21 Male persuing RN thinking about working as a CNA??

zacarias, ASN, RN · Feb 1, 2006

I think it is a great idea to work as a CNA before becoming an RN! I wish I would have done that. It would have helped in many ways.

There are tons of male CNAs. In fact, I reckon the percentage of male CNAs is higher than male RNs. Go for it!

JiffyGriff · Feb 1, 2006

It's probably one of the best things you can do if you are thinking about nursing school.......I'm 21 I work as a PCA on a tele floor..... Working as a nurse assistant can give you a pretty good jump on a lot of people in nursing school when you start out......you will have experience with patient care and when you go into the hospital for clinicals you won't seem so green. Personally as I'm nearing graduation my view is turning towards the beleif that all RN's should experience what it is like to be an NA before they are a nurse........when working as an NA you can tell the ones that have because they aren't the ones that are nagging you to go turn a patient's light off in their room when you have 15 blood sugars to do. A lot of RN's share that belief as well. You'll get experience dealing with difficult, combative, and confused patients as well which is very helpful, experience makes them much easier to deal with. Also when you start nursing school it should help you foster your education because you can relate your didactics to your job and basically see what you are learning, it goes a long way. My advice though, stay away from nursing homes I don't feel like you will learn much there, try to get a job on a busy med/surg unit or something so that you can see a lot of variety of patients get used to what a nurse on this kind of unit does, etc..... Plus you'll make better money than any other job you'll find without a degree. Good luck!

rhd874 · Feb 2, 2006

Go for it all the way I am !!!!:chuckle :chuckle

NurseMatt · Feb 5, 2006

I have thought about changing careers for the last 2 years and am finally doing it. I will be going to get my LPN in Sept 06. I have asked MANY 20+ vets of RN and they all said it would be most beneficial to go for CNA or LPN then BSN. Alot of them also commented that the best RNs they ever worked with were CNA/LPNs before RNs.

BlocDoc · Feb 5, 2006

Hi everyone,
I'm reaching to become a RN student. I have been going to a Community College in my local area. I could be admitted to being a RN student by next spring having my pre-reqs and NLN out of the way. I was wondering if anyone would be able to give me some advice on my choices.
Nevertheless, I was wanting to go through a CNA program until I start my nurse extern which in basically in a 1 1/2. Can everyone give me some advice on if they believe this would be a good decision? I'm aware if I start working as a CNA and continue my RN schooling it may increase my time period as becoming a RN. Also, I think it would look good on a job resume once I become a RN that it showed that I was once a CNA.
Is it many male CNA's out there? And do you guys think this is a good decision or should I just continue my RN schooling and forget about the CNA program? I was thinking this would be a good way for me a 21yr old to have some job security.I live in a city where it is hard to even get a job interview even at Taco Bell.:chuckle Seriously, I have tried fast food chains and no interview. I want a job with security but also a job that will put me in the mix of my goals as being a future RN. So please everyone feel free to give me your opinions.

Hello-

I worked first as a nursing assistant for 2 summers in high school. I worked as a unit secretary in a hospital in Philadelphia while I went through nursing school. The two gave me great comfort in the hospital setting as well as just being comfortable with people- I say go for it!

Thunderwolf, MSN, RN · Feb 5, 2006

Absolutely....good experience. I wish more nursing students did this...helps solidify your learning experience in school as well. Go for it!

LPN1974, LPN · Feb 5, 2006

Wise decision. Go for it. You will learn alot. You will be many steps ahead of alot of your classmates. While they are struggling with some of the basics that you will already know, you can be studying on something else.

Roy Fokker, BSN, RN · Feb 6, 2006

Absolutely....good experience. I wish more nursing students did this...helps solidify your learning experience in school as well. Go for it!

I'm probably kinda late but I agree with this.

I wish I coulda worked CNA even part-time while I was going through RN school. If for nothing else, it would simply make me more familiar (and thus comfortable) around patients, doctors, RNs and CNAs. It would make me more comfortable with the whole process and working as a team.

Makes a H-U-G-E difference when you start working as a fresh RN - less stressful

Besides, I believe working as a CNA will give you great practice on basic assessment skills - in nursing, quick accurate assessment is half the job done! :)

MaleRNstudent21, ASN, CNA, RN · Feb 6, 2006

Thank you all fod the very resourceful advice. I plan on going to school and attending a CNA program this late April. This well be after I get this semester out of the way going towards my RN degree. I know this will enlighten me in many aspects of the hospital settings and my future goal as a RN. Also, it will give me the funds for me to get my 1st apartment this summer,=) WOOOOOHOO! I'm looking forward to this new experience. I think also it will push me to finish Nursing school. Also it being a daily push towards my future goal. Once again thank you all for the advice!!! I would love to hear more.

thatoneguy · Feb 6, 2006

hey welcome. yeah i too think it is a great idea to be a CNA while going to school for your RN. you might also look into EMT. i got my EMT while doing prereq's until my second semester as a RN student. was able to study in the ambulance between calls. (where most of my studying was done) after my first semester got a job as a student nurse (basically the same thing as a CNA, can do a little more and the pay is slightly higher than a CNA) something to think about anyway. wheather CNA or EMT or student nurse the experiance is well worth it. kudos to you on your foresight. :yeah:

Corvette Guy · Mar 2, 2006

hey welcome. yeah i too think it is a great idea to be a CNA while going to school for your RN. you might also look into EMT. i got my EMT while doing prereq's until my second semester as a RN student. was able to study in the ambulance between calls. (where most of my studying was done) after my first semester got a job as a student nurse (basically the same thing as a CNA, can do a little more and the pay is slightly higher than a CNA) something to think about anyway. wheather CNA or EMT or student nurse the experiance is well worth it. kudos to you on your foresight.

Whether or not one works as a CNA, EMT, or CST [as I did], it is an excellent idea to be gainfully employed as a health care professional [other than nursing] before starting an RN program. Having some experience in health care related field before nursing school makes the start of nursing school clinicals so much easier, IMHO. Plus, provides insight for the soon to be nurse that health care is all about team work, and that the most important person in the health care setting is the patient.

I wish good luck & much success!