Nursing Students - Is a CNA Job Your Ticket to a Nursing Career?

For those who are looking into nursing school but aren't sure whether a job in healthcare is right for them, a job as a Certified Nurse's Assistant may be a good first step. It's cheap to take the course training required to be a CNA, it generally only takes a few weeks, and a job as a CNA will give you a front-row seat to what registered nurses do for a living every day.

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In most states, there are private courses which teach the basic skills required to be a certified nurses assistant. These courses usually run from around 0 to 0.

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After the course is completed, the student will undergo a criminal background check and take a test at a testing center. The school will provide the student with the locations and contact information of testing centers in their area, and the school may even administer the test. The test will review basic skills in assisting patients to care for themselves, feed themselves and stay clean. There is also a written section with a few dozen questions on it.

CNAs work under the direction of registered nurses. The patients they care for may be elderly, paralyzed, mentally handicapped, or physically dependent in some other way. CNAs empty bedpans, clean and bathe patients, help them clean their dentures, feed them if necessary, help them dress and climb out of bed into wheelchairs.

It is easy to find a job as a CNA, but the jobs do not pay well. CNAs generally earn somewhere between to an hour, depending on how long they've worked and where they live. There are numerous places that need CNAs: hospitals, schools, clinics, nursing homes, hospices, prisons, agencies that provide home health care.

Many registered nurses began their careers as Certified Nurse's Assistants. A lot of nursing students work part time as CNAs while they are in nursing school. This allows them to make valuable connections in the healthcare field and get references from their employers, and they can see first hand what registered nurses do on their daily rounds. This can be a good way for a person to decide if a career in the healthcare field is right for them; it's not necessarily right for everyone. It requires patience, and compassion, and tolerance, and it's not for the weak of stomach.

For those who are looking for a quick, easy way to to find out what the world of nursing is all about, becoming a CNA is certainly a good first step. And some CNAs enjoy working directly with patients and not having managerial responsibilities and hassles, and they may remain CNAs throughout their career.

Nursing Students - Is a CNA Job Your Ticket to a Nursing Career?

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