Become a CNA Before Becoming a Nurse

I was a mid-life career changer, and started as a CNA. It was the best foundation ever. I have since been LPN, RN, BSN, and now in MSN program. Any nurse who does not start as a CNA is professionally handicapped. Do not think that you will never make an occupied bed, give a bed bath, feed a patient, or change a brief!! CNA skills are essential!!!

Start my CNA class Monday and nursing next school year.. I chose this route to make sure that nursing is absolutely what I want to do

It was a fast process, 2 days after I applied, I got a call from H&R had my phone interview, THEN was scheduled for an ON-SITE interview right then & there. Then a week later went to take interview & then I was asked to job shadow, I did then after the nurse manager asked me if I'm still interested I said yes then she said you have this position do you have any questions? I cried outta joy because my dream as a BSN someday is to be in the ER working in the ICU care benefits me so much! I love being a CNA my floor has 60 patients & me & the nurses work together & the other CNA, its a fast pace work environment but I like that. I seem to function better under pressure - yes a floor of 60 people & 2 CNAs I still get my break no matter what; the nurses make sure of that. The other CNA is so nice, she's been there for 19 years she's such a trouper & now my friend.

I have a tip to add from my previous experience. Get your CNA certification before you start prerequisites and get a year or two of experience before nursing school and work for a staffing agency during nursing school. This is basically what I did, and I love it because i get to choose when I work and sometimes where I work. I also get paid $5+ more an hour than the other techs.

I love my CNA status! I love being able to work as well going to nursing shool! Tell you what patients are the best teachers! My thing is, I need to be a great follower before I become a great leader. THANKS!

amen brother! Coming into nursing school with a 7 year CNA background with 2 as a hospital wide Float CNA. Gotten to see a lot that may/may not come up in clinical rotations. And as you mentioned, Time Management! And as always...appreciate your CNAs, they are the eyes on your patients and more often than not see some clinical manifestations before you might.

I work as a PCT/CNA at a hospital, in the ICU I do 12 hour shifts 3x a week & am also doing full time nursing BSN prereqs as well; becoming a CNA first is very rewarding because working in a hospital I've been trained how to do blood sugars, reading EGK's, in the hospital I got a lot of phlebotomy training. These details I didn't learn in CNA school because it wasn't in my scope of practice. But some hospitals will cross train you & pay for you to get a EKG/PHLEBOTOMY Certification. As a new CNA straight outta CNA school I applied at this hospital got the job as a Milti-Skilled CNA/PCT I didn't expect to get this job but I was like what the hell I already filled out 50 other applications, I didn't expect this job would want me because I had no experience in a hospital expect for my 72 hours in clinical the required experience is 2 years experience for this position, I even told the nurse manager "I'm a student with no experience" I was honest & thats why she through me in :D she replied "I want you on my team I was a CNA before becoming a MSN I want those who want to grow, you have no experience no problem because you will learn" maybe she did call my last job, at another hospital but there I was the clerk up in MOM/BABY & I received an award of (Grace Under Pressure).

This makes me feel much better. I applied to an ADN program and a BSN program, but decided to go to the ADN since it makes since financially. But the BSN school said that ADNs are not good. But a few people I know say that they started off as an ADN/ASN and did CNA work before going to school for a BSN. So this video confirms this. Can't wait to begin.

Throughout all of my summer in 2015 while i was still in High School, i took a course where i assisted the CNA's at my local hospital on 6 hour shifts Monday - Friday in the Med Surg section of the Hospital. I was also moved around throught the sections from Geriatrics to ER to ICU to Subacute etc. It was a great experience and being that i took that course as my first internship, it helped me a lot as i did my Clinical Hours to earn my M.A. Back office certificate and sure helped me with my vitals, patient care, terminology, and most of all being comfortable in the setting of being around patients. Now i am graduated from High School still doing community service at the clinical site i was located at to rack up the "experience" needed in order to get hired as an MA soon. To top it off, I'm highly looking forward to starting school next month so i can become an LVN!

Yeah bro I agree completely!! I started as a CNA worked about 6 months in a rehab/LTC facility, had a minimum of 12 patients a day. It was HARD work! I then went to more school for patient care tech, and have been working in a hospital for about 3 Months. I love when we get slammed (10 patients for 2 techs lol). Start nursing school in the fall and am looking forward to it. I feel very prepared having worked 12-16 hour days on top of school. I think everyone going into nursing should at least become a CNA first. I know how much I will respect my CNAs when I finally become a nurse. Thanks for the videos you really inspire me to push hard for my goals.

