Is it better to become a CNA first?

comp25 · Jun 12, 2006

I read your note and would like to encourage you to do so. I was a QA manager for 12 years with a maunfacturing company and this past November the company shut down. I took adavantage and began to take courses, I took Phlebotomy and ECG and CNA last. I had no previous medical experience at all. During my CNA class we all had one week of clinicals at a nursing home and it was great, I went on to take two weeks of extra classes in Patient care tech and was also given one week of clinicals at the hospital and I loved it. Prior to all of this I went to our local community college and was also rejected. Like you I have a BS in Business Management. So I went back to the school and to my amazement I was accepted once I told them I passed the state examen and became a CNA.

The experience alone is worth while and you would be surprise how many people will help you, even my CNA teacher was very helpful. Good luck:monkeydance:

MedSurgRNiowa · Jun 12, 2006

My school requires it and this is their reasoning, which I believe is great. CNA's were complaining about lack of respect from RN's. Our school believes that no matter what point on the ladder you are as a CNA, LPN, RN, BSN or ADM that you should always get respect from collegues. They think that those who want to be an RN should experience CNA so that they can appreciate the hard work and dedication they have. I was a CNA many years ago and when I went to school, I went into accounting. Now I want to become the nurse that I always wanted to and I have to do the CNA class again. I plan to work a little in the home health care field as I did before to brush up on all skills. I think it is a great idea and I have seen people go through the class and decide that nursing was not for them, too.

SamHill · Jun 12, 2006

I would reccomend it. I took my cna class when I was deciding between rad tech and nursing. I enjoyed my cna class and working as a tech at a hospital so nursing became my choice. You will learn alot and help you decide if nursing is right for you. My school gave me extra points for my cna cert and my experience so it will probably help(certainly not hurt) your chances of getting into a program.

allnurses Guide · Jun 12, 2006

There is a whole boat-load of threads about this issue - maybe a mod could link some?

Anyway, my take is that I had no medical background and had a social work background. Went back at 38 to become a nurse and applied at a community college. I got in on the lottery system - which kinda made me mad since I'd worked hard for my pre-req grades . . another long story there though.

I asked my mentor nurse friend who told me not to take a CNA class the summer before school started because the next two years would be very intense and I should just relax and enjoy my family during the summer. Also, CNA duties are what we learn to do in school first and basically what we start out doing in clinicals. Why learn it twice and have to pay for it twice?

I'm very grateful for that advice.

As to whether being a CNA first makes you more of a team player, I've seen it both ways. I think it comes down to are you a team player because of the kind of person you are. Taking the CNA class won't guarantee that.

I work with some RN's who did the CNA-LVN-RN route who won't answer call lights, place bed pans, help patients onto bedside commodes, help a CNA make a bed, etc. I've met others who do.

I'm very pro-teamwork. I make the patient's bed while the CNA takes them off to the shower. I answer call lights. I help with bedscale weights.

I was never a CNA.

I guess some schools do look at CNA as an advantage and if that gets you into school, maybe it is a good idea.

My school, before and after that one lottery year, looked at grades only.

Take a look at some of the other threads on this . . .

Best wishes.

steph

valifay · Jun 12, 2006

It will definetly give you a heads up as to what to expect and it will also give you some experience before you enter the program Almost every school here wants you to have your CNA before you start school. I don't know, I think its a personal preference, but I would recommend it. You'll be ahead of the game in the begining and if you work as a CNA you will also have a prior insight to what you will be learning which may help you understand the material better...that's if you work with good nurses who are willing to answer you questions. Another thing to consider is what you want to be doing work wise until you get into school? The CNA course may be beneficial while knock out a few pre reqs. Good luck!

suebird3 · Jun 12, 2006

I asked my mentor nurse friend who told me not to take a CNA class the summer before school started because the next two years would be very intense and I should just relax and enjoy my family during the summer. Also, CNA duties are what we learn to do in school first and basically what we start out doing in clinicals. Why learn it twice and have to pay for it twice?

Stevielynn, most schools here in Illinois now require students to have their CNA. Why? There is simply NOT enough time to go over the basics in Nursing AND teach everything else. It also gives good hands on experience.

Suebird

MichSharon · Jun 13, 2006

I am sorry about your rejection letters. I am curious to know where do you find the 6 weeks CNA courses? I have checked my local hospitals and can't find any info. Where are the courses offered?

CrazyPremed, MSN, RN, NP · Jun 13, 2006

Here's my two cents:

There are pros and cons to becoming a CNA. Some of the downsides are: the cost and time of going through a program that will teach you what you will learn in nursing school (in my state, there is a one to two semester wait just for the CNA class and a $1000 price tag - it has been dropped as a prereq to the program), and taking a 6-14 week class on nursing basics, which could probably be taught in 2-3 weeks.

The pros are: getting a jump start into the nursing field, a job opportunity that will give you time to get benefits and still go to school (hospital CNA work is needed 24/7),valuable medical experience, and can maybe even make a person a more competitive applicant.

When it comes to medicine, I think the culture and the heirachy are even more difficult to get used to than the skills. I really think that - on average - it takes about 6 months to a year just to get used to the personalities of doctors, nurses, lab techs, patients, and everyone else that one may come across. The culture of medicine is like nothing else - you are only prepared for it through experience. Working as a CNA can soften the blow of one's first year in medicine. I don't really think the benefit comes from learning how to take a blood pressure or make a bed as much as it does learning how people act in the field. I know that working as a CNA before nursing school will make the process somewhat easier for most. Also, if you can't get through the CNA stuff (bedpans, emesis, etc.), then nursing may not be the best choice.

I say: Go for the CNA!!!

CrazyPremed

TallGirlAni · Jun 13, 2006

You should make a list of the schools you would like to apply to and which schools require CNA as a prereq. My university did not, and based their admissions on grades. If they do not have CNA as a prereq, then I would find out what their requirements are and try to meet them.

As far as being a CNA before RN, I was not. But, I did find at times that I wish I had some experience before becoming an RN; especially when it came time to do the tasks that generally our CNAs did when we had one on the floor. I found that I was slower at first and it took me time to become more efficient at them. But, I learned quickly. We do not always have a CNA and I have come to value and appreciate the aid that we have when one is available to us.

romie · Jun 14, 2006

One option that most people aren't even aware of is being a developmental disability aide or habilitation technician/ direct service professional in the field of developmental disabilities. Since dd aides aren't as highly regulated as CNA's are, it may be an option for someone who cant afford to spend $600 and 8 weeks for a CNA class. Most dd facilities do their own thorough on-the-job training, including several day courses on administering medications---yes, the dd aides actually hand the clients their meds and initial in the MAR. The staff ratios are usually wonderful, 2:1 in most of the places I worked when I was younger. You tend to work in a group home setting as opposed to a large cold impersonal nursing home setting. These are medicaid "wavier" programs, and are completely legal and are in operation all across the country. These DD group homes and residences are so great that they are a model for how we should be providing elder care. As a DD aid you will get great medication experience, hands-on personal care experience and actually have time in your day to develop relationships with your clients you serve. Having years of experience in the DD field never fails to impress employers and school admissions committees. This is just another option for people wanting "CNA" type experience.

romie · Jun 14, 2006

I only know of one school in the Chicago area that require CNA prior to application--Oakton College, but that is only out of the seven that I have looked at. I don't know about any of the suburban nursing schools.