To Be Or Not To Be - A CNA!!?? In Need Of Wisdom!

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I want so bad to be a nurse BUT, i kind of messed up my first semester at my JC (I was unmotivated and undecided on what I wanted to do). I know, I screwed up big time. Had I known I was going to be wanting to enter into such a competitive career path, I think I would have done better :crying2: ...... I was wondering if it is worth the money to become a CNA before becoming an RN. Does becoming a CNA really give you that much of a leg up and help out?

Now that I realize I want to be a nurse, the fact that I completely bombed my first semester makes it unlikely that I would be accepted into the SRJC Nursing Program in Santa Rosa, considering it's extremely competitive and there are many other girls out there with near perfect GPA's.

Is it a good move on my part to become a CNA for a while first, and take that step to becoming an RN a little later? Anyone else who has made this decision or who have bombed their first semester?

Thank you! I am just confused and want so much to succeed and become a great nurse. Taking the steps to that however is something I'm having difficulty figuring out! :heartbeat

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Don't worry about your first semester of college, it's dead and gone. Now what you need to do is to concentrate on the semesters to come. If you do excellent in the semesters to come it will offset your first semester. From what I remember and I'm unsure if it's like this now but I was told by a counselor that if you repeat courses you failed it will improve your GPA. The classes will still show up on your transcripts but if they see that you've totally changed and your grades have been nothing good since that semester they will let it slide. Grades really are important, but one semester really isn't going to kill you. If you're willing to wait an extra semester I would recommend retaking those courses that you bombed in the first semester. Then go speak to a counselor regarding your dilema. If you really want to be a nurse don't let anything stop you. Would I recommend you taking the CNA course? ABSOLUTELY, you will learn so much as a nurses aide and it will prepare you for the nursing program. As a CNA you will have an edge in the experience department vs those that don't take the course. You can succeed with out taking the CNA but it does open a lot of doors for you. Hope this helps and good luck.

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I've applied to an LPN program (which is first come first serve, so although it's a good program it's not ridiculous to get into). They *require* that you are a CNA first. However, the closest BSN program doesn't give you any credit for being a CNA (which I find odd). That said, I do think it's valuable experience to have, whether it "counts" or not.

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IMO, they should give extra points for someone who's currently in the medical field, CNA, Phlebotomist, EMT, etc if they don't require it for entry into the program. Also IMO, I believe that the CNA course should be required for entry into the RN or LVN program. Why? It's because taking the CNA course will be valuable experience and also not to mention that taking the course will enable a person to decide if he/she really wants to get into nursing. Some people might disagree with me and that's fine but with all the people wanting to enter the profession, taking the class will give them an indication on which way they really want to go.

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Thank you for your responses. Part of me wants to forget about that semester and go for amazing grades, which I know I have the ability to do, it will just take a lot of work. And another part of me wants to take a tiny step back and do the CNA training and get a feel for the whole nursing environment before I jump right into something more permanent. And another part of me wonders if I become a CNA and begin work, how am I going to have time to take all my course work for becoming an RN? It might be good to become a CNA, work full-time for a bit and save up for the money I'm going to be spending on the Nursing Program. While also getting a feel for the environment and what nursing is like. Sorry if I'm writing my thoughts as they come, but I think I've come to the conclusion that becoming a CNA first is in fact the right thing to do in my case! :yeah:

Thank you for helping me come to this realization! I agree that becoming a CNA first is probably a safer choice and a smart path to take in order to feel out what nursing is like. :D I need to focus less on rushing to achieve what I want and more on taking my time to gain all the valuable experience I can while being fiscally wise.

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You can become a CNA and work part time while you go to school. Or you can work full time and attend school part time. For me it was easier to do part time work and full time school. It was hard I'm not going to kid you, but it's worth it in the end. Good Luck

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The cool thing about CNA schedules is you can work 2 12 hr shifts on the weekends if you want and do school full time during the week. Or work it out whatever way you want, the point is its flexible! Goodluck

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