I LOVE my biology, but dislike the CNA class. Will i dislike nursing too?

[Jakodi]

Hello everyone!! This is my first semester of college at 25 years old. I hated the sciences in high school, but that was 7 years ago. Now I am loving my intro bio class the cells function is just fascinating. HOWEVER, I am also taking my nursing assistant class and while I currently have A's in both classes I REALLY am not liking the CNA class, does this mean I won't like being a nurse? I have worked as something similar to a CNA before but I fell in love with the occupational therapy side of things.

Learning to roll people around in bed and how to wash my hands or use a gait belt is just boring and My teacher is great and tells interesting stories, but I find myself dreading going to class because it feels like three hours a day of uninteresting material. Now I'm worried if I'm not enjoying the very basics why would I enjoy being a nurse? Any advice?

[SubSippi]

You're right, CNA duties aren't the most intellectually stimulating. But, you will learn, that all CNA duties are also nursing duties, a large part of being a nurse involves those sort of activities.

That being said, as a nurse, while you may not enjoy turning patients or walking them to the bathroom, there will be other parts of your job that are more interesting.

There's no way to tell if you'll like being a nurse. I don't think enjoying biology is an indicator either way. Also, the career field is so diverse, that probably everyone one the planet could find both a nursing job that they loved, and a nursing job that they despised.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

To be straightforward, I strongly dislike typical CNA tasks such as toileting, incontinent care, showering, feeding, dressing, grooming, bed-making and transfers. I am simply not a hands-on type of person. I dislike the smell of fecal matter.

However, I've been a nurse for almost a decade. I enjoy the aspects of the job that involve abstract thought, common sense, and documentation.

[SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP]

No, it doesn't mean you'll hate being a nurse. However, they're necessary skills to learn. While we have the luxury of having CNAs or techs to delegate these tasks to, we still have to pitch in and do them ourselves, too. I use it as an opportunity to assess my patient. Bed bath? Great time to do a skin assessment. Toileting? Genitourinary assessment. You get the picture. As a nurse, your support staff will be good to you if you show them you're not above doing the "dirty work", too.

[Jakodi]

Thank you all that makes me feel better. :) I don't mind doing the dirty work, I guess it just not as interesting to learn about, haha.

[BeachsideRN, ASN]

I saw you said you really liked OT type stuff in your previous position. Have you thought about an Occ Therapy Asst degree?

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I saw you said you really liked OT type stuff in your previous position. Have you thought about an Occ Therapy Asst degree?

This is a salient suggestion. Becoming a COTA (certified occupational therapy assistant) requires a two-year associate of applied science degree and certification. They generally work during daylight hours and often earn as much as a new grad RN. The COTA career pathway is one that you might want to further explore to see if it fits your preferences better than nursing.