Cna

[Ridryder911]

True, but CNA will honored & recognized more in the medical field (especially nursing) over than the EMT level. I do agree take as many college level courses as possible,

R/r 911

 

[MMiz]

I don't mean to rock the boat, but on a long-term cost/benefit analysis I can't see having CNA training/experience being helpful. From what I know, the CNA is like the Medical First Responder/EMT-Basic of the EMS profession. Much of what you learn is common sense. You learn the basics of patient care, assessment, movement, and treatment.

I'd think that a more traditional class towards one's ultimate goal would be a better use of time and efforts.

 

[VentMedic]

As a CNA you can get a job just about anywhere and in many different areas both inside and outside of the hospital. CNAs can be provided a little additional training to work in almost any specialty unit in the hospital. Since their cert is recognized more widely in the hospital, their present skills can easily be expanded on as their job description calls for. EKG, Phlebotomy and ortho assist are just a few options. As a CNA, you may have more choice to choose the facility that best suits your needs and ambition while going to college. One can also become a personal CNA and do private duty for one patient. That can be a great way to make extra money.

Our CNAs in the Rehab facility, which has many spinal cord injury patients, become masters of moving with and without equipment. But then, these patients are also on med-surg floors and moving is necessary there also. They become very familiar with technology such as working with ventilators even if they can not make changes. As an RRT, I am not going to hang around the shower room waiting for 30 ventilator patients to be bathed.

They also become masters at working with bariatric patients for daily care, moving and emergencies. Very few doctors know how to quickly get a baratric patient positioned in a code. We all know what happens when an EMS crew gets a call for an 800 pound patient. For the CNAs, this is just part of their day if they are working in a center that receives these patients.

All of our CNAs have CPR and many do paticipate in CODES. They also know how to stop bleeding until a licensed person arrives since a line, venous or arteriel, can become dislodged or disconnected. They are trained to recognize basic signs of problems just like the EMT but with more disease specifics for their population. The RNs will give each of their CNAs a report at the beginning of the shifts.

Being a CNA just allows you to see many more patients, get more hands on skills (patient skills and not extrication), understand how different disease processes present and learn from licensed professionals. Many EMTs do not get enough one-one patient time to develop skills that deal with disease specific issues. For some, it is actually uncomfortable when they are trying to move a very deformed or delicate patient such as those with end stage rheumatoid arthritis or dealing with a patient with a recent double mastectomy. Even taking the vitals on these patients can be a challenge for some EMTs. If the CNA is covering 10 - 20 patients per shift, that is a lot of different patients to learn maybe just one or two new things about if one wants to further their education.

 

[serupert]

VentMedic that was very well put.

I am a CNA right now and have been for a little more than a year. I would suggest doing it for one because in hospitals, or at least mine, CNA's get paid more than EMT's.

It's not only getting patients fed and everything. I work nights at a hospital on a post trauma floor and I rarely feed anyone and pretty much never give baths. You do take a lot of vital signs, you do accuchecks, help with dressing changes, sit with crazy people, assist in codes, and you also get to meet more patients and connect with them for a longer period of time. Some would argue that that's a negative aspect though.

I also work in a surgery center. I get to watch surgeries and learn from the surgeons. Everything I have learned from the nurses and the doctors is invaluable. It's also a great way to make contacts with important people if you ever need letters of recommendation or anything like that.

It's definitely not a glamorous job but what I have gained from being a CNA is incredible. Also, if you are thinking about going into nursing every nurse I have talked to said the nurses that were CNA's before they went to school did way better than the ones that weren't.

 

[VentMedic]

Also, if you are thinking about going into nursing every nurse I have talked to said the nurses that were CNA's before they went to school did way better than the ones that weren't.

Everything you did as a CNA is now a well learned skill and can be done almost automatically. That leaves room for more concentration on the skills that are new once you get an advanced license. This would include becoming a Paramedic. Once you've been able to time manage and adjust priorities with 20 patients, 1 patient in the back of your truck should be no problem. Your listening, observation and attentive skills should also be more developed. Vital signs will be no problem. It is embarrassing to watch a Paramedic fumble with manual vital signs. It is also sad to hear from a patient that they rode 30 minutes in a truck with an EMT or Paramedic who did not say a word to them or ask about their comfort during a "routine" transport. Being a CNA shows you that patient care is more than cool uniforms and L&S.

