responsiblity. But I would not go back even if I could. Nurses have a huge amount of variety to choose from. CNAs don't have very much. It's just ADLs whether in the hospital, nursing home or in a home care situation. It's up to you to decide what balance you can live with.

[locolorenzo22, BSN, RN]

I did...was a CNA on the same floor that i work on now...did it for 3 years. It took some getting used to. I'm responsible for more with less patients...usually about 5-6 things. sometimes my nights are easy..sometimes they're rough. I'm not above changing someone, taking them to the bathroom, or doing whatever I can to help..

some nights I'm just swamped with extra things and admits coming, and can't help delegating the things I can't do at that moment.

I try to get my charting done asap, and then just as needed. Then I try to make sure I have everything I need to do something with a patient so I don't have to come back in again.

it depends...but if you have the confidence in yourself to give great care and meet your patient needs, you can do it!