Jessica
I do not have a lot of CNA experience, will I continue to get more exposure as a Nursing student and on the job as a Nurse?
#healthcare #nursing #nurse
2 answers
Maria Eger
Maria’s Answer
I agree with so much that Grace wrote, her response was wonderful!
I might able to add some additional information as someone who did not work as a CNA prior to becoming a nurse.
I came from a family full of nurses and so I was able to ask a lot of questions before entering that career path. If you've never had any experience in the healthcare field, I encourage you to keep asking questions to be sure of, not only the career pathway of a nurse - but also, to help determine what field you might be most interested in entering after graduation.
Personally, I feel that my clinical rotations and clinical instructors gave me a solid basis for a good start. As a nursing student, you will likely receive 1 (maybe 2) patient(s) to 'care for' during your clinical day. Because you will not have a full load of, say 6-8 patients, you will be able to give all of your attention/time/energy to just these 1-2 patients. This allows you time to bathe them, toilet them, feed them --really spend a lot of time with them and getting to know their needs outside of the nursing assessment, passing meds, blood draws, etc. You essentially will take on the role of both the student nurse and nurse assistant or aid. Like Grace said, this will help you to understand the work that CNAs perform and will hopefully encourage you to respect and help all ancillary staff.
So, in short - yes, you will get exposure via clinicals as long as you actively participate and put the time and work in!
I hope this was helpful!
Grace Lescano
Grace’s Answer
Hi Jessica,
Very good question! Before I was a nurse, I was a CNA, and this did provide me with some experience, such as having the courage to go into a patient's room and managing a patient assignment. I REALLY gained nursing experience, though, once I started working as an RN. Being a CNA does give you exposure, but the nurse role is very different. As a nurse, you are primarily responsible for the overall care of the patients and may even oversee LPNs and other CNAs. Also as a nurse, you will also be a speaking directly with doctors, nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists, and other healthcare team members to provide updates on patients or to collaborate if a problem arises. I also learned about medications, how to properly administer medications and blood products as a nurse. In general, you will gain more exposure to the nursing profession once you begin working as a nurse.
If you do have the opportunity to work as CNA, I greatly encourage it so that you will understand their role once you become a nurse. I have met many nurses who were never CNAs and unfortunately mistreated the ancillary staff because they weren't nurses, and I found this conduct terrible and unprofessional. My experience as a CNA was invaluable, and I was able to relate to all the CNAs I have worked with since I used to be a CNA. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask!