Help a new kid.

truern · Jul 7, 2006

Wade, I wish somebody had told me to be a CNA before I started nursing school. You'll have an advantage over some of the other students because talking to patients, and heaven forbid, touching them will be second nature to you :)

Good luck to you...and happy nursing

moongirl · Jul 7, 2006

Not to wait till I was 37 to go back to school~~ !

you are on the right track! I think being a CNA is an awesome way to get started. Its great that at 17 you know what you want to do! Bravo!:balloons:

TZRNER · Jul 7, 2006

My advise would be the CNA class also ALOT of people going into nursing do not know what a nurse does. My nursing class started with 100 and ony 38 graduated all of which passed NCLEX. It takes alot of hard work. It's not always fun and clean, but to help a sick person is so rewarding!

leslie :-D · Jul 7, 2006

hi wade,

kudos to you, for reaching out and following your dream.

(i have this maternal instinct to noogie your head). :)

do you have specific questions or concerns?

i know many of us here would be more than happy to help you.

leslie

burn out · Jul 7, 2006

I wish that someone would have told me that bedside nursing is not somethng you can plan on retiring from because your body just will not hold up to it. You will need to plan on a different type of nursing to retire from other than bedside nursing.

Someday-C.R.N.A. · Jul 7, 2006

Hey Wade. :groupwelcome:

I wish I had your direction when I was 17. It took me almost 10 years in a factory to figure out I wanted to do something more with my life. Stay focused man, don't let anything stop you from doing what you want to do.

I think you'll enjoy your CNA class. I was the only guy in my class and I thought that would be awkward, but I got along with everybody and actually enjoyed myself. (Most of the time!:) ) It was a great introduction to the whole Nursing "thing" for me, and solidified my intentions to become a Nurse.

Stick with it. We'll be here to help, or just cheer you on, as need be. :w00t:

bluegrassboy · Jul 7, 2006

hi wade,
kudos to you, for reaching out and following your dream.
(i have this maternal instinct to noogie your head). :)
do you have specific questions or concerns?
i know many of us here would be more than happy to help you.
leslie

YES! one of my only concerns is all the medical terminology & my pronunciation. My pronunciation is very poor and i have to look up many words I come across in medical books. Any one eles have this concern when they started?

And any one know any good nursing book's i should read that would help me in the long run? I would love to get as good of a jump as i can. thanks for the posts every one!

casi, ASN, RN · Jul 7, 2006

I'm still a pre-nursing student, but I have found the terminology comes as you go through everything. You learn a lot in A&P and some nursing schools also require medical terminology classes. Terminology really doesn't play that huge of a roll as a CNA and you pick up a lot as you go along. Though if you are worried about the terminology in the reading you're doing now pick up a cheap medical dictionary at a second hand shop or get really friendly with dictionary.com. I've used dictionary.com a lot when reading more advanced articles for classes like anatomy and physiology.

Pronounciation, one thing I have noticed is a lot of people pronounce words differently, so I wouldn't be too horribly worried about it.

Way to go on becoming a CNA! It's one of the best things I've done as a nursing student hopeful. Once I got a job as a CNA any doubts I've had about trying to get into nursing school have vanished. And I've really gotten the chance to learn a lot about health care and what nurses acctually do.

bagladyrn, RN · Jul 7, 2006

YES! one of my only concerns is all the medical terminology & my pronunciation. My pronunciation is very poor and i have to look up many words I come across in medical books. Any one eles have this concern when they started?
And any one know any good nursing book's i should read that would help me in the long run? I would love to get as good of a jump as i can. thanks for the posts every one!

One of the best things you can do for the issue with medical terminology is find a course in medical terminology. If you learn the meanings of the prefixes, roots and suffixes it becomes very easy to understand the combinations of any of them, even in words you've never encountered before. This is much easier in the long run than trying to learn each new term as you encounter it.

leslie :-D · Jul 7, 2006

YES! one of my only concerns is all the medical terminology & my pronunciation. My pronunciation is very poor and i have to look up many words I come across in medical books. Any one eles have this concern when they started?
And any one know any good nursing book's i should read that would help me in the long run? I would love to get as good of a jump as i can. thanks for the posts every one!

i admire your enthusiasm wade.

i took a mandatory medical terminology class, and believe i still have the book somewhere. i used it religiously. if i can find it (it would only be in 1 place), i'd be happy to send it along to you.

i will pm you if i still have it.

as for nsg books, you'll receive a syllabus along w/required reading.

if you're looking for something extra, the student forum here on this bb, is a wealth of information to help you along in school. i suggest you check out all of the topics and links. i'm telling you, i wish i had this resource when i was a student.

if you truly aspire to be a nurse, do your research and don't let anyone get in your way.

with peace,

leslie

ahsitters · Jul 8, 2006

:pumpiron: :pumpiron: :pumpiron: Learn to lift and transfer pts properly. Being a CNA is a great way to try out the physical and emotional work of a nurse. I started out as a nurses aid while I was going through to be an RN and the experience was valuable. You would be surprised how many new RN grads get injured or injure a partner with improper lifting techniques and poor body mechanics.

Being a CNA before a RN also helps teach you respect for the people that you will one day be delegating tasks to. A little respect goes a long way in any healthcare setting.:icon_hug:

Best of luck in your studies and thanks for the great thread.

ahsitters