Going into nursing school without any experience?

bsnprg · Jan 12, 2015

$ and time were the same reasons why I didn't have any CNA experience.

I suggest taking that class and getting an aid job in any facility with job openings... There are so many CNA positions available and should be easy to get one.

I think ur $600 will payoff!

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brillohead, ADN, RN · Jan 12, 2015

In my area, you can get a Patient Care Tech job if you're a nursing student who has completed the first semester of Med-Surg clinicals, at which point you already have WAY more training than a CNA license/certificate would give you. PCTs perform the same job duties as a CNA in most facilities.

Bonus -- if you're working as a PCT, you may qualify for tuition reimbursement, and if you're a halfway decent employee, you may be all but guaranteed a nursing job after graduation.

I didn't have any healthcare experience when I started nursing school, and I'm doing just fine.

Raviepoo · Jan 12, 2015

$600 is an awful lot to pay for a CNA program. In my area there are nursing homes that will give you the training for free, in return for working for them for a set length of time. You might be able to find something like that in your area.

No, it does not matter whether you have experience, as long as you pass your classes and pass NCLEX. In my class, one of the most experienced people failed the final exam and many others with zero experience passed. You are going to school to learn, not to show off what you already know

That said, becoming an employee of a hospital system (in any capacity) would be a smart thing for you to do while in school. As an internal applicant you will have a much easier time getting your first nursing job.

firstinfamily, RN · Jan 13, 2015

I also did not have any healthcare experience when I attended nursing college. I graduated in 1981 with my ADN and found work in a hospital about 2 weeks after graduation. However, times are different now. Your $600 would most likely be well spent, as you would be able to get that in return from your earnings, and you would have some experience that would look good on a resume. The skills as far as providing basic patient care would benefit you in nursing school, but really is not required to be successful in nursing school. Most BSN programs try to gear their students into higher positions that may move them away from the bedside, usually most new nurses start at the bedside. I agree with the above posts, the experience as a CNA would benefit you but is not required to be successful in nursing college, having any position with a healthcare organization will make you more eligible for future positions. It is difficult to work while going to nursing college and it would benefit you to concentrate on your studies and clinical experiences instead of combining work and college. Good Luck!!!

Nienna Celebrindal · Jan 13, 2015

You don't have too. I do however think it's a great idea! It's good experience. Or look at your local hospitals and see if they will hire you as a CNA or student nurse once you are done with so many classes. Many near me do.

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Jan 13, 2015

I, as well as all of my classmates, entered nursing school directly out of high school so my only "healthcare" experience was volunteering at the hospital in my town doing things like delivering lab specimens in coolers (in the 90s before pneumatic tube systems) and finding wheelchairs that were strewn about the hospital. I wouldn't spend the money on a CNA certificate, you can work as an aide once you've completed your first semester of clinical without any certification.

Not_A_Hat_Person, RN · Jan 13, 2015

When I was a nursing student, in Boston, no one would consider me for a CNA position without a CNA certificate.

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · Jan 13, 2015

So I'm planning on attending a state university nursing program this fall, and I'm a bit nervous because I have no prior healthcare experience! I'm worried that when I graduate this will make it difficult to get a job considering my most relevant work experience is childcare experience, and I want to be as prepared as possible for nursing school. I was planning on possibly getting my CNA license after I'm done with classes this quarter since I'll have ~6 months of nothing to do but work. However, it's about $600, and I should be saving money for school. I'm not sure I'd be able to get a job in this area before I go off to nursing school anyways. Does anyone have any advice? Should I volunteer? Get my CNA license? Or will it not make much of a difference?

Getting your CNA for $600 probably wouldn't be a bad thing at all. If anything, you would have already learned some things about the very basic stuff that nurses do. If you're struggling with finances, you may be able to challenge the CNA certification after your 1st semester of nursing is complete... typically the "fundamentals" semester. What I would suggest that you do, if possible, is find a position in a hospital and see if you like the work environment there. They can make things seem good and rosy to students, but trust me, they can't hide stuff from new employees for long.

Volunteering is one way to get your face known, but if you're an employee somewhere, you usually have an advantage over others in that you'll see job postings before the rest of the world sees them. If they were to post some new grad RN positions and there were some new grads there that were working as clerks or something, guess what? They've got the opportunity to apply for those jobs before anyone else does and they'll likely already be "known quantities" there as well so they get hired for those positions... leaving the rest of us to scramble and compete for the scraps.

HumbleB9 · Jan 13, 2015

The CNA program from where I'm is a fee of $699!

I was wondering should I get my CNA or wait for something while in nursing school?

What year in nursing school can you be eiligble to be a student aide?

:)

windsurfer8, BSN, RN · Jan 13, 2015

I was a helicopter crew chief in the military before I started nursing school. Zero nursing experience. No worries. It is more about not being lazy..you don't have to know everything just put max effort in and people will help you. I have met nurses with years of experience who are lazy as hell. Just work as hard as you can everyday and it will all fall into place.

brillohead, ADN, RN · Jan 13, 2015

The CNA program from where I'm is a fee of $699!
I was wondering should I get my CNA or wait for something while in nursing school?
What year in nursing school can you be eiligble to be a student aide?
:)

Call and ask the hospitals/nursing homes in your area -- this is a facility decision, not a law/rule.

In my area's facilities, if you have completed Med-Surg I (which is typically the next class you take after Fundamentals), you can work as a "tech" which has basically the same scope of practice as a CNA in a hospital.

I was in a part-time program (basically one class per semester, compared to the full-time program's two classes per semester), so I would have been eligible to work as a tech after my second semester. In the full-time program, they take Fundamentals in the first half of the first semester and Med-Surg I in the second half of the first semester, so they would have been eligible to work as a tech after completing the first semester of nursing school.

If you're still in the pre-requisite portion of your education and won't actually be in the official nursing program for another year or two, investing in the CNA course/certificate makes sense -- that way you can be earning money AND getting a foot in the door well in advance of even starting nursing school. But if you're already in the actual nursing program (and assuming that facilities in your area offer the "tech" position to student nurses), I would just wait until the end of the Med-Surg I semester and start working as a tech then.