Please listen!!!

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I can't tell you how badly I wish I would have known this before I started Nursing School. Please if you want to become a RN, go get your CNA and work in the field for a while before enrolling in the program. If you have no medical background please take the time to get your feet wet before you jump in the deep end with no floaties. It is going to prepare you and really give you an advantage in the RN program. I just don't want anyone else to struggle like I am. It will be worth the time and your life will so much less stressful!!!!!

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Plus its the best way to be hired when you graduate. I tell everyone who tells me they are in nursing school.

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My school requires us to take a CNA course (or have NA experience) before we start the program.

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Thanks. Im so happy I decided to get my CNA this summer. I have an interview tomorrow. I hope I get it!!

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Hell no! I would never do CNA beforehand and it did not effect my employment after I graduated. CNA and RN have very very little in common.

You get hired by networking, that's it.

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Hell no! I would never do CNA beforehand and it did not effect my employment after I graduated. CNA and RN have very very little in common. You get hired by networking that's it.[/quote']

I agree. CNA and RN are completely different in terms of the work they do. CNA is only helping with daily living activities. And honestly, it's not worth spending almost $2000 for a CNA program before nursing school when you probably won't even be able to work during the year because of school and no care facility or hospital wants to hire a short term summer employee. Our school recommends that we should try to not even have work hours if we can since NS is so time consuming.

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Specializes in ICU.

I don't need to be a CNA. I worked and went to school before and it is very difficult. This time around I am just focusing on school. As a single mom to a 7 year old I have enough on my plate right now. And the person who said it is all about networking to get a job is right on the money. I have a great network of people that I know to help with finding a job after graduation.

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I don't take agree with this either. Being a CNA would make you more comfortable in doing patient care and the Hospital environment. But how would it help you know the material for test?

But it will give you advantage come graduation, I work where I like to work after I graduate.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
Hell no! I would never do CNA beforehand and it did not effect my employment after I graduated. CNA and RN have very very little in common.

You get hired by networking, that's it.

Totally agree - if I had worked as a CNA before starting nursing school it probably would have scared me off of healthcare altogether!

FWIW I've been told by a faculty member that to some degree they actually prefer to start with inexperienced students so that they can teach them EXACTLY how they want things done - breaking ingrained bad habits can sometimes be more difficult than starting from scratch.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

FWIW I've been told by a faculty member that to some degree they actually prefer to start with inexperienced students so that they can teach them EXACTLY how they want things done - breaking ingrained bad habits can sometimes be more difficult than starting from scratch.

...and I'm sure that nurse was not a CNA; wonder how fond they were of them. :blink:

As a former CNA, and a LPN when entering my nursing programs, I left my job at MY JOB; I was a student first. I still got butterflies when it was the first day of clinical, when I had to perform a procedure, and when I got to shadow in other units.

If anything, I saw more people throw their weight around that had NO EXPERIENCE, than the ones that did; it goes both ways in terms of student behavior. The only thing I had was HIPAA-protected sage stories in dealing with challenging patients; I did have cohorts ask me to help handle a challenging patient; or if they needed help in the fundamentals, I helped them learn how to cluster care safely; the same techniques learned in nursing school are the same ones that experience healthcare workers do. :yes:

The only thing when having previous healthcare experience allows is a form of comfort zone in handing ADLs, vitals signs; clustering care/especially when you are a tech or LPN that is used to having 10-20 patients; but that can be rectified by inexperienced students practicing as much as possible. :)

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Being a CNA before Nursing School can help you feel more comfortable in a healthcare setting if you have no prior experience. The whole "touching and invading patients personal space" of healthcare is eased if you do CNA before nursing school. I'm doing my CNA classes right now. I believe it'll help me tremendously. I get to see how patients are treated according to their ailments and diseases.

As for all other posts saying "Heck no I would've never been a CNA before a nurse" PLEASE RELAX! NOT LIKE YOURE A DOCTOR. Get your feet back on the ground!!!!

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses.com

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Sorry I would rather work retail or at my local car shop then do something healthcare related while in school.

Bottom line for many people it's not the best way to enter nursing and is in no way necessary. Also being a CNA beforehand can burn people out before they even get started.

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