Tired of the CNA Lecture *Mini-rant*

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I'm starting the professional phase of my nursing program in September and it seems like having a parrot on your shoulder to hear people say "you should have been a CNA first". I'm not offended by these people but it's really just frustrating to hear over and over again. Yes of course it would be great to do something that is related to something you're about to jump into first but unfortunately I and other people don't have the luxury of becoming a CNA or aide before starting nursing. Why? I don't have the money for it. It's really as simple as that. Yes they're not that expensive but that doesn't mean I can afford it. Not everyone's situation allows them the freedom to just become a CNA beforehand or I'm sure they would do it. It just seems like people don't THINK before they say things like that. It doesn't have to be much but not saying it in a way that makes it sound like I'm just someone who didn't want to do anything would be better.

Oh and I know a few people would say volunteering costs nothing and you're right it doesn't and it's not exactly an easy thing to land anymore either. I've filled out applications, given in recommendation letters and even did the silly "why do you want to volunteer at our facility" short responses. I've gotten everything from "you don't live close enough to our facility" to no responses at all to all of our volunteer positions are currently filled.

I wasn't a CNA before I started nursing school and I did just fine (in my class of 50+ we only had one CNA). In NJ you can take the CNA exam after a year of nursing school without extra CNA training, but I decided not to go that route since I'm doing a nursing externship for the summer - no need at this point. If you can take the exam and you have the time and financial flexibility to work per diem for low pay a few days a month, AND you can land a job, then all the power to you. But don't worry if you don't work as a CNA before you graduate from nursing school

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

I don't have a CNA and was hired by a local hospital for a nurse externship after my first semester was completed. Much of what I do is the same stuff as a PCT/CNA.

I agree that not having a CNA will NOT hurt your chances of success in nursing school. Heck, we have students who never set foot in a hospital prior to nursing school, let alone did any kind of patient care. They are all doing just fine. Good luck with your program and congrats on getting in. :)

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I don't know any places anymore that train people for free. Even my Nurse Aide teachers said they have not taught anyone in years where the nursing home paid for the training. They said since there are so many people trained out there, the homes have no need to pay for training anymore. Plus, the nursing homes are on pretty tight budgets.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

If you do not plan on working during nursing school, why become a CNA first?

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If you do not plan on working during nursing school, why become a CNA first?

Some nursing programs require CNA certification as part of the application process. Some people do so to strengthen their nursing school application.

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Some nursing programs require CNA certification as part of the application process. Some people do so to strengthen their nursing school application.

Yes, my schools requires CNA certification to get on the waitlist, but I don't plan on working as a CNA.

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Specializes in NICU.

My school looks at nothing but academics--courses taken and grade achieved.

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Specializes in OB/women's Health, Pharm.

Here is the faculty take on the CNA issue.

It can be a MAJOR DIs-advantage. Here's why.

The person who is a CNA may very well have learned some bad habits and/or have a very poor knowledge base, which some have difficulty UNlearning. Not all, but at least some of the people who teach CNAs are not the sharpest or most up-to-date nurses. Other CNA programs are way too short to teach things well. Thus the CNA may learn the wrong way to do things, or has inadequate understanding of the whys behind what they are doing. They then disagree with me when I teach it per the book or an updated version in the lab (Dumb move!) Some even get really stubborn or offended when I then expect them to do it our way (How dare I disagree with their inflated imgage of themselves!).

Others cannot understand why they have to learn the rationales for doing things. Since they think they already can do it just fine, they don't bother to read the book or watch the DVDs, and just wing it on the written lab test. Then are angry because they don't do well on the test.

The other problem that occurs in when a competent CNA thinks that just because she is comfortable in the HC world and has good hands-on skills, she's God's gift to nursing. Those are the same ones who lord it over their fellow students who are not CNAs. Instead of being humble and helping their peers, they use their head start to tell themselves they are superior, and are lulled into thinking they don't need to study as much or work as hard as their classmates. Eventually this attitude bites them in the butt when we get beyond skills and to a level that requires higher level thinking. At that point, their peers who learned early on that they would have to work hard to succedd surpass them.

Then we have the SNs who conflate hands-on skills with knowledge, and who may even believe that being able to "do things" is superior to being able to think things through. Because they diminish the value of critical thinking skills, they are slow to realize that without them, they will never make it through nursing skill, let alone pass NCLEX.

Even scarier are the ones who don't seem to grasp how little they actually do know, and who blow off much of what we are trying to teach them. They think they have to just go through the motions of coming to class, get that piece of paper, and take NCLEX. Our hope is that eventually they will lose the attitude and realize that they absolutely must learn to think like a nurse; for some, that takes a while.

