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Is it more reasonable to get patient experience as CNA or RN?


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I am currently debating whether to transfer to my state university where I have can earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and have access to hospitals for experience hours.

I prefer PA over NP.

 

Would PA schools have anything against a nursing major as long as I complete all the PA prereqs?

Which is more realistic/less time-consuming to obtain for HCE? CNA or RN?

 

Thanks!

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RN is viewed as one of the highest quality HCE (RN, RT, EMT-P) an applicant can have, however that path is very time consuming. I've met some fantastic PAs who were RNs in another life, and a PA admissions committee wouldn't view a RN background negatively. The one thing to keep in mind is with a CNA certificate (and assuming you can find a job depending on if you live in a saturated market) you can start racking up hours immediately whereas your RN education training will not count towards patient contact hours because most schools want to see PAID patient contact. A bulk of my HCE hours were from my experiences as a MA and I was recently accepted to a big name PA school, so either route is doable in my opinion. Hope that helps, and good luck to you!

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Hi, I think this is a great question: I considered getting an RN last year, luckily I turned paths into a PA acceptance letter this year. Here's the thing: if your grades are strong enough (3.6+) and your hours are there (1,000), all you need is a CNA. That's what I had when I applied, but I also had 200 hours of volunteering. Listen to me, do NOT do an RN as a path to PA, way too long, complicated and UNNECESSARY. You can easily volunteer, work full time, up your GPA if needed, and get in. TRUST ME. Don't do the RN--

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Thanks!

 

Do you know how easy the job market is for CNA and RN in today's economy?

And wow, I thought the clinical rotations during the nursing program count toward the patient care hours. :(

 

The job market for CNA and RN really depends on the market you live in as well as your interview skills. With the right credentials and an open attitude to working in any area of medicine, you should be able to find work somewhere with either route. As far as the clinical rotations counting towards HCE, I would lean towards them not counting, but that's something I'd recommend you contact your desired program(s) to verify. As Natalya posted, you can certainly get into most PA schools with a solid all around application (GPA for both cumulative and science, GRE if applicable, volunteer hours, narrative, LORs) and CMA hours for your HCE. RN is certainly not a bad way to go, however, you may need to hold off a year to apply to PA school so you can rack up HCE hours during that year. I've mentioned to a previous poster that a RN background gives you a great salary to live off in the event that you don't get into PA school the first go round. While we all want to get in the first time, the reality is there are only a finite number of seats and the application pool continues to grow each year so having a great salary and high quality HCE in your future isn't a bad route to go.

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If op is in the process of getting a bachelor's anyways, definitely get the BSN. In addition that will take care of alot of the pre-reqs anyways. If time is an issue then CNA or EMT is a better option. I got my CNA in 3 months and EMT in 2 weeks, so it is definitely faster to start racking up hce. The main thing regardless of title is the quality of your hce. If you were an RN in the back office of a family doctor you would have less quality hce than if you were an EMT in the ER. If you decide CNA you also have to factor in the time it takes to get into a hospital as most CNA have to start out in a snf. Not everyone is lucky enough to get their first CNA job in a hospital or equivalent.

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If op is in the process of getting a bachelor's anyways, definitely get the BSN. In addition that will take care of alot of the pre-reqs anyways. If time is an issue then CNA or EMT is a better option. I got my CNA in 3 months and EMT in 2 weeks, so it is definitely faster to start racking up hce. The main thing regardless of title is the quality of your hce. If you were an RN in the back office of a family doctor you would have less quality hce than if you were an EMT in the ER. If you decide CNA you also have to factor in the time it takes to get into a hospital as most CNA have to start out in a snf. Not everyone is lucky enough to get their first CNA job in a hospital or equivalent.

 

http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/ems/pub/emtbnsc.pdf EMT is about 110 hours of education...how did you complete that in two weeks? I have heard of accelerated programs but there are not many out there. I am sure there are a lot of readers who would love to know where your program is and it's cost.

 

Most PA programs are focused on primary care/family practice. Not many have really branched out to specialize in other fields. So by gaining experience in a family practice office, especially in a rural/under served population is keeping in the tradition of the role of a PA. When you apply/interview and you can say "I was the MA for PA-C Whatshisface for a year assisting with pelvics, laceration repairs, casting/splinting, immunizations, phlebotomy, patient follow up, point of care testing, basic xrays, prescription management, so and so forth" That back office MA or RN is MILES ahead of a big city ER EMT in understanding of what a family practice/primary care PA is all about.

