Sheleigh7

I'm sorry.I'm not meaning to be a b*&^%. However, "Just because it's going to get us into nursing school" isn't going to work for me. Haven't our leading scientists always been rebellious? It's not going to affect your grade if you approach your teacher regarding animal rights. If you're going to respect your own beliefs, which will make you a better nurse, stand up for what you believe in!!! How can people say "I love cats" yet randomly dissect cats because their teachers are listening to the administration which tells them "It's cheaper to deal with animals"? Hello. If a doctor prescribes a drug that you know is going to kill a patient, aren't you going to question it? The same thing goes with dissection. If Community Colleges don't have the $$ to care for human cadavers, but can have the $$$ to use cats and refrigerate them, don't they also have the $$$ to care for human body parts (which you can get for studying particular systems) that are going to be more accurate than those of a cat? As nurses, we should value all life. Human beings who give their bodies to science do so willingly ( I should know my mother has chosen to do this) animals do not!! Period!!!

Thanks for your support Whitney. It's good to hear that there's someone else out there who believes the same as I! Dissection is the main reason I avoided advanced bio in high school and why I pushed off becoming a nurse for so long.

Sorry to resume my ranting again :) However, I did alot of research on this subject for my research writing class. My teacher also told me that the cats died natural deaths, were pound animals and had to be euthanized etc. etc. However this is not the case the majority of the time. A significant amount of cats are obtained through more nefarious means. Here is one link regarding this subject. http://www.sniksnak.com/aavs3.html

We were expected to dissect cats in A & P. I refused. I'm an animal lover and there is no valid scientific reason why we should dissect cats to learn about the human body. It's leftover archaic crap. There are plenty of CD Roms, charts, models, and human bodies (who willingly gave themselves to science)to choose from. My teacher accepted my argument and I wasn't expected to participate in the dissection. Schools usually use cats because they're cheaper than cadavers. However, since cats and humans have pretty different systems its kind of pointless to use them. Sorry if I'm ranting, I just don't believe in using animals for dissection unless you're training to be a vet.

Okay, I understand that there are people out there who want job security, like science, the flexibility of the job etc. But those who keep saying that they are not really a "people person" might consider another profession. Yes, most jobs deal with people, however, nursing deals with people who can be scared, confused, depressed, pissed, angry and a plethora of other emotions. You really need good people skills in order to be a good nurse. period. there are enough nurse ratchets out there. I'm not trying to put anybody down, honest, but as a caregiver and future nurse, caring for people makes a huge difference.

I have been working as a CNA for the past 6 months while finishing my prerequisites for nursing school. I previously earned a BA in Multimedia 10 years ago. Many nurses have told me that working as a CNA is an invaluable experience when you become a nurse. As a side note, the CNA's are also treated with the respect they deserve. To completely smack down the role of a CNA is uncalled for and rude. I know many CNA's who are not only well educated, but valuable to the RN's about changing conditions of patients etc. To say that CNA's are wannabees is abhorrent. Many people who work as CNA's are forced to do so by retraining programs in their state. We also save time for nurses who are busy with meds and treatments (I work in LTC). Furthermore, many states are requiring individuals to be CNA's before starting nursing school. With the amount of people applying for nursing school who think it's a great job in theory, might work as a CNA and find that they are uncomfortable caring for patients. CNA's are also paid poorly for doing very difficult work. I can't tell you how many times daily I lift and transfer patients, and also take the time to hold someone's hand who is scared. Working as a CNA has made me realize how much I want to be a nurse, and I will treat CNA's with the same respect that I expect.