Get CNA while waiting for Nursing School?

[1940apron]

I'm new to allnurses...I own a lumber company but have dreamed of nursing for 10 years. I have a BS in Dietetics but it's 20 years old. I'm starting prereq's in January.

I have no health care experience. I've heard a few of you suggest getting a CNA certification for the experience and I've been thinking of doing that...our waiting list in Dayton, OH is about 1 1/2 years after prereq's are completed!

What do you think?

[RaeF]

I found that being a CNA was very helpful for the first two semesters, and after that it kind of balanced out. Still, there are some things at school that I'm able to grasp better than my friend who works in an office. I say if you have the time to do it, go ahead. But if you hate it, don't let it discourage you from nursing school. Being a CNA is completely different than being an RN, so don't let it slow you down.

[CrunchyMama, ASN, RN]

I think being a CNA is helpful but not necessary. IMO though I wouldn't spend the money to become certified though...or waste the time. Good luck!!

[That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

It is a requirement at my school. I think that if you are a CNA and work it before hand, you tend to have a little more respect for the ones you work with when you are an RN.

[PiedPiperRN]

I strongly recommend being a CNA for a while. Everything that you learn in the class will be useful to you as a nurse. In addition, I think that it is more important to work (not just be certified) as a CNA, espeically if you can get a job in a hospital. It is a great way to make money while in school while getting valuable experience. I have been a CNA for two years in the hospital setting. If you work with some cool nurses, they will even explain things to you and help you learn. (I get dragged into rooms almost daily to watch stuff like staple removals, tupe placements, and diagnostic tests.)

I agree with RaeF that CNA work sort of stops being useful after two semesters, but if you are going to be spending a while in prereqs, then the CNA will be a great way to help you decide if nursing is what you want to do. I know a lot of nurse wanna-be's who started as CNA's and quit the whole thing altogether after a few months, realzing that nursing is not for them. (I have to admit that I do not think that I would have gone through nursing had I been a CNA for a year, I think that I would have become a PA. Now that I am almost done, I am going to get my RN but look forward to a NP certification.)

The only exception to that last peice of advice is if the only CNA work you can find is in a nursing home. Nursing home nursing requires a very, VERY, special type of nurse (I could never do it) and I would not recommend basing your nursing career on what you see in these settings. (Or maybe you will like it!)