I personally would rather have an EMT student do a couple of shifts following the CNAs rather than sitting in the ED waiting for something exciting to come through the doors. I think the time would be better spent.

 

[MMiz]

A bit off topic, but I know a few EMT-Basic schools who require hospital clinicals, ambulance clinicals, and clinicals at the NH following a CNA. It doesn't sound like too bad of an idea.

 

[rook901]

As an LPN and TN EMT-IV, I can tell you with some small measure of authority that taking a CNA class will prove mostly useless if you are pursuing a career in EMS. Having said that, it's good to get some hands-on patient care experience, but that's about it. I honestly would not recommend spending time on a CNA certification, even for someone considering a career nursing.

CNA school is typically 5 weeks long (more or less depending on your state, but this is the average). You will learn how to ambulate patients, feed patients, take vital signs, and not a whole lot more. If you remove what you should already know as an EMT, basically all you're going to learn is how to change diapers.

Now, from the OP's perspective -- a high school student with zero healthcare experience -- it's not a bad idea to take the class if it's free. However, I would in no way encourage actually working as a CNA. The pay is way too low for way too much manual labor.

I in no way intend to dismiss CNA's as a valuable part of the healthcare team. I am simply suggesting that there are far more useful avenues of education if you intend to work toward a higher level of healthcare provider.

 

[daedalus]

I am a CNA right now and have been for a little more than a year. I would suggest doing it for one because in hospitals, or at least mine, CNA's get paid more than EMT's.

EMTs will make a lot more than a CNA after you factor in over time. But thats a silly point and really not relevant. Some of you are right, you can take a CNA class, an get a job almost anywhere in a hospital. You can also stay there for a long time and make just enough so that you decide never to advance you education. Any of this won't change the fact that if I saw a CNA in an CTICU, and it was my mother as the patient, you better believe that CNA will not be going anywhere near my mother.

 

[VentMedic]

Any of this won't change the fact that if I saw a CNA in an CTICU, and it was my mother as the patient, you better believe that CNA will not be going anywhere near my mother.

If the CNA was in the CTICU, it was to assist the RN with your mother's personal care. CNAs do not claim to know it all in medicine as some do in EMS.

I could tell you about EMTs and my mother. I wonder if two of them ever got their iPODs back? I also don't consider all EMTs to be the same incompetent fools that those two were.

It would be unfair to say all CNAs are incapable of doing patient care either or that their training is useless. It is also not fair to say all they do is walk and feed patients.

Considering it is possible to become an EMT in only 2 weeks, it would be unfair to criticize the length of the CNA's training. One cannot judge all experiences or people working in medical jobs from their own possibly very limited experience or education either. Most here have never actually been inside a hospital enough to judge any person working there. Many will never work inside a teaching hospital or any large hospital to see the many opportunities. Many that have been in these types of hospitals never really see what is going on around them. Many will never advance past EMT-B. Some will not last with ambulance work past 2 years. Some will discover their dislike for "patient care" within the first few weeks on the job. Those are the ones I hope leave the profession sooner rather than later.

The nice thing about working as a CNA in a hospital is that they will throw money at you to advance to become degreed and licensed in some area of healthcare that benefits the hospital. One does not have to become a nurse either.

There are no longer that many entry level jobs in the medical professions that allow direct patient care. Even the LPNs are being phased out because their education is only 1 year in length. There are few OJTs left. The Surgical Assistant is gaining ground on national standards. The medical labs are now wanting their Phlebotomists to have at least the 150 hours of courses and certified. That is 40 hours more training in just drawing blood than the 110 hour EMT program. Some PCT programs are 600 hours in length. That is almost as much as some Paramedic programs but in patient care skills for their area of specialty or a strong training in general patient care.

People in EMS tend to get tunnel vision. Thus, they don't step outside of their comfort zone to see what medicine is all about. There is so much out there and rarely do some working on ambulances get to experience much of it.

Don't close your mind to anything that might get you the experience you need or your education paid for. Shop around. Know your benefits. Ask how proactive they are with scheduling for classes. This is what new EMTs forget to do. Too many have entered EMS by way of some TV show or flashy commercial with a career school promising them a "guaranteed job". Many thought it would be like "Third Watch" or some of those other "thank goodness they got canceled" shows.

If your goal is to go from EMT to Paramedic by way of a college degree and only stay working as an EMT long enough to get your Paramedic, then that could be a different story. But, you have to make your patient contact and care experience count on all calls.