 

My medical experience came from a different route so I never really understood or appreciated what a MA was all about in the clinic setting. Now that I am in clinicals, working in a small family practice clinic (some days we are the only provider in house) seeing around 25-30 patients a day, I am blown away at how important a solid MA is to keeping the flow going. The experience you can gather is tremoundous in the path of becoming a PA. If I was sitting on an Adcom panel, I would defiantly take a small town, small office MA over a busy ER tech any day. I am not saying that EMT is a bad route...I went the route of EMS after my military time and it worked well for me...what I am saying is don't discount clinical office work.

 

As to the original question...go RN for sure. more in depth education, lot more options to work, solid back up job if the PA thing doesn't work out. We had three nurses in our PA class of 25 students.

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Unitek in Fremont Ca has a 2 week EMT program. The EMT program (CIEMT in Signal Hill, CA) I took was 4 weeks and 1/4th the cost of that program.

 

 

I was looking at the Signal Hill EMT program, how did you like it? We're you able to find a job around Orange County? I have zero health care experience but a 4.0 all around GPA after anatomy, physiology, microbiology, and basic chem. I was focusing on an RN program but after talking to my cousin who is a PA it sounds like a much better fit for me. I just need to get my foot in the door and get some experience. I have a class A liscense with bus driver and truck driving experience. I am hoping that will help me get a job with an EMT-B.

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I was looking at the Signal Hill EMT program, how did you like it? We're you able to find a job around Orange County? I have zero health care experience but a 4.0 all around GPA after anatomy, physiology, microbiology, and basic chem. I was focusing on an RN program but after talking to my cousin who is a PA it sounds like a much better fit for me. I just need to get my foot in the door and get some experience. I have a class A liscense with bus driver and truck driving experience. I am hoping that will help me get a job with an EMT-B.

 

I liked the class. They run it like you're in a boot camp though (academy style) "to try and simulate the stress you will have as an EMT when providing patient care in the field." I found it to be easy since I had just completed all my pre-reqs and got my EKG tech and phlebotomy license all just prior to beginning that course. It's an exam every day except Friday which are skill days. The teachers are good and I felt it really put it all together for me to start thinking clinically. Everyone I knew in the class passed the NREMT exam their first time most within 70 questions (adaptive test from pearson view testing). I recommend the course for anyone in our area as it was reasonable in price ($870 incliding BLS and books) and it was short (4 weeks M-F 4PM to 10PM).

 

As for getting a job, everyone I know of from the class got a job right after graduating doing interfacility transport (IFT). For me, most of my family are physicians so I inquired with them on to how to obtain an ER Tech job and got lucky the Director of the ER liked me enough to offer me a position full-time although I was initially hired as an EKG tech and just before starting orientation they made me an ER Tech.

 

I don't think you'll have a problem getting a job on an ambulance. As for ER Tech thats a different animal.

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Like others have said, I think the BSN is the best decision. If you're early enough in your academic career, why not make the switch? You'll get your prereqs knocked out, and gain valuable healthcare knowledge. CNA hospital jobs are not easy to get. Most hospitals require at least 6 months to a year of hospital experience from CNAs to get an interview. If you have connections (someone to get you an interview, so you can at least get your foot in the door), your chances are much better. Most CNAs start out in SNFs or as home health aids. I became a CNA after finishing my Masters degree and no one wanted to hire me - they thought I couldn't handle the work (i.e., on paper, they thought I would get grossed out buy all of those bodily fluids, etc.). It took a couple months of home health care and a friend passing my resume along to get an interview at a hospital. After a few months in Orthopedics, I'm moving on to Labor & Delivery. The hardest part is getting your foot in the door!

 

With that said, be advised that most recent BSN grads start off on night shift and have to prove themselves and earn the day shift. Be leery of any hospital unit that is willing to hire a recent grad for full-time days. It's never easy!

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like others have said, i would go for the RN. you will be able to support yourself while getting experience, which would be difficult to with a CNA salary. and you get better experience as a RN than CNA. and who knows, maybe you would rather be a NP than a PA. after being a RN you can easily go either way.

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BSN gives better experience but I think it takes too much time. My friend took a 1 month CNA course and became certified immediately. She worked for several months as a CNA at a elderly home and volunteered at a local clinic before applying to CASPA and got accepted to a PA program in California. It all happened so quick!

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Have you thought of being a medical assistant? I am a medical assistant at a dermatology clinic and I am getting a lot of experience. I work with a PA everyday. I take vitals, health history from patients and assist the PA in examining room. This clinic does everything electronic so every medical assistant has their own ipad, which is great experience too since eventually all medical records will be electronic. I took a 1 day CNA course and then took the test and became a CNA...very easy. I have been accepted into three PA programs, so a medical assistant job is another option to think about for HCE. I would just make sure it is working with patients because some medical assistant jobs are more clerical and not so much clinical. Good luck!

