Mandatory CNA!!!!

Lovely_RN, MSN · Dec 24, 2007

I agree, it took me a week of LPN school to learn what it took 8 weeks to learn in CNA class.

Waste of time...absolutely not necessary...
Mex

henryswife · Dec 24, 2007

So do you think someone who has healthcare experience like cna,lpn or even a cma can grasp thier duties in a medical setting better :idea:than someone who doesnt have a clue about working in the medical field:uhoh21:....I mean I really would like to know what you guys think about this!

Mexarican · Dec 24, 2007

Nope not at all. It depends on how quickly you pick things up. Healthcare experience helps but it doesn't by any means make you or break you nor will you be the tops in the class because of it. If you have it, great, if you don't, great! Sometimes its best to approach a setting having never seen any of it before and without any preconceptions on how things are done that whay you don't have "old ways" of doing things getting in your way.

Mex

GadgetRN71, ASN, RN · Dec 24, 2007

So do you think someone who has healthcare experience like cna,lpn or even a cma can grasp thier duties in a medical setting better :idea:than someone who doesnt have a clue about working in the medical field:uhoh21:....I mean I really would like to know what you guys think about this!

Experience will certainly not hurt you, but lack of healthcare experience won't prevent you from doing well in nursing school. Much of it depends on your ability to pick things up quickly, adapt to new situations, your intelligence, and perhaps most important, your willingness to learn. As a matter of fact, one girl in my class got thrown out of NS in her last semester. She had been a CNA for years, got cocky because she thought she magically acquired nursing knowledge through osmosis, and almost killed a patient. (it involved trach care...)

We had several people in our class that had no prior healthcare experience and most of them graduated and passed their boards.

Lovely_RN, MSN · Dec 24, 2007

I agree Witchy.

We also had plenty of former CNAs who just wouldn't let it go!

I think in some cases a blank slate is better to work with then trying to erase years of conditioning. Some of the CNAs were so stubborn about looking at things from a nursing perspective vs a CNA one that it was maddening.

Experience will certainly not hurt you, but lack of healthcare experience won't prevent you from doing well in nursing school. Much of it depends on your ability to pick things up quickly, adapt to new situations, your intelligence, and perhaps most important, your willingness to learn. As a matter of fact, one girl in my class got thrown out of NS in her last semester. She had been a CNA for years, got cocky because she thought she magically acquired nursing knowledge through osmosis, and almost killed a patient. (it involved trach care...)
We had several people in our class that had no prior healthcare experience and most of them graduated and passed their boards.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Dec 24, 2007

I know I spoke about this on a similar thread, but it's old and buried now, so I'll offer my two cents again :)

While I don't believe having CNA training prior to entering nursing school will make you a better nurse, it WILL save the instructor time in teaching those basic patient care skills in Fundamentals. CNA training was NOT a prerequisite for my alma mater, but looking back, I kinda wish it had been.

We spent too much time, in my opinion, teaching us how to make beds, how to give baths, take vital signs properly. ALOT of this was taught in video format, outside the classroom, requiring us to spend gobs of time on stuff that might have been learned in a set of CNA classes. We all learned it, of course, but when I think of the time we had to squeeze in other things.....it could have been better.

I don't believe it's necessary to be employed as a CNA prior to nursing school. Just have the training, ON ACTUAL PATIENTS. This would honestly weed out those who puked at the sight of puke, and those who could not clean a patient's incontinent stools without heaving. I recall one student who dropped out of Fundamentals because he couldn't stand the SMELL of the elderly and rather ill patients--seriously. This could have been a seat available to a student who did NOT gag at the smell. Didn't know you had to pull patients up in the beds, roll them over, and haul them around in general? Good time to find out! And when you are assigned patients AS a nursing student, you'll be more confident in helping to ambulate that patient, and move them. Too much time spent in Fundamentals learning how to do the basics.

If it saves schools time in teaching, and saves money because of the same, great. It costs the students money in the course, but in light of what school's gonna cost anyway....that's fine by me. If it keeps students who should NOT be taking up space out of Nursing 101, good.

Mexarican · Dec 24, 2007

the ability to deal with horrendous smells is acquired. If your born with it then great but it can be acquired IF and only IF the person wants to push through it. Many a great nurses had a vommiting episodes and worked through it. Just cause you can't stomach it at first doesn't condemn you to it being that way forever if you don't want it to.

Mex

spydercadet · Dec 25, 2007

Hey All,Long time since I checked in last, it's good to be back!!! Want to know what I think, I'd love to believe it was for experience or time or any of the more idealistic reasons I can think of, but I believe it all comes down to money. One of the main reasons we have a nursing shortage is because of the lack of open seats for the nursing courses, and why is that, because of the limited number of MSN's who want to teach. So, what do schools do, have their nursing students become CNA's first, that only requires a RN with two years experience and a certification course to teach the program, in most states anyway. So who costs more to teach? I'm thinking the MSN and them I'm thinking the schools just don't want to put out that money on "just teaching the basics." I personally think this isn't a very good reason, or idea for that matter. When I taught the CNA course, I had students from those who just wanted to take the CNA course and go no further to those who were planning on going for their BSN. Some of my students lacked basic educational skills and in no way were able to keep up with those who had plans of attending nursing school soon or had already completed their prerequisites.However, until we no longer use money, this is the way it will go. And, if some of the Nursing Boards get their way, we will need to hire Nurses with their PhD's to teach Nursing - if you think there is a shortage now, what will happen then?

ZippyGBR, BSN, RN · Dec 25, 2007

Ok Im sure quite a few new recruits and some seasoned nurses(I like that!!!)...had to take mandatory classes to become a CNA just to be considered in the nursing programs at several colleges.Question of the day is ...WHY?..Why is it mandatory to have your CNAI/CNAII just to apply for nursing school?

why reinvent the wheel ? CNA competencies are a good way of ensuring peopel have a levle of basic nursing skill. here in rightpondia peopel working as HCAs with level3 NVQ can get acccreditation of prior learningfor quite a lot of the outcomes in the first year of a pre-registration programme.

Balder_LPN, LPN · Dec 26, 2007

Plus, it seems to me that there are almost always 1 or 2 in a CNA class who are pursuing nursing as a career that decide this isnt for them. Saves themselves from investing in a bunch of school and saves a slot in NURS101 for someone who is more sure of their career path.

DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN · Dec 26, 2007

Plus, it seems to me that there are almost always 1 or 2 in a CNA class who are pursuing nursing as a career that decide this isnt for them. Saves themselves from investing in a bunch of school and saves a slot in NURS101 for someone who is more sure of their career path.

Nursing students quit nursing school during all phases of the program. Either you can be a nurse or you can't. If someone wants to try by becoming a CNA first then that's probably a good move for them but it shouldn't be forced on everyone.

GadgetRN71, ASN, RN · Dec 27, 2007

Nursing students quit nursing school during all phases of the program. Either you can be a nurse or you can't. If someone wants to try by becoming a CNA first then that's probably a good move for them but it shouldn't be forced on everyone.

Exactly, considering not all of us go into med/surg out of school. everyone is different and has different needs.