No Medical Experience to Nurse

none the wiser · Sep 16, 2009

I surely hope so. Most of my friends in 101 didn't have any clinical experience before that class...including me. lol

CrunchyMama, ASN, RN · Sep 16, 2009

I was a CNA and found that those nurses that were CNAs first were better understanding and helped the CNAs out more....they remember being a CNA is tough. Anyway besides that, I don't think it matters. If you graduate then you can be a nurse regardless. Good luck!

OCD_Mom · Sep 16, 2009

I think it is fine that you "skipped" those programs. Everyone is entering or becoming a nurse for their own reasons and at different points of life. I already hold a BS in Botany. I originally wanted to join the Peace Corp and save the world from hunger and replenish the Earth with plants (pretty far from nursing wouldn't you think.)

In 2000 I began working for a non-profit health organization and saw the need for medical research in the cure of disease and decided to begin my pre-requisites in the medical health. Then I had a a MAJOR life changing experience; I had my first child and was over come with so much emotion. 1 week after he was born he got sick and then at 17 days he was diagnosed with renal insufficiency. (I won't go through all I went through but it was bad...we even dealt with a priest sitting bedside and in waiting rooms with us not sure if we would see him alive again.) Through the last 5 years my direction into nursing was shaped by the great healthcare professionals and the few who weren't so great. I realized my calling to be there for the paitent and advocate for their needs.You have your reasons for why you chose this career and what lead you on the path you are on, never second guess it, if this is what you want then you are right where you need to be. Congratulations on your last semester!

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Sep 17, 2009

lots of people start out in nursing with no previous experience. it has no effect on how they turn out as rns. i've been an rn for over 30 years and had no experience in healthcare before going to rn school. if it did make a difference, the schools wouldn't admit you. the fact is that there is very little correlation between what an rn and a cna or lpn does. an rn is a manager of patient care. that is very different from what a cna and lpn do. an rn learns what a cna does in just a few short weeks at the beginning of training and what the lpn does in another more weeks. the remainder of rn training focuses on problem solving and decision making while incorporating health and medical science information that is being learned. cnas and lpns do not do this in their jobs. rn jobs generally involve performing some leadership and supervision and being a cna just isn't preparation for that. rn schools and your future rn employers are aware of this.

whichone'spink, BSN, RN · Sep 17, 2009

I have no medical experience either. I work in a hospital entering physician's orders on a computer but I don't actually take care of patients. I will be able to take the CNA exam after finishing my Fundamentals course next semester. Direct care of patients is better than entering orders on behalf of a physician.

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Sep 18, 2009

I have no medical experience either and I have done better then many of the students in my class with CNA or other health care exp. They are having a lot of troubles on especially the Fundamentals exams. They knew how to do vitals and make beds and do hygiene care and I didn't but it took no time to learn. I have found that since I was a patient a lot that has helped in some of the aspects. I don't need to try and remember about a patients dignity and stuff along those lines because I dealt with it all first hand and always remember that and how I felt as a Patient many times, so I always make sure I am doing those things that I wish were done for me or that were done for me.

Our professor said today sometimes it would be nice if we all could be in the patient shoes for a few days, especially LTC and I fully agreed, it's to easy to forget the other side of the spectrum when you have never experienced it in the same type of level.

Anyway, I got off track, but I do not think previous exp. determines good nurse or not.