Some ??s about CNA training, pay, etc.

purplemania, BSN, RN · Aug 12, 2004

I cannot speak for Houston, but in East Texas the CNA pay is around $8/hr. We allow CNA's to work part-time so they can attend school and would love to have some who wanted only to work holidays and weekends. So, it is worth a try. Most facilities have a required number of hours per month, or per 3 months, and are used to people being in your position. I would ask to speak to the nurse recruiter so you can get to know that person. Also, IMHO, it is a waste of time to get your LVN because many hospitals are shying away from hiring LVN's. It is a sign of the times and you don't want to limit your earning power. So, go for the RN. If you need the $ right away, well, that might be a different story, but too many LVN's get caught up in busy lives and neglect their education. Depends on the individual. LVN pay is sometimes half what RN's make. As for taking the CNA class along with something else, I doubt it would be problematic. And as for working while in school, I agree that school should be your main emphasis. Everyone is different. I worked full time and many others do too. You can always quit your job if you have too. I say go for the gold!!

TexasPoodleMix · Aug 12, 2004

Thank you so much for the insight. I would prefer an rn. I just hear so many 'horror' stories on how hard it is to get in, etc. The advisor told me with my grades, it shouldn't be a problem, I just have to do well in Anatomy and the hesi entrance exam.

Chibi Baka · Aug 12, 2004

I;m guessing around $8.00 an hour. However u can check by going to http://www.salary.com and looking up yearly wages around where u live.

a_clay · Aug 13, 2004

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1 I am taking anat and micro in the fall. It is imperative that I do very well in anatomy as an A would help my chances of acceptance greatly. I would like to take a cna class which is about 6 weeks long in oct-dec. Would this be too much ???? [/quote]

I did something similar to what you are wanting to do last fall. I was enrolled in prereqs. last fall and wanted to get my CNA. I looked around and found a CNA class that was 4 weeks long. The CNA class started 1-2 weeks before the fall semester ended. I took CNA classes at night and did college during the day. In my honest opinion, all the CNA stuff was common sense. I am a college student with a 4.0 GPA and I was worried that the CNA would be hard, as I did not know what to expect. I did take notes and practiced my skills. The hardest part of the CNA class is getting the 37 skills down for the exam. We had a written exam and a skills exam in which you had to demo on I think 5 skills. You don't know which skills you will be tested on so you must know them all just in case. You then draw numbers to see which skill you will be tested on and the test begins like 2 min. later. I did not study for the written test, as it is all common sense, and I did not miss 1 question. The CNA is not what you need to worry about. I would worry about the fall semester. Anatomy 1 is hard but micro. is very hard. I asked many, many students what's the best way to get an A in anatomy and micro and I kept hearing FLASHCARDS. So invest in some good anatomy and micro flashcards. They are available at Amazon.com. Also, since your fall semester is going to be very intense, try to find a CNA class that does not overlap with your college work. Mine did overlap at the end, but I had worked hard enough all semester that I could afford to make a few mistakes at the end and still come out with a 4.0. There's 5-6 weeks between fall semester end and the beginning of spring semester. Try to find a CNA class that fits in that 5-6 weeks. Best of luck to you.

Amy