By the way, do not, no matter what, ask to be exempted from labs because "I already know how to do that".

So, if you are a CNA, here is some advise for you;

1. Be humble. There is FAR more that you don't know that what you think you know.

2. Be open to the idea that your way may not be the right way, or the only way.

3. If you are fairly skilled, share that skill with others.

4. Keep the attitude to yourself.

5. The sooner you realize that a nurse's single most critical skill is the ability to think, the better off you will be.

For you non-CNAs; skills matter, but they are not everything. You can gain them by reading and learning the steps, watching videos, and then through practice, practice, practice.

A friend of mine has a 7-year-old neighbor who has a PICC line. She made a video of him giving a lesson on how to care for a PICC line and how to change the dressing. That humbled our students, and put the lie to the idea to the idea that skills are everything! But. . . while he can do the skills part, I am not so sure he would know how to recognize early signs of sepsis, or be able to explain why the nurse needs to check for drug compatibilities when infusing two drugs into the line, etc.

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I totally second the comment above me. As a CNA, I wasn't allowed to DO anything hardly (take vitals, check blood sugar, be a waitress) but I helped/watched a ton of procedures the nurses did. When I did my patient care skills course (sterile technique, dressing changes, NGs, foleys, etc) I was SHOCKED at how many bad habits I had picked up from watching things in the field. I took a lot of hard work to unlearn and relearn.

I, however, am still glad I worked as a CNA in a hospital while doing my prerequisites as it cemented what I wanted to do and I did learn a lot that I feel will help me in clinicals (I spent a lot of time with nursing students too).

Is it necessary? No. Will it help initially? Yes. IMO.

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I agree. You don't need the experience as a CNA first, although it does help in gaining experience towards your nursing career. I am a nursing assistant in PA, and here, you dont have to be a certified aide to work as one. They hired me with out certification, which saves on the expense. I get the experience, get paid to work, without having to pay to get certified. I think hospitals are different in their requirements. I do know that in PA, nursing homes require you to be state certified. If you check into different places where you live, you might find something that doesnt require a state certificate..... Also, many home health aide agencies do not require certification. Just a thought. But, I do agree in the sense, that you do not absolutely need the experience as a CNA first. If you know you want to be a nurse, than chances are, your not going to change your mind! :) Good Luck!

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Specializes in IMCU.

I wouldn't worry about it. I had an instructor tell me I would have a problem getting a job as a nurse because I had not worked as a CNA. Rubbish.

I didn't have time for nursing school, looking after me and looking after my parents AND working as a CNA.

I never perceived CNAs had a huge advantage and in some ways thought they were a little disadvantaged. Our instructor spent much more time holding the hands of the 2 CNAs in my clinical rotations. As one instructor mentioned here -- sometimes they had attitudes about "how things are done " in their facility.

Don't be psyched out.

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Specializes in Pediatric Hem/Onc.

This is one of my fave debates :)

My program requires STNA certification before you can go on the wait list for clinicals. You only have to work 8 hours per year to keep it current. I chose to quit my lucrative bartending job and go the CNA/PCA route because 1) better/flexibility in hours, 2)get my foot in the door of a hospital system, 3) after ten years of bartending it really drags you down, and 4) I really wanted some type of contact experience before starting clinicals. Paywise it absolutely sucked but I made some serious cutbacks to accommodate it.

That being said, when we started our first hospital rotations, there was NO review of skills. You were expected to know how to change an occupied bed with a cooperative/uncooperative/incontinent/insert any horror story patient. Same with bed baths and all the other fun perks of being a CNA. Working in an dementia unit really helped me with this! A lot of students struggled because they'd never actually given direct care to someone. Our first med surg rotation was essentially being a CNA and giving the occasional med. I was bored silly so I helped people if they needed it.

After the first half of the term or so, everyone was on equal ground. Those that didn't "get" the basic care essentials learned to ask the facility's CNAs for help. The focus was on assessment and nursing skills - things you never get to do as a CNA.

So did it help me? Initially. Do I see nurses at work that obviously didn't work as a CNA? Yup, and it's SO frustrating.....especially when we're cleaning up a paraplegic with runny tube feeding poop and the nurse takes charge, smearing poo everywhere and apologizing profusely. After an hour of cleaning and remaking beds, I reach the end of my patience and just take over :lol2:. Some appreciate it, some take offense, and the smart ones ask for tips on how to do it. A classmate started at another school's program and they were told as BSNs they wouldn't be required to do "aide" stuff :smackingf That's a whole other can of worms!

The ones that do the "I'm already a CNA!" strut are just.....special. I wouldn't let them bother you - they'll either get knocked down a few pegs in a month, or weeded out in the first couple terms. Darwinism in nursing, you gotta love it.

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