A CNA Job: Is The Right First Step Towards A Nursing Career?

A CNA Job: Is The Right First Step Towards A Nursing Career

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Many are interested in pursuing a nursing career, but not all are really determined that this is what they want. If this is the case with you, consider a job as a Certified Nurse's Assistant as your 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.

You can learn the basic skills needed to become a Certified Nurse's Assistant from specialized programs. The cost for these CNA courses range from $250 to $500 and are available in many states around the country .

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 also do a lot of grunt work including emptying bedpans, cleaning and bathing patients, getting them dressed and into their wheelchairs, even feeding them if needed.

It is easy to find a job as a CNA, but the jobs do not pay well. CNAs generally earn somewhere between $7 to $15 an hour, depending on how long they've worked and where they live. CNAs are needed in most health care facilities such as hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, hospices, and even in prisons and special schools.

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. In addition, those who worked as CNAs prior to becoming RNs were able to connect with people in the health care field who could give them good references.

One big advantage of being a CNA first before continuing to become a registered nurse is that you can witness first hand what it is that RNs actually do. This can be a good way for a person to decide if a career in the health care field is right for them. A nurse would have to exhibit the utmost patience and compassion, and certainly the job is not for the weak of stomach.

Those who want to experience working in the health care field before signing up for a nursing career will find a CNA job as an ideal first step. In fact, being a nursing assistant and caring for patients without the added responsibilities of being an RN has become such a good decision for some that they decide not to pursue further studies after all.

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