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Are you a recent high school graduate or considering a career transition? There are many paths to getting a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree, and there are many advantages to working as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) at the start of the journey.
The Responsibilities of a CNA
Aspiring CNAs must typically have a high school diploma or the equivalent, pass a background test and take a state test before enrolling in a 4-8 week state-approved certification program. CNA training programs are frequently offered at community colleges and vocational schools. You can find a CNA school near you and also filter through our state and city guides for CNA requirements. You can also enroll in an online CNA program. All certification programs will require classroom hours and clinical hours before allowing students to take a competency examination.
CNAs work with patients and provide direct patient care under the supervision of a registered nurse. Nursing assistants can work in long-term care facilities, inpatient hospital settings and rehabilitation centers. They will very often oversee patients’ grooming and cleanliness needs, take vitals, stock supplies in rooms or on the unit, and even assist in some medical procedures.
CNA to RN Programs
Nursing is a very diverse profession. Just as there are numerous specializations and different clinical settings, aspiring nurses get to choose the academic path that best fits their goals and life situation. Educational journeys are shaped by a person’s financial means, family commitments, and time constraints.
Not everyone is able to enroll in a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program early in their college career. For countless nurses, their educational journey involved stepping stones, ones that allowed them to experience being a CNA, LVN, and, finally, full licensure as an RN. These stepping stones can get you a leg-up over other nurses.
How is a CNA different from a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) and Registered Nurse (RN)? LVNs, also known as LPNs (Licensed Practical Nurse) must pass a state-mandated exam to obtain their license and they can perform numerous other procedures that a CNA cannot. However, LVNs are not permitted to give medications like RNs. But it’s very easy to see how moving from CNA work to LVN and RN is a process of expanding clinical skills, always building on experience.
It’s very important to do your research about nursing programs early on, to learn about bridge programs and online schools. Some nursing programs allow you to customize your curriculum and schedule so you work at a pace that’s best for you! There are also specialized CNA to RN bridge programs that use prior classes as prerequisites so you can get a head start on your degree. You can expect to take classes in anatomy, biology, psychology, communication, chemistry, and physiology.
Advantages of Working as a CNA in Nursing School
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If you work as a CNA while going to school for your BSN, you’ll have a unique advantage compared to your classmates. Working in the clinical setting will reinforce what you learn in nursing school lectures and read about in textbooks. In your role as a CNA, you’ll have the opportunity to apply nursing school theories and make them concrete every time you work another hospital shift. Nursing school will throw a lot of information at you. Your CNA job will help you process and remember everything better.
Another thing to consider is, your job prospects as a CNA might expand as you go through nursing school. If you anticipate making a CNA job change, don’t forget to highlight your educational pursuits on your CNA resume!
The Financial Advantage of Working as a CNA in Nursing School
Working as a CNA while pursuing your BSN could mean taking out fewer educational loans. Being able to pay for school as you go, combined with scholarships and grants, will reduce the amount of money you owe upon graduation, if you end up owing anything at all! Imagine the relief of not having to worry about taking out loans or paying for tuition.
Develop Your Nursing “Soft Skills” as a CNA
What kind of skills and characteristics come to mind when you think about an excellent nurse? Perhaps you think about the ability to deftly place an IV line or compute appropriate med dosages? Working as a CNA will help you develop your so-called “soft skills,” the ones that shape your bedside manner and make you a great team member on the unit. Being a CNA can help you develop personal attributes like empathy, reliability and flexibility because of the amount of time you will work directly with patients. In fact, CNAs are very often a liaison between the patient and licensed nurse.
While CNA responsibilities can vary by state and type of facility they work at, nursing assistants are vital to making sure hospital units run smoothly, and nurses are able to manage multiple patients with complex diseases. This means that CNAs have the opportunity to hone their time management and communication skills long before they enter a BSN program.
Discover What You Like and Don’t Like
One of the greatest benefits of working as a CNA is the exposure you’ll gain to healthcare settings and areas of specialization for later on. You might learn early on where your interests lay. You will be able to go into a BSN program with goals and a focus that your fellow classmates lack because they didn’t start out as a CNA.
Establish Early Connections with Mentors at Work
Working as a CNA gives you the chance to connect with nursing mentors at work. These charge nurses or supervisors will give you excellent academic and professional advice, act as a sounding board when you have a question from lectures or nursing textbooks, and enlarge your professional network.
Strengthen Your Application to BSN Programs
Your experience as a CNA could very well strengthen your applications to both LVN and BSN programs in the future. You’ll be able to boast about your experience on units and describe accounts of how you managed patient care. You will be able to describe a long interest in the field of nursing and show how passionate you are about patient care.
Become a More Competitive Job Applicant
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A CNA job will make you a competitive job applicant after completing your BSN. In addition to showing off your clinical hours from your BSN program, you’ll be able to point to your employment history and boast of your long experience in patient care as a nursing assistant. Future employers will see a job candidate who really knows the ins and outs of how units run, the reality of long hours, and how to navigate patient care.
Start Your Journey Today!
As you think about advancing toward your dream of becoming a nurse, do consider all the advantages of first working as a CNA. There are numerous ways to advance in the nursing profession, and becoming a nursing assistant is an excellent first stepping stone.