Are CNA Careers the Ticket to Becoming a Registered Nurse?

CNA careers may be a good gateway for those who are looking into nursing school but aren’t certain whether an occupation in healthcare is right for them. The training usually takes only a few weeks, it’s relatively inexpensive, and a career as a CNA will give you a valuable insight to what registered nurses do for a living each day. There are private courses in most states that teach the basic skills required for CNA careers. These courses generally cost about $250 to $500.

As a candidate you must submit to a criminal background check and take a test at an examination center after completion of the course. Your school would administer the test, or else it will give you the locations and contact information for examination centers in your area. Your skills in feeding patients and helping them take care of themselves and stay clean will be tested. The test also has a written portion with a few dozen questions on it.

CNA careers are usually under the supervision of registered nurses. The patients you take care of are likely to be senior citizens, physically or mentally handicapped, or dependent in some other way. You will be required to empty patients’ bedpans, bathe and clean them, help them sanitize their dentures, feed them if required to, and assist them with dressing and climbing out of bed into their wheelchairs.

CNA careers do not pay well, but it’s easy to find work in the field. Depending on your experience and location, you can expect to make around $7 to $15 per hour. Retirement and nursing homes, schools, health centers, hospitals, penitentiaries, and agencies that provide home health care are all experiencing a shortage in CNA's, and if you’re interested, these are great places to start looking.

A lot of registered nurses started their careers as CNA's, and many nursing students work part time as certified assistants while they are in nursing school. These students can directly observe what registered nurses do on their daily rounds. The CNA experience also allows them to make priceless connections in the healthcare field and get references from their employers.

The healthcare field is not necessarily right for everyone, and CNA careers can be a good way for persons to decide. A CNA job not for the weak of stomach: it calls for people who are patient, compassionate, and tolerant. Working as a CNA is definitely a good first step for those who are in search of a fast, simple means to learn what the world of nursing is all about. In contrast, some CNAs remain certified assistants all through their careers because they take pleasure in working directly with patients and not having administrative tasks and hassles.