RN who wouldn't be CNA

SmilingBluEyes · Aug 14, 2005

Was a CNA for many years before completing my RN...i did not consider it a bad or demeaning job...i had the oppurtunity to work really close with my patients and the nursing staff was open to my observations and opinions regarding pt care. I do remember however...working in a close observation unit ...sometimes i was the only CNA there..and asking the nurses for help while they were trying to pass meds....UGH..now i think back at that and realize why they told me to wait or if they didnt and stopped and helped me...wow...i guess we are all just focused on our roles ....and you can't really understand anyone till you walk for awhile in their shoes...

I think I understand CNA work purty well. We functioned as CNA's in our first semester of nursing school, concentrating on TPR, bedbathing, skin assessments, etc. We did not give meds or do real "nursing duties" til 2nd semester. I think we all got a good, fair idea of what CNA work was like, enough to understand their role and how they feel.

I never wanted to be a CNA and I am not sorry I went straight for my goal. Does that make me a better or worse RN? Nope, it just makes me one who went a different path. To each his or her own.

allnurses Guide · Aug 14, 2005

I think I understand CNA work purty well. We functioned as CNA's in our first semester of nursing school, concentrating on TPR, bedbathing, skin assessments, etc. We did not give meds or do real "nursing duties" til 2nd semester. I think we all got a good, fair idea of what CNA work was like, enough to understand their role and how they feel.
I never wanted to be a CNA and I am not sorry I went straight for my goal. Does that make me a better or worse RN? Nope, it just makes me one who went a different path. To each his or her own.

This is what I experienced also and what I was advised . . . you learn the CNA stuff the first semester. Why pay money for a whole class and spend my entire summer in a class when I should be spending it with my kids and husband. My mentor encouraged me to just take the summer to relax as I was about to start a very intense two years.

If you need to work, I can see it as a great asset.

My mentor, who is also a teacher and DON and worked for over 30 years as a bedside nurse in all areas mentioned to me that switching from CNA mindset to RN mindset could be a difficult transition . . not that we don't help CNA's or function as a team but that the RN has to think of the patient in a different way than the CNA.

I agree with Debbie - to each their own. If it works for you and you enjoy it, go for it. If not, don't.

I'm glad though that I spent the time with my family because that is my greatest regret - the time away from my family.

steph

mattsmom81 · Aug 14, 2005

I guess I need to clarify..I was not a CNA perse...back in the 70's they weren't certified anyway. I DID work WHILE I was in school as a nurse tech..it was a diploma school and we could work on the floors if we wished for pocket money. Of course this was a dedicated teaching facility. It was a great experience...and everyone knew we were students and gave us plenty of opportunities to learn. Our opportunities to do more nurse work came as we progressed in the program. I feel it was invaluable.

I wouldn't say a CNA is necessary either. But if someone is waiting to get into a nursing program, working in a medical environment can only help...it gets you in gear and you know more what you're getting into. It needn't be nurse assistant type work either.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Aug 14, 2005

I was a CNA in a nursing home when I was in nursing school. That was 32 years ago. It was never boring, but there was a lot of cleaning up after incontinence involved. Based on my many years of experience as an RN I don't think that it's necessary to have a CNA experience before becoming an LPN or RN. If it were, the nursing schools would make it a requirement, and they don't. It's because the primary priorities and duties of each job are very different. While RNs are taught nursing care, the primary focus of their future jobs is going to be on making decisions about the management of the overall patient's care. They need to know basic nursing care, but most hospitals want to get the maximum dollars worth out of their RNs and that means they want them managing and directing care, not necessarily giving it. Different employers have different needs, but, in general, RNs more often than not just do not have enough time to give complete basic nursing care AND carry out their patient care management functions.

The positive aspects of my CNA experience were this: I learned how to bathe patients, change linens, transfer patients from bed to chair and vice versa, turn and reposition bed patients. I was also able to put into practice some of the simple problem solving strategies I was learning in my first semester of nursing and delighted to see how well they did work. I nearly washed the skin off my hands because I was so conscientious about washing my hands between every single patient--rubber gloves were for the charge nurses only at that time. Oh, my hands were in bad shape. . .and I only worked Friday, Saturday and Sunday of each week.

