Is it necessary to be a CNA b4 nursing school?

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi - I'm not sure what to do on this one. I'm thinking of getting my CNA but I've heard it's a lot of butt wiping and horrible work. I'm going to start volunteering and job shadowing and I'm wondering if this will give me good experience/exposure to nursing so I can bypass being a CNA? In your experience, do most new nurses have previous health care experience?

Thanks for all your feedback!!!

Specializes in ICU/ER.

Being an RA does sound like an amazing job, we didnt have anything like that in my community. I am surprised though that you could pass meds with out having a registered nurse on site. I dont know if I agree with that. I am sure you did fine, but I cant help but think what if you gave someone a med and they had an adverse reaction? I know we paid ALOT of $$ to have my Grandmother in an assisted living center and I would hate to think the person giving her her medicine in not a licensed nurse.

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Besides being a CNA, being a unit secretary on a hospital unit would also be a valuable experience!

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

I apologize if this sounds mean or snotty, but the original poster needs to lose the "Being a CNA is just about butt-wiping" attitude, or he/she will be in for a rude-awakening come nursing school/clinical time and when they step into the "real world" as a nurse. Nursing is not, and never has been, all about administering medications or listening to hearts & lungs. Assisting patients w/toileting is also a part, and a very important one at that....Honestly!!! There is sooo much one can learn from wiping someone else's rear. And this applies to CNAs, nursing students, & nurses!!! For example, one can visually see what their skin looks like, what color it is, if there are any open sores, what do they look like, how big are they, how deep do they go, what does the urine &/or stool look like, are their any abnormalities with either, etc, etc, etc. The list is endless!!!

Getting to the whole point of the original post, depending on the school, one may or may not have to work as a CNA before &/or during nursing school. My school's only requiremnt was for students to be CNA certified and prior to the 1st day of the 1st semester of the nursing program. Otherwise, you couldn't go on to day 2. As for working, there was no stipulation regarding this, but it was highly encouraged. Most of the students were already doing this anyways....except for me. So taking my personal experience as a "nursing student w/o CNA-job experience" into account, I'll be honest & say that it was very hard trying to keep up with all the other experienced students. I mean, there was a noticeable difference in how they looked at clinicals compared to me. I was breaking out in sweats, they were calm as can be. I was shuffling through papers, they were organized to a "T". I was always the last with med passes, they were always the first. Etc, etc, etc.

Personally, now that I've worked as a CNA & nurse for almost 4 years and have seen other new nurses(w/o prior CNA experience) struggle, I can't stress enough how important & beneficial it can be for students if they work as a CNA either before &/or during nursing school....even for just 6 months. Not only can one learn how to interact & care for patients, you also learn: time-management, organizational, & communication skills; how to be a team player in a healthcare/patient setting; how to recognize &/or respond to emergencies; how to & ways to increase one's confidence & knowledge base; get 1st-hand experience with all different areas of illness, disease, & nursing, etc, etc. Again, the list could go on & on & on.

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Being an RA does sound like an amazing job, we didnt have anything like that in my community. I am surprised though that you could pass meds with out having a registered nurse on site. I dont know if I agree with that. I am sure you did fine, but I cant help but think what if you gave someone a med and they had an adverse reaction? I know we paid ALOT of $$ to have my Grandmother in an assisted living center and I would hate to think the person giving her her medicine in not a licensed nurse.

The 'assisted' part of assisted living means that the residents are supposedly aware and alert and functional but just need help with little things like buttoning up their clothes, getting their shoes tied tightly, taking the caps off of medicine bottles and counting out small, slippery pills. Thus, the resident assistant isn't 'administering' medication. The resident assistant is supposed to be like a family member, friend, or personal assistant who helps out in one's home and not like a professional nurse. Now whether or not that's what's actually happening in every ALF is another story.

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the original poster needs to lose the "Being a CNA is just about butt-wiping" attitude, QUOTE]

The OP said something like "I've heard that being a CNA is just..." and then asked for opinions. Let's give her credit for asking instead of just accepting what she'd heard. This way, she has gotten a much wider range of perspectives on the question of whether or not to be a CNA prior to attending nursing school.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Geriatrics.

NO, a thousand times NO you do not need to be a CNA prior to nursing school. You will learn a lot of tasks and you will learn time management and prioritization but you will learn that in nursing school anyway. I don't understand why people insist on making the process of becoming a nurse more layered and complicated than it already is. Unless your school requires it, don't waste your time. So what if your classmates are a little faster than you at making a bed or helping someone to the BR? In time you will catch up and that is the purpose of nursing school anyway; to learn. Additionally, CNAs do not necessarily make better nurses, I have worked with both and the difference was minimal from the outset and after a period of months, the difference was none. Trust me, save your money and time.

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Specializes in ICU, Psych.

I started off as a Tech at the hospital and then went on to being an LPN, and finally an RN. After one year as RN, I transferred to SICU. I can honestly say I "wipe more butt" as an RN then I ever did as a tech or LPN.

