How time consuming is a community college CNA course

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi All,

This is my first post, but I've been browsing the forems for quite a while now and want to thank all for the help that this has provided!

I have bachelor's in social work and am very interested in going back to school to become a nurse-I am hoping to start school next Fall. Due to the other posts I've read about the benefit of begina CNA first, I am strongly considering beginning a CNA course at my community college in the next week or two and then working as a CNA once I am certified until I begin school (and potentially during, depending upon the program I choose). I currently work full time and I will be starting an online 4 credit anatomy and physiology course in about a week to get a pre req under my belt. My question is this, with my full time job and the 4 credit class I'm taking on the side, am I getting myself in over my head to try and take the CNA certification class at the same time?? The CNA course runs Oct. 7-Dec. 18 and from what I can tell meets T/Th from 6-9 and Saturdays from 9-4. My online A&P class starts Oct. 6 and ends Feb. 2 and is primarily self guided. I think I could handle everything so long as the CNA course doesn't involve a ton of outside class time (reading, studying, etc.)...I'm just not sure what to expect. I don't have kids, so my full time job is my big time committment.

Thanks so much for the help!!

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I took a CNA course earlier this year in addition to 4 other classes. It involved minimal studying/homework outside of class. I ended up with a 100 average. It was definitely far less demanding than my prerequisites.

As long as you stay on top of everything, I think you will be fine.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

I think that you should be fine. The CNA class dosn't have a lot of time consuming reading like you A&P will.

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Wow, similar path to my own. BS in Counseling, now in first year nursing classes. Like the others have said for the most part CNA classes were more a matter of showing up. While the information was "helpful" it really didn't take concentration to learn. A&P on the other hand was a major challenge, but I'm curious where can you take that on line that you don't have a lab?

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Specializes in Ortho, Neuro, Detox, Tele.

When I took my CNA, I worked full time 8-4 5 days a week....had class from 4:30-9 on Tues and thurs....It was not very tough...after work, I often just read maybe a chapter a night...

It was not that tough....

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Specializes in LTC.

I took CNA at my community college during the summer. Normally it would have been a 16 week course but they chopped it down to 8 for summer. I was in class Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7-3:00 pm and at the nursing home on Fridays 8:00 to 1:50. The worst part was the daily quizzes in nursing program question format. Our grades were only based on our quiz/test grades-- clinical skills were Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory. I spent alot of time studying because of the condensed format and a teacher that was very particular about making CNA class "as close to the college's nursing programs format and strictness as possible." I remember one girl got kicked out of the class for being late twice in the first week.

I think your experience will rely mostly on your colllege and their rules.

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I am currently working 45 hours/ week at one job, 5 hrs/week at another, and taking 14 credit hours of classes (mostly online). One of my classes is a CNA class (our CC requires it for admission into the nursing program). The class is fro m8-4:30 every Sat for 8 weeks, then 2 saturdays of clinicals.

I really don't spend much time outside of class studying. Maybe 1.5-2hrs/week. That doesn't include the time I spend torturing people to let me practice skills (Vital signs, ROM exercises, assisted walking and such), but I usually just do those things when it comes to mind.

We just took our first exam and I got 100% , I didn't think the exam was very hard.

I think you'll be fine to take it with your current load. :cool:

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Thanks all, I really appreciate the feedback, definitely makes me feel much more comfortable proceeding. I'm going to call the college to verify how much time they say to account for outside of the class, but feedback from real people that have done it is way better.

nebrgirl-my online A&P class does actually have a lab, the lab component is just via CD-ROM vs. cadavers. Not sure about this, in some ways I am grateful to avoid the cadavers, but in other ways I think it would help build character and ensure I'm cut out for all the fun stuff nursing has to offer! :D The feedback I've gotten is that some do fine with this and other are much more tactile learners and do better with the cadaver. I'm going to try and take the 2nd half of A&P as a regular class so I get a good mix of both. The online one was the only thing availabe that started this late in the semester when I thought about registering for pre-reqs.

DA314-I don't know how you have time to breathe with that work load-WOW!

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I took online A&P - my university didn't offer a real live lab course. The state of Florida is too cheap to provide labs, I guess. You could take the course either live or online, but they were exactly the same. The lectures were recorded and put online, I listened to them while the powerpoints played. The "lab" was looking at pictures online, then being tested on those same pictures. It made for an easy course, but I didn't learn much. Didn't have any other options though. I never worked as a CNA, so I can't help with your original question. Doesn't sound like your workload will be too insane though!

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