I have a question about becoming a CNA

[singlemama]

This fall I am going to my local community college to start taking classes to become a nursing aide. What additional courses do I need to take additional to the nursing classes that will benefit me later on? Also, by becoming an aide is it better to start at a hospital or a senior citizens home? I was more interested in working with children but I also want to start on the right path to be intellectually prepared in the long run. O and I'm in Virginia the Hampton Roads area.

[TazziRN, RN]

Most facilities prefer or even require nursing home experience first, so that would be a good way to start. As far as nursing classes, are you talking about going after your license later on? There is a set of required pre-reqs that you would have to take before applying to a nursing program. If you're talking about classes to help you as a CNA, they are not nursing classes, and you will be told what you need to take.

[johnsboo]

As a CNA and starting RN education this coming fall, I will tell you that in my own experiences, it is best to work in a long term care facility for a year as a CNA before going to a hospital. Most require a minimum of 6 months to a year of experience to hire you. Also, have you looked into getting your CNA free through a nursing home facility that has in house CNA course? It is well worth it, as CNA course through a community college is very expensive. You can work and get experience while taking your course. Look into it, you will like it better. Trust me.

[RheatherN, ASN, RN, EMT-P]

i disagree with the previous post-er. i know ppl that have not done any prior medical b4 nursing/cna stuff & they did great! start w/ the CNA classes and make sure you ask them what you need to take to keep/stay/be on track. most all schools have a "counselor" that can help with that. if you can afford it, you may want to take some other classes now that you will have time for now, and then you have that experience. its awesome to do this field.

so start by making an appt with a counselor that can help you map out your school career. planning is the best thing you can have in your pocket!

GL!!

[BookwormRN]

I guess it is personal preference...I started as a CNA in a hospital with no prior LTC experience. My manager had no qualms about hiring a person with no experience.

We have high school students that take the CNA course...and we have a couple of them working at our hospital right now. They work out great! No, you do not HAVE to have LTC experience before you go to the hospital setting. I guess it all depends on what your goals are and where YOU ultimately want to be.

Good luck!:wink2:

[lizmatt]

In a lot of cases it is much easier to get a CNA job if you have no prior experience in a long term care facility. It is possible to get a job in some hospitals with no experience but those jobs are much more difficult to get.

I know of one hospital in my area that hires people to be nurse aids, they train them and afterwards they have various positions that the training class interviews for. But this particular set-up is the exception.

Spend some time looking at the various job postings online for the hospitals in your area to see what they look for.

Good luck!

[Virgo_RN, BSN, RN]

There is a CNA forum under the "students" tab at the top of the page.