+Nursebass I think I'm going to cry. :'( I really needed to watch your video. I've been struggling getting through nursing school for the past 2 years, I've been in the RN program and remediated and put in lvn and remediated. I've felt like a failure like I was never going to be good enough to move on and finally achieve that nursing license. Until one day I spoke with my psychological counselor at school and she recommended that I work as a cna for about a year and until I feel comfortable and confident I can go to the next step and try nursing school again. I just hate feeling like I don't know what I'm doing in clinical, lost, confused, paranoid and scared that I'm doing the wrong thing and that the teachers are watching me and marking me wrong for everything. I felt like a deer in a headlight. I hated it so much! I want to be confident, independent, and make the right decisions with my best judgement when I go back into nursing school. So by watching this video made me feel so much better that by getting a job as a CNA it can benefit me in the long run. I'm so happy and fortunate to aquire this job in the new year, working with loving caring and helpful nurses and staff. It's gonna be a little shaker at first, but I really think this is what I needed and shouldve done. Because I wasn't sure what to do after I finished my prerequisites. I was thinking of the cna route first, but before I could try, I got accepted into nursing school. But, any who, here's wishing and praying for a wonderful year of learning and experience that will lead to a better stronger future! :D

CNA'S do majority of the hands on process. If something is different or off in a patient CNA'S are the first to notice the change. I believe working as a CNA should be a requirement for every nursing program (ADN or BSN). It's the basic (foundation) knowledge of patient care and procedures.

I been a cna for about 5 years now and I been working graveyard shifts and it's quiet helpful

I am currently a CNA have been since November and I appreciate this

I'm so glad I found your video....I got accepted into my schools nursing program and start October 3, and I finish the ᶜᴺᴬ program September 29. I took the program for the same reasons you mentioned in the video time management, patient care & hands on experience since I've never worked in a hospital before....my friends who are in the program a few quarters ahead of me didn't think the program was necessary but I'm so glad you agree! thanks I love your videos

Totally agree that the patient experience is so valuable in your future healthcare career! I'm going to be a CNA before nursing school. Plus being a new nurse grad it's hard to get a job but being able to put on your resume that you were a CNA and have years of patient experience will put you ahead of others. Not to mention, during clinicals in nursing school you won't be shy or feel intimidated by patients.

I needed this video right now. Sitting here drinking my glass of wine preparing for my A&P exam tomorrow and I just passed the Texas state CNA exam on Saturday. I got a job at this nursing home here in San Antonio, and it makes me want to quit all of this and run far away. I've got experience (5 years as a CMT in maryland working in homes with people with developmental disabilities, it was basically CNA work + certified to give meds) but nothing prepared me for what I would face in this nursing home. I feel so overwhelmed and the other staff there just sort of dump 8-10 patients on me and I don't even have time to take a piss let alone eat dinner if I want to get out of there by 11pm. I see them finished their after dinner rounds by 7:30-8pm and by the time I'm done it's already nearly 10pm and it's time to start last rounds. I really just never want to go back but that makes me feel like if I abandon this due to feeling overwhelmed, there's no way I'd make it as a nurse. I wanted the job at this nursing home so bad because I love being around the elderly and helping them, but being a CNA doesn't feel like I'm helping them at all. I've got no time to talk to them or do anything extra for them aside from treating them like they're on an assembly line.

Decided to go through a CNA program this fall while i wait for admission into nursing school in the spring. I got into nursing school! And I'm glad i went through the CNA program because its helped me be comfortable with patients. Handling them, talking to them, feeding, hygiene, charting, etc. Ill have my CNA license by December and know the work/clinical work i did during this program will help me throughout nursing school. love ya vids man

I am starting my CNA classes next month and I am hoping to work in hospitals. My dream is to become a nurse but I wanted to see the environment of a hospital first as a health care professional. I think becoming a CNA is to a person's advantage because when you go to nursing school you already have the experience to deal with patients and know the basics of how to take care of them. I can't wait to start these classes! You make great videos btw! :)

The question is: why are so many new nurses graduating nursing school without learning the basic skills? Nursing school has become extremely lacking in the clinical skills department. After I graduated nursing school, I struggled with just learning how to do things like blood draws and I work outpatient. I would not function well without extensive training inpatient. Why is this the case? What has my education been for? When I graduated nursing school I knew how to write an essay but I did not know how to be an independent nurse.