What's better CNA job or Nursing Summer Internship

[esunada]

I just got a job as a CNA at an assisted living facility. I'm entering nursing school for a BSN and I know they have summer internships at hospitals. These interships require that you be available at anytime during the summer and work almost full-time. I really like my CNA job at the facility and I'm not sure that I want to quit to do a summer internship but I hear it's really valuable to get this experience. I also don't want to be job hopping all the time. The intership where we do clinicals doesn't even pay, but there are some locations that do.

What looks better to an employer when I start looking for RN jobs - a long term CNA job or a summer internship at a hospital?

[Rednights]

Everyone I know who had an internship has a job ... just saying

[Hopeful2011]

You could do both.. but I'm sure the internship would look better since you would be getting nursing experience that you don't get as a CNA... but you could definitely find a way to do both...

[NeoNurseTX, RN]

I'm voting internship. I did one and it was the best experience and I got a job offer on that unit.

[Music in My Heart]

Internship is much more relevant than CNA

[puravidaLV]

Depending on the job market in your area the nursing internship will give you more piratical experience, yet the CNA job will pay the bills, give you less experience, but put you in a better position possibly later when looking for employment.

the reason I would also do both is because if your like a majority of new graduate nurse, who now are waiting upwards to a year for their first job, you can go work in the hospital and than have a better chance of being in the employment pool.