Is it worth it for me to become a CNA before nursing school?

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Hi everyone,

I'm taking my pre-requisites this year and am hopefully starting nursing school next September. I don't have any healthcare experience, and I am pretty nervous for clinicals next year, so I was considering becoming a CNA before I start nursing school. However, the only CNA program I know of in my city is at Red Cross and is full time for 4 weeks. I wont be able to do the program until the middle of May, since I am taking my pre-requisites until then. I'm not sure if it will be worth it to pay $800 to do the program, and then have 2 months to work as a CNA before school starts. But on the other hand, I know I will feel more comfortable going into nursing school with some healthcare experience, even if it is just 2 months. And I suppose having done the CNA program will help me during nursing school.

Does anyone have any advice? Thanks :)

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Specializes in Maybe peds someday.

I think it would be a very good idea for you to get your CNA license before starting nursing school. I worked full time as a CNA for a little less than 2 months before starting nursing school and I'm very glad that I did. Especially if you have never worked in healthcare before. It will be beneficial for you to become comfortable with approaching patients, taking vitals, and doing basic CNA work before starting your clinicals. I have lots of people in my nursing class who are always telling me that they wished they would have worked as a CNA before starting nursing school. In nursing school you are expected to learn so many different skills and if you already have the basics down, you can focus on the nursing skills. I would say go for it :)

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Prior poster nailed it on the head I think. I'm in a similar position. I've never worked in healthcare and in fact, work in a finance dept at the home office of a large retail chain. And I'm now in my second semester (should change my screen name:-)) of an ADN program. I'm scheduled to take the Redcross CNA exam on 11/23.

I think aside from the eye hand clinical experience you'll be receiving, it's also good to be in the environment just to hear how the various collegues communicate with each other. For me, that's one of the benefits I'm hoping to take out of this. Because I know what people are saying when they use terms, acronyms, etc...But I haven't gotten to that level where I speak the same way (I'm almost as prone to calling things 'things', etc) and want to fit in a more professional manner. My clinical instructor seems to think I'm on par for a second semester student who's had no prior experience - wasn't quite sure if that's good or bad...but regardless, these are little things that can help in my opinion:-) Good luck

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Definitely! I wish I would've had some kind of experience before going into NS. Most of my cohorts have had some kind of experience, for those of use who do not, you can usually tell by the lost look on our face.

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Definitely! I wish I would've had some kind of experience before going into NS. Most of my cohorts have had some kind of experience, for those of use who do not, you can usually tell by the lost look on our face.

LOL - you must be one of my fellow students; you just described me to a 'T':lol2::D But seriously, all the textbook knowledge in the world will not help you in a clinical situation. So while the actual clinicals help, if you're able to obtain experience through working with pts (most likely as a student nurse/CNA), it's even that much better. Just being in the environment (as I alluded to in my prior post) can be helpful as you can see how collegues interact, get use to the 'lingo', etc. So I say 'go for it' (I am)

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Thanks for the advice everyone. I definitely want to become a CNA before school next fall, I just wish I could do it sooner!! I just found out that I wont be able to start the CNA program until the middle of June. So it will be mid July when I'm done and I'll have a month and a half to work and get experience. I just hope that it's fairly easy to get a CNA job once I'm done the training. I would hate to spend $800 if I don't get a job out of it. Do you think that the training itself will be helpful once I'm in nursing school? (even if I don't have much work experience by the time I start school)

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Specializes in CNA.
I would hate to spend $800 if I don't get a job out of it. Do you think that the training itself will be helpful once I'm in nursing school? (even if I don't have much work experience by the time I start school)

Getting a CNA job is very easy as long as you manage your expectations. Often, people hold out for those highly paid hospital jobs, but it is very difficult to get a hospital CNA job with no experience or contacts. I know of exactly one person who was able to do this.

The training itself will be helpful in the very beginning of nursing school, but not much after that. The job experience will be extremely helpful all the way through nursing school.

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I wish I would have done that! I start NS in January and I'm SO nervous about going into clinicals with no prior experience. After I got my letter about a month ago I looked into going ahead and becoming a CNA but I felt like it was a little too late for that. I would like to work in a hospital setting over the summer semester (there aren't any nursing classes available over the summer term). Does anyone know if I would need to be a CNA to apply or since I would be a nursing student by that time would it matter?

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Specializes in Operating Room.

Does experience play a factor in your school's nursing applications? If yes, I would go for it. My school does not look at experience so I did not get my CNA. $800 for a CNA class, making $10-$12/hr in a nursing home, ugh no. I have the greatest admiration in the world for people who do that, but its not for me and that's why I went to nursing school. I remember during my first semester in nursing school, my skills lab instructor said that in the beginning, those with experience do have that edge over those who don't have any experience. However, that gap narrows and closes soon enough. Clinical hours give me plenty of experience and if I had to do it over, I still wouldn't have gotten my CNA. We are eligible to work as nurse apprentice in hospitals (almost like CNA's but can do more) but I like my office work study job.

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Thanks for the advice everyone. I definitely want to become a CNA before school next fall, I just wish I could do it sooner!! I just found out that I wont be able to start the CNA program until the middle of June. So it will be mid July when I'm done and I'll have a month and a half to work and get experience. I just hope that it's fairly easy to get a CNA job once I'm done the training. I would hate to spend $800 if I don't get a job out of it. Do you think that the training itself will be helpful once I'm in nursing school? (even if I don't have much work experience by the time I start school)

Just as an FYI (if this is an option that works for you), if you wait until you've complete your first semester and have accumulated a given number of clinical hours, you'll only have to pay $93 for the test itself - you'll just need a letter from the chair person of your program stating that you've completed x number of clinical hours. This is through Red Cross. They stated over the phone that the number of required clinical hours is 75, but their on line documents state that 100 hours is required. I had 90 hours and they accepted that before I ever had to question it....Also, if you don't want to go through any of that trouble, you can look for a student nurse position, which is essentially the same as a CNA.

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Specializes in NICU Level III.

No because you have to pay to take CNA classes. If you are just a "tech", then the hospital trains you.

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No because you have to pay to take CNA classes. If you are just a "tech", then the hospital trains you.

Actually you don't have to pay for anything but the test - provided you already have a semester's worth of clinical hours...and it gives some added insurance in case something happens that have to leave school for some reason - as a student nurse/tech, if you have to leave school early for some reason, you're done working as a tech

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