Certified Nursing Assistant Continuing Education - Advancing Up The Medical Career Ladder

Now that you have your nursing assistant certificate, you might want to consider going through certified nursing assistant continuing education. Or, you may have been working as a nursing assistant for some time now, and you may decide that it's high time to climb up the career ladder.

You do not need to worry about going back to school and starting from zero once you decide that you want to be a licensed practical nurse or registered nurse. Your six to twelve weeks of undergoing training, taking the CNA examination and your work experience will not be rendered useless. Of course, by taking the program you already know that your certificate puts you on a stepping stone for higher career possibilities such as becoming a licensed practical nurse or registered nurse.

If you now decide to further your studies, then a certified nursing assistant continuing education program is a good idea for you. As a certified nursing assistant you are on the first step on the medical career ladder. The next step is becoming a Licensed Practical Nurse or Vocational Nurse. This requires at least one year of study from a junior college or vocational school. As a CNA, you not need to finish the whole year course since you have had previous training and experience already. Like Certified Nursing Assistants, Licensed Practical nurses also work under the supervision of a doctor or a nurse. LPNs have more advanced skills than nursing assistants.

The next step on the career ladder is the Registered nurse. As a CNA going through a certified nursing assistant continuing education, you can choose to become an LPN or continue on and become an RN right away.

In order to become a Registered Nurse, you may choose to study through either two course programs - the AND or the Associate Degree or the BSN or Bachelor of Science degree. The ADN degree only requires two years of education while the BSN degree requires four. As a certified nursing assistant, you can continue your education without having to start from zero, as some subjects may be credited due to your training and work experience.

So whether you decide to become a registered nurse or a licensed practical nurse later on, it's good to remember that as a nursing assistant you can always make your choice. The certified nursing assistant continuing education is a great way for you to advance your career in the medical field once you decide to go through with it in the future.