Has anyone regretted their decision on becoming a CNA?

justme01 · Jun 20, 2009

Before you invest your hard earned cash you may want to volunteer at the nursing home to get a feel for things. Another way to test the waters is to pick up some part time work with a home health agency.

nkara, CNA · Jun 20, 2009

No I don't regret it at all... but I work in a hospital. I started in LTC and home health and it's a whole different world in all of them... I would say try it out like the previous poster said.

tishirajan · Jun 20, 2009

I've never regretted a single minute. I've learned so much about myself and about other people. This will help me as I go into nursing school.

Take the advice of the others and volunteer and try it out to see if you like it. It's hard work but IMHO it's so worth it. When you can make the difference in the life of someone all the BS you may have had to deal with becomes so insignificant. Even when you're elbow deep in poo it's worth it.

Check out your options and see how you like it. Let us know what you decide!

fuzzywuzzy, CNA · Jun 20, 2009

Nope. I enjoy it. Besides, I only spent $800 and 3 months to become one, rather than thousands of dollars and 3+ years it takes to become a nurse. So it's not like a had a lot of time and money wasted if it turned out I didn't like it. I've been employed for a year and I think at this point if I quit to go work at McDonald's or something the course would not have been a waste.

KimberlyRN89, BSN, RN · Jun 20, 2009

For a moment I did b/c it was just so hard to find a job But looking back on it, I understand why b/c after all it is a recession so its really competitive out here right now. I enjoy what I do tremendously & it feels good to know you make a difference in someone's life.

dblpn · Jun 20, 2009

Wondering if anyone has regretted becoming a CNA? Ive been thinking about doing this over a looonnnngggg period of time. Now its just a matter of saving up some money to do it. I love elderly people and would enjoy helping them. Im just wondering if I can cut it.....need some encourgment. (sorry about bad spelling)

Before you decide to invest time and money why don't you get a job in a LTC facility to see how it is. that's what i did when i first started out. it is hard work but very rewarding you will get attached to residents. if LTC isn't right for you, there are other places that you can apply like hospitals, rehad centers, assistive living where they pretty much do for themselves. lots of places hire those without experience so just check around.

Good luck

kiss04bam · Jun 22, 2009

Do you I would benefit by shadowing a CNA for a day or so?

sunflower777 · Jun 22, 2009

Hi There! I don't think that you will regret it.. :nono: ..My aunt has her BSN and she started out as a CNA for 5 years and she swears that it has made her a better nurse...do it with no regrets, you will see the results in the end..its worth it from what I was told...I gotta get my feet wet too!

Girl Scout · Jun 22, 2009

I understand the feelings, you might be wondering if it's right, you might feel overwhelmed, you might feel nervous or scared that you can't handle it.

Well, I'm here to tell you that it's possible. You don't have to work in LTC forever. In fact, a lot of hospitals are so desperate for nursing aides that they're starting to take CNAs with 6 months instead of a year of experience in LTC.

That said, though, some people do have a knack for giving care to other people, and some don't. If you find that the LTC work isn't something you can do because it's rough emotionally or physically for you, then all you have to do is find a job somewhere else. You can keep looking for a CNA job in a different area of health, or you can just do something else altogether. Nobody says you must now only be a CNA because you are a CNA. But you can have the CNA cert. and always know that as long as you keep it current, you can go to work.

As for the school work, my classes have been spread over 5 weeks and still that's not enough time to go over every single thing, but with a little bit of studying every day, and practicing on your skills, you will pull through. It's a challenge, but you will be amazed at the end of it of everything that you know now.

ohiogyrl · Jun 22, 2009

I don't regret it at all. =)

kiss04bam · Jun 23, 2009

I just found a position for an assisted living nursing assistant, no certification is required, Performs various resident care activities and related basic hygiene tasks necessary in caring for the personal needs and comfort of residents. And its part time. Maybe I should check this out before becoming a CNA.