Nurse Aide

buildingmyfaith57 · May 1, 2006

o yes the more training you have in nursing the more you will grow with it. but anyway good luck to you.

weirdRN, RN · May 1, 2006

It could go either way.

On one hand you will have a little more experience so that may make some of your course work easier. The work experience may make you a better LPN or RN if you continue on that far.

On the other hand, You may learn things that are hard to unlearn for school purposes. Shortcuts and practical applications of skills come immediately to mind.

PhoenixGirl · May 1, 2006

I worked as a nurses aid for a year, now just recently got my LPN. sometimes I felt the work was demeaning. you are "just" an aide to everyone else, you feel like your work doesn't mean anything. But those are the bad days. In reality, you learn *so* much that will be valuable to you as a new nurse. You will have an edge over other nurses who've never worked as aide's.

chadash · May 1, 2006

You know, honestly this is a really tough question, just not as simple as it may seem on the surface. If working as a nursing assistant will delay your education in any way, dont do it. Don't let anything get in the way of your education. If you are not sure you will be comfortable with some of the yuckier parts of healthcare, NA work will sure test your stuff that way. One thing for sure, NA work is rewarding in a way that is hard to describe. Possibly the being treated like a moron actually builds character :) If you believe in yourself when people think you are dumb as a bag of rocks, you can believe in yourself through an awful lot.

It has allot to do with your personality and goals. If you are compassionate, and don't look down on people with less education, you might not need the boot camp experience.

buildingmyfaith57 · May 2, 2006

You know, honestly this is a really tough question, just not as simple as it may seem on the surface. If working as a nursing assistant will delay your education in any way, dont do it. Don't let anything get in the way of your education. If you are not sure you will be comfortable with some of the yuckier parts of healthcare, NA work will sure test your stuff that way. One thing for sure, NA work is rewarding in a way that is hard to describe. Possibly the being treated like a moron actually builds character :) If you believe in yourself when people think you are dumb as a bag of rocks, you can believe in yourself through an awful lot.
It has allot to do with your personality and goals. If you are compassionate, and don't look down on people with less education, you might not need the boot camp experience.

amen on that chadash

lna2rn · May 2, 2006

I actually decided to get my LNA before commiting to nursing school to ensure this is what I really wanted. I am not saying that being an aide is comparable to being a nurse but it did help me make my decision. It taught me what to expect in this field from patient contact to working with nurses and management. The nursing profession is a a new world with a lot to learn. It is not like any other industry and it is not very well understood by anyone who has not experienced it. However, I have found a downfall to being an LNA prior to entering nursing school.

When you work as an aide you pick up "habits" that are not acceptable in the clinical experience. Like putting dirty linens on the floor:smackingf Also, when your clinical instructor has worked OR and school nursing her whole life and is now on her second time ever teaching in a nursing home:redlight: You have learned the correct way to use a hoyer pad at work and have done it for five years but she insisits it is too low and backwards, what do you do? (I snuck the pad up after she left)

I am glad I got my LNA before attending nursing school but when in clinical I remember to throw it away for the clinical experience.

jhawks83 · May 2, 2006

I have been working as a Nurse Aide for about 6 months now after not getting into nursing school last year due to living in a different county than the school. I think it has been really good experience and while I regret having to wait a year I think it will be well worth it.