kix86

Update: I just talked to the boyfriend about this subject because I am very bothered by his attitude. He "clarified" that he thinks being a cna would be ok if I am definitely going to go on to nursing. However, he thinks that, because I have a college educated "mind," I should find a job with more critical thinking skills. I don't know a whole lot about critical thinking skills involved with being a cna (I KNOW you need them for nursing!) but I highly doubt that all cna's are running around without any thinking going on. I am so frustrated with him. Why do people have these attitudes towards cnas? (And to labcat01: I had no idea that people thought that being an RN was below anyone, I always thought that nurses were well respected and that there was prestige associated with being one.) Sorry if any cna's here are being offended.

Thanks for all the replies. I didn't mean to sound pretentious. That's his view, not mine. As soon as he said it I was like "Um, hello, you know that nurses do the "dirty" work too." I went off on him for about 5 minutes about how if you go into nursing with the attitude like that, you won't be a good nurse. So he definitely got it from me. Boyfriends are so annoying sometimes.

So...I just finished a B.A. in Psychology in June, but I have been thinking about doing nursing for almost a year now! After trying to figure out what route to take to become an RN and how to pay for it, I decided that maybe I would give my B.A. a chance (since my parents paid ALOT for it) and just get a job, then later after I have saved up money, I could go to nursing school. Well, 4 months of job searching and applying to 40 jobs, I have heard NOTHING, no calls, no interviews, nothing. Time for a new plan. I have been thinking about become a CNA because there seems to be a guaranteed job, pay that is close to what I would be getting as an entry level employee anyway, plus it would give me great experience for being a nurse and I could be sure that this is what I want to do. Plus, I think I would like it. My problem here is this...I ran this idea past my bf and he thinks it is below me!!! Since I have a B.A. and have never actually had a real job, he says I can do better! He says I shouldn't have to do a "dirty" job like that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was shocked. I never even thought about it that way. I know I probably shouldn't listen to him, but it's bothering me. Maybe I should give my degree a chance and just get an "office" job? But if nursing is what I (think) I want to do, then isn't being a CNA a good starting place? Are there any CNA's out there who have Bachelor's degrees? How do you feel about this? Sorry if this is long!!!

I don't worry about it all the time! I've just been thinking about it a lot because it could be a potential roadblock to nursing. I think I start to dwell on something and then it runs away with me!

Thanks for the replies and encouraging words! I guess dying is just a part of life and perhaps I have an immature view on the subject...I have never really experienced much death in my own life. More than the actual patient dying though, is that I always think about the families when I hear about something tragic happening...the spouses, kids, parents, etc. Life can be so tragic and sad sometimes, I just don't know if I can handle that on a daily basis.

I have been lurking here for a while and have been trying to decide whether nursing is for me. I think that I would really enjoy most aspects of it-helping others when they are at their worst, learning about diseases/meds, etc. However, the one thing that I am thinking might be a deal breaker is the emotional side of it...I am very scared of death...I am a worry-er and I am constantly worried about one of my family members dying or something bad happening. On one hand, I feel like this makes me not cut out for nursing, but on the other, maybe being a nurse would help me overcome this. Is this a weird way to look at things?? If I can't even handle thinking about death, how am I supposed to actually handle it while I am a nurse?