Need nursing experience on resume?

elkpark · Jul 10, 2005

Healthcare employers (esp. hospitals) are very accustomed to hiring new grads without previous nursing experience -- after all, if you had previous experience as an RN, you wouldn't be planning to spend the next few years in nursing school, would you? :) Think about it -- how much experience as a teacher did you have when you got your first teaching job?

Many nursing students do get certified as CNAs (certified nursing assistant) and work as CNAs while they are in school, but they are not functioning as nurses in those jobs, and that is not considered nursing experience ... If you want to get a hospital/healthcare job while you're in school to become more familiar and comfortable in healthcare settings in general, you can certainly do so, but it isn't necessary and won't really make you more "employable" as a new grad (unless we're talking about getting a job at a hospital you eventually want to work at as an RN; in that case, already being an employee of the hospital (in a different role) should give you an advantage after you get licensed).

Your (nursing) degree and new license are the only credentials/experience you will need to get a job as a new grad.

lovely2 · Jul 10, 2005

Healthcare employers (esp. hospitals) are very accustomed to hiring new grads without previous nursing experience -- after all, if you had previous experience as an RN, you wouldn't be planning to spend the next few years in nursing school, would you? :) Think about it -- how much experience as a teacher did you have when you got your first teaching job?
Many nursing students do get certified as CNAs (certified nursing assistant) and work as CNAs while they are in school, but they are not functioning as nurses in those jobs, and that is not considered nursing experience ... If you want to get a hospital/healthcare job while you're in school to become more familiar and comfortable in healthcare settings in general, you can certainly do so, but it isn't necessary and won't really make you more "employable" as a new grad (unless we're talking about getting a job at a hospital you eventually want to work at as an RN; in that case, already being an employee of the hospital (in a different role) should give you an advantage after you get licensed).
Your (nursing) degree and new license are the only credentials/experience you will need to get a job as a new grad.

some one told me that working as a CNA while in NS that I could consider that as nursing experience Im I just wasting my time working as a CNA???

elkpark · Jul 10, 2005

Working as a CNA gives you CNA experience, not nursing experience. The roles are very different. I cannot tell you, however, whether it's a waste of your time or not. Many schools now apparently (I see reference to this here on allnurses) require their students to get certified as CNAs as part of the program. When I was in nursing school (back in the Dark Ages), there was no encouragement from the school at all for us to work in the hospital as a CNA while we were in school -- the faculty did not feel that working in the CNA role in the hospital would have any benefit for us as nurses. I'm not saying that's the one, right position, though -- just that there are different points of view on the issue.

The original poster notes that s/he has been teaching for a while, so I'll ask: How does being a teacher's aide in a classroom compare with being the degreed, certified teacher responsible for the class? While I'm certainly not saying anything negative about teachers' aides, is working as an aide comparable to being the "real" teacher? How do the necessary knowledge base and responsibility/accountability of the teacher and the aide compare? The relationship between RNs and CNAs is v. similar ...

When you graduate, get licensed, and start looking for a job, employers will not care whether you have the knowledge and skills of a CNA -- they will care whether you are a competent (entry level) RN.

There's certainly nothing wrong with working as a CNA while you're in school if you need the money and want to become more familiar/comfortable with hospital settings for your own satisfaction, and it may give you an edge on a nursing position after you graduate in the sense that you're already an employee of that hospital and would probably get preferential treatment for that reason.

I'm sure there are many folks here who have a different opinion, though, and I'm sure some of them will post. :)

lovely2 · Jul 10, 2005

Working as a CNA gives you CNA experience, not nursing experience. The roles are very different. I cannot tell you, however, whether it's a waste of your time or not. Many schools now apparently (I see reference to this here on allnurses) require their students to get certified as CNAs as part of the program. When I was in nursing school (back in the Dark Ages), there was no encouragement from the school at all for us to work in the hospital as a CNA while we were in school -- the faculty did not feel that working in the CNA role in the hospital would have any benefit for us as nurses. I'm not saying that's the one, right position, though -- just that there are different points of view on the issue.
The original poster notes that s/he has been teaching for a while, so I'll ask: How does being a teacher's aide in a classroom compare with being the degreed, certified teacher responsible for the class? While I'm certainly not saying anything negative about teachers' aides, is working as an aide comparable to being the "real" teacher? How do the necessary knowledge base and responsibility/accountability of the teacher and the aide compare? The relationship between RNs and CNAs is v. similar ...
When you graduate, get licensed, and start looking for a job, employers will not care whether you have the knowledge and skills of a CNA -- they will care whether you are a competent (entry level) RN.
There's certainly nothing wrong with working as a CNA while you're in school if you need the money and want to become more familiar/comfortable with hospital settings for your own satisfaction, and it may give you an edge on a nursing position after you graduate in the sense that you're already an employee of that hospital and would probably get preferential treatment for that reason.
I'm sure there are many folks here who have a different opinion, though, and I'm sure some of them will post. :)

