CNA to RN

[cookderosa]

Not intending to be argumentative, but getting experience as a CNA to see if you would like to become an NP or PA is about as helpful as getting experience as a security officer to see if you'd like to be a DA. There is absolutely no crossover in the two except that you interact with people. A better option -- and one that would provide some networking opportunities down the road -- would be to ask an NP or PA if you could shadow them for a few shifts to see exactly what they do.

Sigh..... I feel like this thread is a warzone! Let me tell you MY experience with being a CNA. My goal, to become a CNM, was based on my 10 years as a doula and 20 year consumer of midwifery care. Let me add, I volunteered for a CNM as a medical assistant for 4 weeks, and was a free clinic volunteer for 2 years. My mom was a nurse her whole life, and I enjoyed science classes, so I thought I might take the sciences and see if I could pass them. I did pass them, so the nurses and doctors I volunteered with encouraged me to apply to nursing school. I did, and got accepted to every program I applied to. One program required CNA certification as a pre-req. I completed my CNA in a nursing home (6 week course that I enjoyed) and then landed a job on the OB-GYN floor with some GENEROUS pull from 2 CNMs who had privilege at that hospital. One month in, and I knew I didn't want to go through nursing to become a CNM. I won't go into all the "whys" that went into my experience, but my point is that getting in there and seeing, smelling, listening, observing, is all valuable when you're an adult considering a career change. My experience might be unique if I didn't watch adult after adult go through a similar experience in the culinary program I worked for. They watched chefs on TV, loved to cook, and after 1 month in a kitchen were DONE. It's not about the specific task, an observant thoughtful person can learn a LOT from just being in the place they are considering. That's it, I've said my two cents.