"Butt-wiping" is a part of nursing, a small part of it, don't get hung up on this. Personally I would clean 10 incontinent light weight patients, then having to pull up a 400 lber in bed every 20 min, I find this a much harder part of the whole picture then "butt wiping". This is just to show you that there are many tasks that can be looked at as difficult for what ever reason and that nursing is not about one certain thing!:nurse:

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Initially it wasn't a requirement at my school and won't be until Fall 08, but I opted to take it anyway, and I am so glad I did. I am learning so much and the butt wiping and cleaning doesn't phase me. I like having so much time with the patients and RN aren't always afforded that precious one on one time. Through my CNA course I am coming to realize how important CNAs are in patient care. It's not just butts and messes. CNAs are the "eyes and ears" of the often toobusy RN. We, as CNA have the potential to circumvent a wide variety of patient issues, just with keen observation and a caring heart. I am looking forward to becoming certified and I feel honored that I will be such an integral part of the healthcare profession. An added bonus is I think it will make be a better RN both to my patients and my co-workers. There is something noble about working your way up to the ranks and when you start at the "bottom" you're more compassionate toward others working thier way up.

I say GO for it!!!! It's definitely worth it.

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Specializes in Geriatrics.

The "butt wiping" you definitely get used to. I know I did and I thought I never would. And it's definitely not all that you'll be doing.

Anyway, I think being a CNA before nursing school is a good idea, at least it was for me because I changed my mind about nursing after I saw what it entailed. (And yes, I know that being a CNA and Nurse are two completely different things)

I also think when you work as a CNA before being a nurse, it helps you appreciate the CNA's a lot more. I'm not saying that all nurses that haven't been a CNA don't appreciate them, that isn't true at all. But it will definitely give you an advantage in nursing school. Good luck with whatever you decide! :heartbeat

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NO, a thousand times NO you do not need to be a CNA prior to nursing school. You will learn a lot of tasks and you will learn time management and prioritization but you will learn that in nursing school anyway.

Depends on the program. I know many new nurses feel pretty overwhelmed when starting out because in school they often didn't have to deal with so many different patients and demands at the same time. Having been a CNA would mean that they'd have one less area to try to get up to speed on as a new nurse - such as they'll likely be much faster at bed baths than a new nurse who never was a CNA. Will that make them overall better nurses? No, but for some it might be worth having one less thing to master as new nurse.

I don't understand why people insist on making the process of becoming a nurse more layered and complicated than it already is.

I don't see encouraging someone to work as a CNA as "insisting on making the process... more layered and complicated..." It's just advice. I think it's good advice. But like any advice, no one has to take it and it doesn't apply to all people in all situations.

Unless your school requires it, don't waste your time.

If someone wants to get some hands on experience with patients or if they have time before they'll start nursing school, then I don't think working as a CNA is a 'waste of time'. There are many circumstances where it may be impractical to work as a CNA first, but if someone has time before starting nursing school and wants to work, I'll recommend working as a CNA.

So what if your classmates are a little faster than you at making a bed or helping someone to the BR? In time you will catch up and that is the purpose of nursing school anyway; to learn.

But if you can make it a little easier on yourself by having certain skills and confidences already, why not? If you can't be a CNA or don't want to be a CNA, then, fine, don't be one.

Additionally, CNAs do not necessarily make better nurses, I have worked with both and the difference was minimal from the outset and after a period of months, the difference was none.

Ultimately, there may not be any noticeable difference in outcome. For some, though, getting through nursing school and those first several months working might be *a little* less stressful if they've worked as a CNA. For others, it wouldn't make a difference. Each person has to decide for themselves what they consider to be a worthwhile experience or a waste of time.

Trust me, save your money and time.
The CNA programs I've heard of don't cost that much... no more than $800 and maybe four weeks long depending on the schedule. But I can imagine there being programs out there that charge astronomical fees for training that some nursing homes provide for free.

I would suggest working in a hospital as opposed to a nursing home if possible because you'll have more opportunity to see different patients and conditions, especially if you do have the chance to float and work in different areas. Some hospitals will also train CNAs in skills such as phlebotomy and EKG (just taking one, not reading it).

Of course, some might prefer a nursing home where they have the same residents over time. Or there may not be a hospital hiring new CNAs in your area.

There's another thread currently going on suggested entry-level jobs for pre-nursing students. Check it out!

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If your only reason not to go for CNA is the inevidable "butt-wiping..:eek:. then, know that all the way up the latter to an RN, wipes plenty of butts. And do other unpleasant cleaning tasks. I'd rather wipe a butt than clean up puke!!:barf01:

Anyway, if you are that concerned about being stuck in a rut of only cleaning rear ends, then why not go for your EMT? I was an EMT before being a nurse, and I never had to wipe a butt in the ambulance. Although I still had to clean up puke!!:bugeyes:

Either way, when you graduate you will eventually find yourself wiping poop off of someone elses butt!!

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Specializes in M/S, dialysis, home health, SNF.

I have been a much better RN because I was a CNA first. And the CNA's are a lot more willing to help me when I need it, even without asking, because I'm not afraid to give someone a bedpan.

When I was a nurses' aide, there was one BSN who walked down the full length of the hall from a pt's room to get me to give her a bedpan. When I asked her, "didn't you just come out of there?" her reply was "Do you see this BSN after my name? I don't touch bedpans; that's YOUR job!"

I swore I would never have that attitude.

If you're worried about getting your hands dirty, you're in the wrong line of work. The greatest reward of nursing is not keeping your hands clean, or the pay, but the people and the life lessons.

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