That's true that RN and CNAs have different roles, but I also feel like the teacher as far as how do I get experience if I have none because I dont want to change diapers or shower anyone so I dont know if I should go thru with finding a job as a CNA or wait until I get RN degree.

Thanks for your response

maggijo · Jul 11, 2005

Thanks for all of the responses.

I would prefer to focus all of my attention on my nursing classes, clinicals, and being at home with my baby and husband instead of working, too. I just wanted to make sure I wouldn't be at a disadvantage once it comes time to find a job. It seems to me that RN positions are open all the time in my area, so hopefully, I'll find a job I like when the time comes.

Back to teaching, every once in a while, there are recent grads who apply for a teaching position with NO teaching experience at all (not even subbing, being an asst. teacher, or working in a day/summer camp). They may not have even had student teaching experience or an education class in college! This is certainly a problem when it comes to being employable and well prepared for action in the classroom. The difference with nursing is that it requires hands-on experience and exposure to the hospital setting before taking the plunge... lucky for would-be nurses and their patients! :rolleyes:

chicagrl72 · Jul 11, 2005

Thanks for all of the responses.
I would prefer to focus all of my attention on my nursing classes, clinicals, and being at home with my baby and husband instead of working, too. I just wanted to make sure I wouldn't be at a disadvantage once it comes time to find a job. It seems to me that RN positions are open all the time in my area, so hopefully, I'll find a job I like when the time comes.
Back to teaching, every once in a while, there are recent grads who apply for a teaching position with NO teaching experience at all (not even subbing, being an asst. teacher, or working in a day/summer camp). They may not have even had student teaching experience or an education class in college! This is certainly a problem when it comes to being employable and well prepared for action in the classroom. The difference with nursing is that it requires hands-on experience and exposure to the hospital setting before taking the plunge... lucky for would-be nurses and their patients!

not sure where you live but here they even like for you to be bilingual just to volunteer .........i am going crazy ]

mi esposo is first gen american ..his parents are from mexico ..he is fluent but refuses to speak to our son or me ..it is weird ...i do all vocab words in spanish but i don't do sentences at all

there is a need for spanish speaking health care workers in my area...

you need to go where you are needed ..good luck with school !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

maggijo · Jul 11, 2005

Thanks! I'm hoping the fact that I speak Spanish will help me find a job. I live in St. Louis, and the Hispanic population is growing, so the need for Spanish-speaking medical professionals is certainly there. Make your husband speak Spanish to you!! It's a fun language to learn.

Cuidate! :)

chicagrl72 · Jul 11, 2005

how fun! my parents live on the metro east (il) side of st louis ..we live IN chicago so the opportunities for spanish speakers are numerous here ! salud

elkpark · Jul 11, 2005

Back to teaching, every once in a while, there are recent grads who apply for a teaching position with NO teaching experience at all (not even subbing, being an asst. teacher, or working in a day/summer camp). They may not have even had student teaching experience or an education class in college! This is certainly a problem when it comes to being employable and well prepared for action in the classroom.

Yes, that does sound kinda scary -- but that won't be you. You will be the (nursing) equivalent of an Ed major who took lots of education classes and had extensive supervised student teaching experiences! :) Your nursing program is considered the appropriate education/experience to prepare you to be a competent entry-level RN, not working as a CNA. The only people who have "nursing experience" are the people who are already nurses ...

Again, it's just my opinion and there may be others here with a different perspective, but, if you don't need the money and have to work, you would be better off skipping the CNA thing and spending your time and energy on your studies and family responsibilities, as you note. You will find that nursing school is v. demanding and will take up a great deal of your time and energy; no point in frittering them away on non-essentials.

Also, as other posters have noted, your bilingualism will be considered a real plus by many potential employers when the time comes to look for a job. :) Best wishes --

maggijo · Jul 12, 2005

That's exactly what I needed to hear- thanks!!