Can u be a good nurse if you've never worked as a CNA?

[retour_divin]

I just had a bad clinical day. The nurse whose patient I was assigned to thought it was awful that the nursing school allowed those who had not worked as CNAs to be in the program. She thought it was unfair to the students, the nurses and the patients for inexperienced students to be anywhere near them. I'm one of the few in my class who's not worked as a CNA though I've gone through the class and have state licensure. After today I began to think about exiting the program with my LPN in a few weeks and getting experience for a year or so before returning to school for my RN.

Is it irresponsible of me to go for my RN when I've never worked as a CNA? Or am I overreacting to her criticism? To date I've gotten good grades in both clinical and lecture, my clinical write-ups have always been positive... Thoughts?

[nurse4theplanet, RN]

:angryfire

WHAT AN ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS THING TO SAY!!!!

:angryfire

Talk about one judgemental pessimistic oppinionated nurse...maybe SHE started out as a CNA but that doesn't MAKE it a PRE-REQ now does it:uhoh3:

CNAs are fantastic, but guess what...you will have plenty of experience doing what they do while you are in clinicals, but you learn sooooo much more.

And you think you will drop out of the RN program to do LPN instead because ONE nurse told you that you should have been a CNA first?!?!?!?!?

That is just silly. Tell that nurse that you have set high standards for yourself and you would appreciate it if she quit analyzing your educational path and showed you what you needed to do next for your patient. The only danger that existed for your patient is that your nurse didn't WANT to teach you appropriate patient care because she disapprove of your personal choices. That's what I would have said...and I am normally a VERY even tempered, diplomatic person...

SHEESH...this has got me all fired up!:angryfire

[DusktilDawn]

I just had a bad clinical day. The nurse whose patient I was assigned to thought it was awful that the nursing school allowed those who had not worked as CNAs to be in the program. She thought it was unfair to the students, the nurses and the patients for inexperienced students to be anywhere near them. I'm one of the few in my class who's not worked as a CNA though I've gone through the class and have state licensure. After today I began to think about exiting the program with my LPN in a few weeks and getting experience for a year or so before returning to school for my RN.

Is it irresponsible of me to go for my RN when I've never worked as a CNA? Or am I overreacting to her criticism? To date I've gotten good grades in both clinical and lecture, my clinical write-ups have always been positive... Thoughts?

That's just HER opinion. No I don't think your being irresponsible, you did learn basic patient care, did you not? Do not all CNAs start out inexperienced with patients until they've had their first job as a CNA? No I don't think being a CNA needs to be a pre-requisite for becoming a nurse. I never worked as a an NA prior to becoming an RPN/LPN and I don't feel it hurt me one bit. I had excellent instructors and I know that what I learned as an RPN first semester (bed baths, body mechanics, ROM, VS, etc) was exactly what the RN students were being taught. I've seen nurses who have been CNAs treat them like crap once they become a nurse. Having been an RPN/LPN certainly made a lot of things easier when I went back to become an RN, but there was still things about being an RN that I just didn't know. There have also been things I've learned from past jobs, long before becoming involved in nursing that I apply today. My sister was a pharmacy tech prior to becoming an RN, what she learned from that she certainly found useful as a nursing student and as an RN. A former co-worker was an RT, she also brought her knowledge forward when she became an RN. Past experience in a health care profession may be beneficial, but it is not the end all and be all. I've worked with many excellent nurses who have had zippo experience with health care prior to becoming a nurse.

James Huffman

"Some have recommended being a CNA to see if you like nursing. That's not a bad idea (I did it) but being a CNA is not being a nurse, and as a nurse, one deals with a whole different set of priorities and problems...

Working as a CNA is a good, useful, and valuable career. But it's not professional nursing. There are components of being an RN that are done by CNAs. But nursing -- like any other professional field -- is the business of putting together all of those parts into a theory-driven practice.

Well put James. I've also seen former CNAs who will now tell you that they had no idea what nurses really did, what they responsible for, or how hard the job really was. Basically it's about having respect for the all roles (CNA, housekeeping, clerks, etc) within a facility, and it goes both ways.

[michelle54]

I agree with NickyLea. I was in the business world for 20 years before becoming a nurse, and worked as an aide per diem for four months prior to becoming an RN. Big deal ... it did help a bit, but you bring alot more to the table with your other "outside the field of healthcare" skills. In the short run it may help, but after a year of seasoning as a nurse, you'll be up to snuff. Good luck!

[LilPeanut, MSN, RN, NP]

My university almost prefers you to not be an LPN/CNA, because of the total difference in skills and thought process needed, but the LPN/CNA might be more "set" in how they did things before and not as flexible to change to the nursing process.

I am a unit clerk and started before school to get used to the hospital setting and stuff, which I think has been a great help, but not a requirement by any means.