Hi everyone!

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Specializes in LTC..

hi everyone! i've been on allnurses for quite some time without posting anything...i've been more of a lurker, just reading...because i never had started nursing school! a little backstory is that i keep my little brother for my parents alot and i just knew i wasn't going to be able to go to an actual campus, so i was looking everywhere for online classes. well, the local community college offers a great portion of their classes online, and since my little brother will be old enough for daycare in november, i went and registered! at this particular school you have to be a cna before you start the lpn program, but it all works out because you take all of your core classes in the cna program before you enter the lpn program...and you've already taken anatomy and medical terminology. anywoo, now that i'm officially a nursing student i just see so much ahead of me! i've always wanted to be a nurse...i come from a background of nursing with my grandmother, aunt, and great-aunt all having been nurses, or in the case of my aunt still a nurse. i do have one important question that's been bugging me...are cna's considered nurses? i've read that there's a debate over what qualifies us as a nurse or not (since i'm going to be a cna before i become an lpn...i can say ''us'' right? :) ) also, what's the difference between a cna and a nurse tech? one of my good friends is a nurse technician (she's going to the same school i'm going to...except she's in the lpn program, but she got her core classes when they still awarded a nurse tech certificate and not a cna certificate) anyway, in public i'll always say ''well, she's a nurse..ask her!'' and she just kind of says that she's not a nurse, just a nurse tech. it breaks my heart everytime! just some of the stories of the things she's experieced already leave me in awe sometimes. one of my best friends is going to georgia southern to be an rn (i'm trying to get her to switch to my school...) and my other best friend is going to be a medical assistant at my school..(i'm trying to get her to switch to lpn...). there aren't any two year rn degrees anywhere close to around here, it's all either two year lpn or 4 year rn...i've only encountered the whole ''you'll only be an lpn'' once, but it was from a condescending witch of a woman who i associate with as little often as i can. anyway, i'm from georgia...i've lived here my whole life except for a brief two months when i lived in nashville with my aunt...i love it here! i look forward to being a nurse in ga!

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

Welcome to the board and good luck with your classes. Jules

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

:welcome:

CNAs are considered unlicensed assistive persons; therefore, they are not nurses.

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i am sure that there are two year rn schools near you...try and look up

associate degree nurses...hope you are always so enthusiastic about nursing

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Specializes in LTC..

I've looked nearly everyone for two year ADN degrees near me...the closest one is in Bainbridge, Georgia...there's also one in Augusta, GA...but both are at least two hours away from me. I'm perfectly at Ogeechee Tech, though! I was just so excited when I bought my Medical Terminology book...I just devored the whole thing, in fact I'm taking my first test tonight...wish me luck!

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Good luck on your test! Let us know how it goes.

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

hi, amorecondannato!

there has been a lot of controversy over who should be called a "nurse". several states have passed laws that specifically say that only a licensed lpn or rn may be called a "nurse". many more have legislation pending on this. it has to do with the confusion of patient's over who is a nurse.

i tried to find information on georgia's site about their specific differences between cnas and nurse techs and couldn't find it. in general, what i know from my own experience over the years is that cnas are certified by a state and their names kept on a state agency listing. this is done by federal mandate. nurse techs are often nursing assistants that hospitals have trained to work in their specific hospital. often they are nursing students. now, i do believe that some states have an official designation of a nurse tech, but that would be specifically for that particular state and is done under the federal law that guides the certification of nursing assistants.

there is a forum on allnurses for cnas that you might like to check out. you can link to it here:

- the cna - nursing assistant discussions forum

since you are taking medical terminology and i used to teach this, let me give you a pointer. make flash cards and memorize the word roots, suffixes and prefixes. go through the flash cards frequently. some time ago i posted a cheap way to make your own flashcards using your computer, a printer, rubber cement and a pair of scissors. i am also posting some weblinks where you can find some help with medical terminology as well.

https://allnurses.com/forums/1481170-post14.html - the links to the flashcard instructions are on this post

http://www.lcsc.edu/healthocc/enable02/medterm.htm - medical terminology in a nutshell with several short quizzes - organized into sections on word roots, suffixes, prefixes, how to read a medical term, and abbreviations

http://wps.prenhall.com/chet_rice_terminolog_2/0,4681,198650-,00.html - this is the companion website self study resource for terminology of health and medicine by jane rice. there is a dropdown box just under the top banner that will give you access to the various chapters of the course. clicking on the individual chapters takes you to a page of objectives. however, on the left side of each page are links to multiple choice, t/f, labeling, fill in the blank and essay questions for that chapter along with a link to a glossary of medical terms. the labeling includes basic anatomy structures to be labeled.

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/wnor/terminologyanatplanes.htm - this really is more for someone taking anatomy, but it is medical terminology. the site the shows and tells you the anatomical planes of the body, defines terms of relation or position, defines terms of movement, and has a listing of frequently used medical terms in anatomy with their definitions. a reference you might want to print out for your anatomy notebooks.

see you on the forums! welcome to allnurses! :welcome:

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Welcome...To answre your guestion...CNA's are not officially nurses, however they are the backbone in nursing..especially in long term care.To be honest CNA's know the residents on a more personal level than actual nurses do. CNA's have more time for 1 on 1 care than us nurses.That's not to say that CNA's are less important than nurses.We all have a job to do in healthcare. Bottom line: We are all in the medical field to help fellow man. We all share common interests reguardless of the letters at the end of our last name. I have seen CNA's that would make outstanding nurses and on the flip side...I have seen nurses that would make better CNA's.

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Congrats on getting into the Nursing program!!! I just got accepted today into the LPN so I will be looking forward to swapping stories with you=)

When it comes to the difference between NA's & CNA's I have no idea but would like to know=)

When it comes to the "who's a nurse" debate I see it this way......I think it is very hard to get into nursing school and when you graduate you DESERVE to be called a NURSE. I dont think a CNA or NA should be called nurses. They are EXTREMELY important and I dont think they should be

downgraded but they are not nurses.....they part of the nursing team and should be proud to be!

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