Were You a Nursing Assistant

EarthChild1130 · Mar 12, 2008

I was not a CNA...I did work as a behavioral aide in a psychiatric evaluation unit while I was in school.

As for med/surg skills, obviously it didn't help there...but I feel that it helped tremendously to prepare me for my career in psych nursing.

pnkdmnd · Mar 13, 2008

I Was A Cna For Two Years Got Very Discouraged From Nursing. 10 Years Later I Am Going To Nursing School

jjjoy, LPN · Mar 13, 2008

I became a nursing assistant in a hospital after completing my first year of nursing school (2 yr curriculum). It really did help in my level of comfort with a variety of patients, my speed and confidence in performing basic care, and getting used to dealing with several patients at the same time. The teaching hospital I worked at had their aides learn to do ECGs, draw blood and other useful skills. Looking back, I would've liked to have floated more to work with a wider variety of patients/diagnoses and I would've like to have had the opportunity to work as a unit secretary as well, since they get familiar with the common meds and orders. Nursing school crams so much into so little time that I really would've benefitted from more clinical exposure, even as "just" an aide or US. It takes me time to feel comfortable with new roles and skills so for me the more exposure to new things prior to becoming an RN (when more is expected from you) the better.

BrokenRNheart · Mar 13, 2008

Yes I was and it made the transition to nursing so much easier.

trimeduRN, BSN · Mar 19, 2008

Yes. I've been a CNA/PST for over 10yrs.

It kind of gave me an idea of what nursing was about. But mostly, in the beginning, it made me dislike nurses because of how the way they treat CNA's or PCT/PST. But after starting school, it was a tremendous help. I never have trouble with time management. Im very comfortable with patients and families.

LovingNurse, BSN, RN · Mar 22, 2008

Yes, I was a nursing assistant - which helped, but like another member... feel that being a unit secretary gave me a bigger boost. (Also was medical assistant/phlebotomist in private practice - but still say unit clerk was the most helpful of all of those.)

:dancgrp:

edogs334 · Mar 23, 2008

Yes, I was a nursing assistant (patient care tech) in an ER before going to nursing school. I was also an EMT before that. Although I didn't really get to see what traditional (med/surg) floor nursing was like, I got to assist with (and observe) what nurses do on a daily/nightly basis. Having this experience really gave me a better idea of the role that nurses fulfill (at least in the ER) and gave me the impetus I needed to apply to nursing schools. I think my chances of getting in were greatly increased because: a)I worked with nurses and had a much better idea of what their role entailed; and b)I got some great recommendations from nurses I worked with. Most importantly, I'm used to interacting with patients, especially in stressful situations- whereas some of my classmates have no patient care experience at all. That's not to say that those classmates won't become good at patient interaction once they get experience. Moreover, interacting with patients as a nursing student is different from interacting with patients as an NA because you have slightly more responsibility and have to do more critical thinking on your own. Needless to say, I'll probably be a bit nervous when I start clinicals soon.

It seemed like PCT's in the ER got more of an opportunity to work with nurses- as a "team" of sorts- to take care of patients, especially on nights. Many of the nurses I worked with had this "team" mentality and treated the PCT's accordingly- especially if they saw we were hard workers and eager to learn. They knew we had different roles than they did, and that they had the final say on patient care, but they didn't talk down to us. When things got really busy, we all pulled together and did our jobs as best we could. There were some nurses, however, who had the mentality of "I'll tell you what to do, and I'll do my job, and that's it." There were even a few who were friendly with the other RN's, but stone-cold to the PCTs. It's kind of peculiar, because this mentality was most salient in the some (not all) of nurses who floated down to the ER from the floors. I don't know why this was, but I hope I don't ever get like that when I become an RN.

Although I loved working in the ER as a PCT (on one hand), I wanted to get into a professional position where I could do more for my patients, have more responsibility and have more opportunities to think critically. I hope very much that when I become an RN, I'll never, EVER forget where I came from.

Jacobero · Mar 24, 2008

Yes, I was a tech at a hopsital while I was in nursing school. I feel that it helped reinforce some of the knowledge learned in school, gave me practical expirience with patients (how to deal with them!), and I would help out in any way I could, so I got to see alot (oh, you're giving blood...can I watch? What are you using on that dressing? etc)

DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN · Mar 24, 2008

no, when i went to lpn school back in 1975 i thought i was going to be a cnt, boy was i surprised when they started talking about meds and needles!

allnurses Guide · Mar 24, 2008

No I was not.

My mentor discouraged me from taking the CNA class.

I've never regretted it.

And I love and work well with the CNA's - we are a team.

steph

edogs334 · Mar 25, 2008

And I love and work well with the CNA's - we are a team.
steph

And that's how it should be. Thank God for nurses like you.

DolphinRN84, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Mar 25, 2008

Yes, I was a CNA/PCA for 2 years before becoming an RN. It helped with some of the basic nursing skills, such as bed baths, glucometry, even learning how to draw blood and do EKGs. I'm glad I had that experience because it did make the transition a little bit easier.