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http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/ems/pub/emtbnsc.pdf EMT is about 110 hours of education...how did you complete that in two weeks? I have heard of accelerated programs but there are not many out there. I am sure there are a lot of readers who would love to know where your program is and it's cost.

 

Most PA programs are focused on primary care/family practice. Not many have really branched out to specialize in other fields. So by gaining experience in a family practice office, especially in a rural/under served population is keeping in the tradition of the role of a PA. When you apply/interview and you can say "I was the MA for PA-C Whatshisface for a year assisting with pelvics, laceration repairs, casting/splinting, immunizations, phlebotomy, patient follow up, point of care testing, basic xrays, prescription management, so and so forth" That back office MA or RN is MILES ahead of a big city ER EMT in understanding of what a family practice/primary care PA is all about.

 

My medical experience came from a different route so I never really understood or appreciated what a MA was all about in the clinic setting. Now that I am in clinicals, working in a small family practice clinic (some days we are the only provider in house) seeing around 25-30 patients a day, I am blown away at how important a solid MA is to keeping the flow going. The experience you can gather is tremoundous in the path of becoming a PA. If I was sitting on an Adcom panel, I would defiantly take a small town, small office MA over a busy ER tech any day. I am not saying that EMT is a bad route...I went the route of EMS after my military time and it worked well for me...what I am saying is don't discount clinical office work.

 

As to the original question...go RN for sure. more in depth education, lot more options to work, solid back up job if the PA thing doesn't work out. We had three nurses in our PA class of 25 students.

 

==================================

I'd do the EMT route!

 

Also that's what I did. I took a semester course, test & done!

Easy to get a job! Now you can finish your degree, pre-req's & pt hrs all @ once!

I think the esperience was great! You are meeting & taking care of people, sometimes @ the worst times!

IMO: better than MA pt contact hrs!

 

My SP told me that I should keep my EMT cred's as he put it the more initials after your name!...

 

Best of Luck

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Hi! I have two opinions when I look at your post. The first is that getting the BSN (and PA prerequisites) can give you a very strong didactic background when going to PA school. You will learn about a lot about major systems, its disease states, you'll develop a basic pharmacology background, basic patient assessment background, and go through a rigorous education that is comparable to what you will go through in PA school. When I interviewed for my PA program, the big question was why I went the PA route rather than NP. I really think that my BSN preparation is giving me an advantage because I am familiar with many medications, physical presentations, etc. Since I have easy access to doctors and PA's who know that I am going to PA school, I can have meaningful conversations on why they chose the tests and medications they did, and what we expect the clinical outcomes to be.

 

Conversely, I think being and EMT/MA/CNA can give you more HCE, faster. The quality of that HCE would also be up to you. In my opinion, these roles/positions often take the intrinsic critical thinking aspect out of patient care that some other roles have. I have met many EMT/MA/CNA with great critical thinking skills, but I always got the impression that they worked at developing it in those roles. It didn't seem expected from them. That maybe something you would have to keep in mind.

 

My two cents. Do both. Get your CNA/EMT (I like EMT because it introduces you to critical care situations, which can give you greater options if you decide to work as an RN later) and work while earning your BSN. In the end you'll get a strong clinical background. With that being said, I also recognize and met many great PA's that have come from a variety of backgrounds.

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I think it depends on when you when to start PA school. If you're looking to start PA school as soon as you graduate undergrad, you need to look into doing CNA/MA/EMT now during summers off. You could still transfer and do the BSN, but you would need to start on hours now. If you want to get your hours after graduating and apply to PA schools after a year or two, just do the BSN. Honestly I think you should consider how much more you'd be spending to get your BSN (if cost is an issue), and decide based on your timeline if getting the BSN is worth it.

 

Another tip if you decide to do CNA/MA/EMT: look for "non-traditional" applications. Traditional applications that are all online that you just click boxes are typically for jobs where you need to know someone to get in. Non-traditional applications give you a better chance when you're just entering the field. Walking into different clinics with your résumé and certifications helps too - that's how I got my CNA position. Good luck!

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Do the BSN

 

First off it doesnt matter if you want to start PA school right after graduating. With most nursing programs youre able to work as a tech in the hospital after the second semester--similar to a CNA/EMT certification. At that point you can work, gain experience and go to school at the same time.

 

Secondly, not everyone gets in a program the first time around. If this happens to you, at least you have a real solid degree to fall back on till the next application cycle.

 

Third, its a nice career to fall back on when you graduate from a PA program and need something to do between certification and new employment.

 

Fourth (probably should have been second) even if most programs do not count the BSN clinical work towards direct patient care, its still great experience for you.

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