My negative experiences were this: Having to constantly say "no" to charge nurses who kept trying to get me to give meds to the patients, hearing the other aides talk about how they "got back" at patients for constantly putting on their call lights, patients told to "shut up", patients roughed up when being turned or transferred. I witnessed one crazy aide who pulled a patient's soiled draw sheet from under him and rub it in his face to "teach" him to use his call light when he had to bathroom. (Yes! You read that correctly!) In the break room on my first night of employment I listened in shock as I was instructed on how to fool the nurse in charge into thinking I had made rounds, how to disable call lights but make it look like they were in the patient's reach, and which patient's rooms I could sneak into to sleep or make personal phone calls.

Times have changed, but in the last few years I worked in what I thought was a really superb nursing home run by a religious organization with a gang of volunteers who were wonderful to the patients. Two aides roughed up a patient so badly putting her back into bed that they broke her hip, another non-verbal patient was found in bed with a huge fresh bruise over a newly broken hip, an aide grabbed a patient so hard she left bruises on both the patient's wrists, two aides were overheard verbally ganging up on a patient, the old disable the call light trick, huge mysterious long distance charges periodically showing up on the bills of patient's with private phones, and aides hiding, sleeping, or sneaking out of the facility for a couple of hours at a time. We also had an LPN charge nurse who was really nasty and verbally abusive to the aides.

No nursing student needs to be exposed to this kind of stuff. Working as a CNA or a nursing tech in the acute hospital may be way different, but I have no basis upon which to comment on that.

maac · Aug 19, 2005

Greetings all,

CNAs do much of the "dirty" work. However, I think you would greatly benefit from a CNA job if you do not have a healthcare background. Any job in healthcare will augment your career in nursing. You will be surprised at how the competencies you gain along the way become critical in certain situations. With that said, your learning environment is key. Some CNAs make a career out of it- I cannot understand that decision due to its lackluster nature. Nevertheless, if you believe that is your purpose on this planet- go for it! In summary, your experience as a CNA will be worth while if you pay attention to the full picture. Your title and duties are one thing. However, you will over hear nursing and physician interventions on your patients. With time and education, you will understand the reasons why. Nursing is not rocket science, but as in life the more you see the more you will know. Good luck!

tabntony9 · Aug 22, 2005

Hello All~
I've noticed that a lot of people on here recomend being a CNA for anyone who is interested in becoming a nurse. I was talking with my cousin, who is an RN, and she said she would have never been a CNA but she loves being a nurse - that CNA was just to boring and to much 'dirty work.' Just wondering how many RN's out there feel this way.

I am a pre-nursing student. I went to high school to be a CNA. It was a rewarding experience for me. I loved the elderly that I took care of and it helped me figure out what I wanted to do as a career. There is no way I could have been a CNA the rest of my life. I worked closely with my RN shift supervisor and shadowed her work when I had free time. I do think anyone looking to be in the medical field should do a stint as a CNA before they ste their sights higher. A lot of the girls I go to school with shouldn't be in the medical field. They are only in it for the money, not to help those who can't help themselves.

RNLisa · Aug 22, 2005

I am a pre-nursing student. I went to high school to be a CNA. It was a rewarding experience for me. I loved the elderly that I took care of and it helped me figure out what I wanted to do as a career. There is no way I could have been a CNA the rest of my life. I worked closely with my RN shift supervisor and shadowed her work when I had free time. I do think anyone looking to be in the medical field should do a stint as a CNA before they ste their sights higher. A lot of the girls I go to school with shouldn't be in the medical field. They are only in it for the money, not to help those who can't help themselves.

I am a 2nd year Rn student and work as an Aide. I have worked as an Aide now for 2 years in a local hospital on a Med/Surg. floor. I have to say that although we as aides do do alot of the "dirty" work persay, we also learn alot. I found that alot of my fellow RN students did not know what a "G" tube was, or what a "foley" cath was until we covered it in lab class. I have learned alot about skin care, transfers, surgery preps, IV caths, foley caths, G tubes, chest tubes, Kpacks, SCD boots, CPM machines, etc. etc. etc. just by being an Aide. We get paid crap, we do alot of the work, we are the eyes, ears, of the RN's were I work, and we also are the people who see the patients the most. While I give bed baths, I see the patients' skin and look for tears, decubitus ulcers, fungus, bruises, etc. I also see if the patient is in pain when I turn them, transfer them etc. I also can observe how they are acting "mentally". If they have a change in mental status from the day before when I worked, etc.

I am very grateful for my Aide experience, it has helped me immensely. I get a sense of accomplishment when I help my patients. I vow that when I am an RN, I will value my aides, I will help them in any way I can possibly help them, and I will "listen" to my aides when they tell me about the patients.

