Should You Work as a CNA During Nursing School? (RN)

00:01 So should you work as a certified nursing assistant, nursing assistant or tech, all the names, while you're in nursing school? Absolutely. This is an awesome way to see if healthcare is something that you actually want to be involved with.

00:15 It will give you a great experience, and it'll give you something really good to add onto your resume that looks very professional and nursing specific.

00:24 Here are some of the benefits: Working as a CNA, especially when people know you are in nursing school, it leads to a ton of learning opportunities.

00:34 Most nurses will explain things to you and teach you while you're working next to them, almost as if you are precepting with them.

00:40 Even when you're just doing your job next to them, you'll become more comfortable working with patients and seeing how healthcare just operates in general and how it flows.

00:49 You'll get familiar with charting systems, and you'll get your foot in the door in the healthcare system that you may later on want to work in as a nurse.

00:58 Also, you'll realize if you even want to work in that healthcare system or if, like, on that type of unit after being exposed to it.

01:07 You'll have a lot less background information to learn when it comes to school as well.

01:14 You already know how to change a patient, how to move them, how to work with patients. And you'll be comfortable with working around lines and drains, and you'll feel much more just at home and at peace and relaxed in the healthcare setting in general, which will let you learn a lot better.

01:31 But all that being said, you don't have to work as a CNA.

01:35 I actually never worked as a CNA in school because the schedule wasn't something that would fit in with my school schedule.

01:42 As a CNA, you tend to work really weird hours and your schedule is usually a bit more regimented.

01:49 Many nursing students who worked as CNAs in school did so very, very part-time, like we were talking about before, like two weekends a month or something like that.

01:58 A full time position as a CNA would likely involve evenings or nights or weekends and holidays, and that just wasn't something I could do.

02:06 So, should you work as a CNA? For sure.

02:09 It is a great learning opportunity.

02:11 But do you have to? No. Let's talk about some other jobs that you could also do while in nursing school that can give you a lot more of the same prioritization, critical thinking and people skills, but might be a little bit more flexible.