can'tdecide

This line of work fascinates me. I am 40 years old and just starting college.( I waited until my youngest started high school ) I'm doing my pre-reqs now for nursing. What steps do I take to get into this line of work? I'm wanting to be a nursing home surveyor. Just about everything I have read states that I need to be an RN for at least 2 years. What classes in addition to nursing should I be taking?

Sorry, my computer was down, and I just made it back to check the message board. Here is a link to their next class starting. http://labette.edu/commserv/coursedesc/Summer%2011/C_N_A_Morris.pdf and I was wrong, we have 45 hours of clinicals, not 65.

I'm taking my CNA class online. It starts Monday. All class time is online, but we do have clinicals that we have to go to, I think clinicals are 64 hours.

Yes I am. I'm friends with several nurses, respiratory therapist and CNAs at our local hospital (we live in a small town) HR told me to come in and fill out an application as soon as I pass my class. They said they would pay me $11.96 starting out with no experience. I'm not worried about finding a job. Even the 3 hospitals in the next town over have at least 20 CNA jobs listed for each hospital. I have not doubt that I will be working in a hospital.

Ok, I realize I'm not going to need one for class, but is this something I'm going to need if I get a job in a hospital? I'm not really sure what CNA's learn but I thought one of them was checking Blood pressure. And if I don't learn it in my CNA course, where do I learn it?

I have been looking at jobs on the hospital website. Every job for CNAs reads.... Basic Life Support required. CPI certification preferred. Is this something I will learn in CNA class or will I have to take other classes to get certification for CPI? Not even sure what that stands for.

I start CNA class next Monday. The only things on the list were scrubs and TB test. I asked the lady enrolling if we needed a stethoscope and she said she didn't think so. Is this something we are going to need? If so where do you buy them and how much are they?

I'm taking English Comp 1 and Psyc. Haven't signed up yet but after reading the post about all the papers that will be due, I might change my mind.

Check with the nursing program you are wanting to attend. The nursing program I am trying to get into requires that you have a CNA license first.

I'm so undecided. I signed up at my college for the Radiology program. After talking to several of my friends that are nurses, I decided against it. They convinced me that there are not any jobs for radologist. I then decided maybe I would try the Phyiscal Therapy Assistant program. Same thing, after checking hospital websites, there are not that many jobs out there. Everyone that I have talked to has told me to do the RN program. My area still has lots of jobs to choose from. I'm just not sure I'll be happy being an RN.

I have several colleges in my area to pick from including 1 university that has a great nursing program. I went to check to see if I could get any help with the cost. I was turned down, even though I was laid off from my job last year, we still made too much money to qualify for anything. Since I'm paying it all on my own, (not going to get any loans, want to pay for it as I go) I was wondering if the nursing program is the same cost as the pre-req classes. I enrolled at a community collgege for some summer classes and I am paying $90.00 per credit hour plus books. I'm trying to plan for the cost of nursing school. Does the nursing credits at your school cost the same as the regular classes? .

Congrats!!! I can't wait for the day to get her that I get accepted into Nursing School!

here is the thread... http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/mb.asp?cmd=display&thread_id=3074351

This was just discussed on another message board I visit. One gift suggested was to get her a "girls day out". Pick her up take her shopping, go to lunch and go get a pedicure or massage. They said she would be stressed, on her feet a lot and this would help to relax her. Another gift people suggested was a nice watch with a second hand.

I think you could get a job of CNA just about anywhere you wanted. I know a few that work in nursing homes and I have a friend that started working in a hospital as soon as she finished the course. They told me the places around here are begging for CNAs. I talked to a hospital about working for them when I finished the class and the only thing they asked was, "will you show up everyday?"

I'm so undecided too. Everyone I have talked to has told me they knew from the time they were little that they wanted to be a nurse. I sat down at the computer one day, looking to see what programs my school offered, and picked nursing. (That was just last week). I talked to the school several months ago about enrolling and told them I didn't know what classes to take. They told me I should look at their nursing program. I told them "No Thanks". Still unsure what to do. I'm going to go ahead and take my Pre-req classes for Nursing and go from there. Unlike you, I know I would make a great nurse, bodily fluids do not bother me. I'm just hoping that I can make it through school.

I do not know. I'm thinking it is going to be a lot of running to get the patient things, turning them, helping them to the bathroom, baths. Things the nurses are too busy to do. A lot of work, but will get to watch the nurses and see what excatly their day is like. In my area (rural Missouri) I have heard the pay is anywhere from min. wage to $12.00 depending on the shift. I have a friend that is on "as needed, nights" and she started out at $12.00. I think days, full time would be a lot less.

This is so true. Even if my school did not require it, I would still sign up. I am so undecided on what I want to do with my life (yeah, I'm 41 and still don't know what I want ) I think I want the nursing program, but really worried that after I invest time and money in classes, I will end up not liking it. I think taking a CNA classes will show me a little of what I am in for.

Just checked, the only thing required for the class is a TB test and $$$.

I'm from Missouri and yes you HAVE to have your CNA license and it has to be kept current to get into the nursing program.

I am happy for a postive post too. I'm not sure if I want to be an RN. I come to these boards to learn about a job before I put the next several years of my life into it plus spend $$$$. Just when I think RN is the job for me, I leave these boards feeling so depressed. I have several friends in the medical field and every single one of them has told me to stay away from the message boards.

This is my fear too. I am 41 years old and just starting school this summer. I'm so scared that I am going to take a bunch of classes to get into the nursing progam and then hate it. I decided to sign up for the CNA program. It is an 8 week course at my school. The program will be over by the time summer school starts. If I hate the CNA program I will know nursing is not for me and change my major.

Sorry, can't help...just wanted to tell you that is how it is at my school also. Just this morning I called to see about applying to the nursing program. I asked a couple of questions and every single answer was " couldn't tell you", "don't know". Even when I asked "approx. how many students do you turn donw each year", they didn't know the answer. When I asked how many students they take, they didn't know, told me it was different each year. So after a 20 minute phone call, I still know nothing.

Hello everyone This is my first post and I came here because I am sure all of my friends are tired of listening to me talk about school. Here's my story. I'm 41 and have 2 kids ages 14 and 16. Always had a great job but since the economy took a turn for the worse I have been home. My DH has a good job and I don't need to work if I don't want to.....but I am so tired of staying home every day. I started looking for a job but every job I came across wants a college degree, if you don't have one it starts out at minimum wage. When I was 18, college was the last thing I wanted to do. Now I really hate checking that box on the job application that says "high School only" under education. I decided I would go back to school, problem is, I'm not really sure what I want to do. I thought about a radiology or a physical therapist assistant. Everyone I know in the medical field has told me to stay away from these two careers. They said if I was going to go to school I should be an RN, would have more jobs to pick from ( RNs can still find jobs in my area, I pulled up 4 or 5 hospitals in my area and each one had at least15- 20 jobs listed, nothing for radiology or PTA). I took the first step and signed up for the CNA class. It is a requirement for Nursing school. I am really exicited about taking this first step and can't wait for it to start. I really hope I like it because I think I would make a great nurse....so, just wanted to stop by and say "Hi" to everyone. I should be around these boards a lot the next couple of years!