I think being an Aide is a very important job. Without us, the RNs would be lost. That's just my 2 cents worth. I hope I didn't offend anyone. If you are already an RN, please appreciate your aides, compliment them.

Thanks for listening.

adagiogray · Aug 22, 2005

Hello All~
I've noticed that a lot of people on here recomend being a CNA for anyone who is interested in becoming a nurse. I was talking with my cousin, who is an RN, and she said she would have never been a CNA but she loves being a nurse - that CNA was just to boring and to much 'dirty work.' Just wondering how many RN's out there feel this way.

I was a nursing assistant for a very long time before I became an RN, I'd strongly recommend doing it for a bit to help determine if nursing is right for you.

Keep in mind there's no such thing as a duty that is purely a 'nursing assistant's 'dirty work'. RNs and LPNs can and DO do everything a CNA does. The assistants are there to help the nurse with the tasks that *the nurse* is ultimately responsible for getting done, with or without the help of a NA.

RNLisa · Aug 22, 2005

I was a nursing assistant for a very long time before I became an RN, I'd strongly recommend doing it for a bit to help determine if nursing is right for you.
Keep in mind there's no such thing as a duty that is purely a 'nursing assistant's 'dirty work'. RNs and LPNs can and DO do everything a CNA does. The assistants are there to help the nurse with the tasks that *the nurse* is ultimately responsible for getting done, with or without the help of a NA.

VERY good point! The RN is ultimately the one who is responsible for all her/his patients, regardless of if they have an aide or if their aide is incompetent or not. That is why the RN should be checking and assessing on their patients regularly and not rely on their aides to do that part of their job. I don't mind, as an aide, assessing while I am performing ADL's, but ultimately, at some point in the day, the RN should be doing that as well if they aren't already. I know of a local hospital where they have a low RN to patient ratio, so they do not have any aides. The RN's do EVERYTHING!! "Dirty work" and all. So, that is why in RN school, we do the basics; so that if we end up working in a place like that, we will be able to function as an aide as well as an RN.

ExAirBagRN · Aug 23, 2005

I chose to be a unit secretary in an ED....loved it!!!
My mom was a NA years ago, & recommened to be the clerk, not CNA. I now recommend to everybody to work at least a few months as a CNA. Been an RN for 1.5yrs - don't like it... if I was an aid I never would have gone for it. The ED is a different atmosphere (started while in 2nd clinical rotation, so I helped w/ pt care, procedures, & transport daily). Decided, I don't really want to work in ED environment, but Tele is definitely not for me.
Only places I think I may enjoy they want experience & having trouble getting my foot in the door. I like the hospital I work for, just not PCU...I'd like to try LDRP or OR:) So far, I'm looking into different Bachelor degrees to complete, outside the nursing arena!
.... sorry, I'm rambling, rough week at work:o
Love the unit secretaries & CNA's...w/o them we'd never get done 1/2 the things we need to do...paperwork, meds, assessments, etc.... thank them everyday!

What skills does one need to posess to become a unit secretary? We have a new hospital opening in December in my remote area (I live in Breckenridge, Colorado) and would love to have the flexibility of working in the hospital atmosphere while attending school. I have contacted HR and have been told it is a very competitive position and they will only hire the best. ??????????? I am a former Flight Attendant working retail. I am currently enrolled in Medical Terminology and EMT- B starting September 1. Should I be concentrating on computers more than my current classes? Maybe I should be talking to a Counselor? Thanks for your insight!!!!!!!!!!!! Dawn in Breckenridge

mattsmom81 · Aug 23, 2005

Since I work critical care (which is primary care...we never have assistants) I always consider myself blessed indeed to have an assistant when I float to other settings...and I always let them know how much I appreciate their help.

As agency I worked with some lovely aides who NEVER heard a word of thanks from their staff nurses, sadly. (it was always what have you done for me lately...and it was never enough) But when I came...they went out of their way to help me...as I made a point of speaking to them by name and thanking them, as well as offering them my help when needed.

So I'm well aware that some nurses need to check how they treat their assistants. Also the workload...some nurses keep piling it on until there is no way the CNA can accomplish it all!!

MKFaizi · Aug 23, 2005

I don't think there is any dirty work in nursing. It is all the same,

I do think that doing a stint as a CNA is worthwhile. In truth, I think that all of us should be capable of all of it.

When I was in LPN school, my class encountered several working BSN nurses who had no idea about a Foley or IV lines or many things. I hope things have changed since then. I would hate to be turned loose on a floor with no technical knowledge.

Education is wonderful but experience is the teacher.

Marsha Faizi