Thursday, November 8, 2012

What are CNA RN Programs

CNA RN programs offer a great platform for CNAs to advance in their careers as well as increase their paychecks. Many individuals who aspire to enter into the profession of nursing, start their career as a Certified Nursing Assistant. It is a great, rewarding career option to go in for.

The path to becoming a Registered Nurse (RN) begins with being a Certified Nursing Assistant at the entry level. Once you become a CNA, you have a chance to explore the nursing profession and decide whether the nursing profession suits you or not. You can complete the CNA program within a span of 6 months. The CNA training programs are offered by several nursing schools as well as community colleges.

When you work as a CNA, you get familiar with the hospital or clinic environment and get into the habit of serving the patients who are ill. Also, as you are working under the supervision of the Registered Nurse, you become aware of the tasks performed by the Registered Nurse. You can always ask for help and guidance from the Registered Nurse for the progression in your job. As you have already worked as a nursing assistant, it will be quite simple for you to get acquainted with the clinical terminology and the instructions given. Also, you will be good at handling the medical instruments and equipment that you worked with while you were a nursing assistant.

The demand for the Registered Nurses is on the rise and it is going to continue rising in the coming decade. The tasks of RNs include the following: 
  • Drawing a routine or regular nursing plan 
  • Assessing and evaluating the patients' health 
  • Conducting primary diagnosis 
  • Educating and informing the patients as well as their family members regarding the patient's illness 
  • Telling the patients about precautions required 
  • Supervising the Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) as well as the Nurse Aides
  • Informing the health condition of the patients to the doctor 
When you are a CNA, you can draw a salary of around $25,000. When you become a RN, this salary shoots up to $80,000; with the national median salary of RN being $64,000. The job of a RN is highly specialized and highly inclined towards medical care. You can thus advance you career as a RN by opting for the CNA RN Programs to become a Registered Nurse.

CNA RN Programs 

There are several medical colleges that offer CNA RN programs or CNA nursing programs for you to advance your career in the nursing field. These courses are usually of 2 types: 
  • Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN): The duration of this program is for 2 years
  • Bachelors Degree in Nursing (BDN): The duration of this program is for 4 years 
Other than the above mentioned degrees, you could also pursue higher education by choosing a Masters or a Doctorate degree. Besides the experience that you carry, it is your higher education that is going to help you increase your paycheck. The State Nursing Board conducts the examinations for these higher degrees. Once you clear the exams, you will be awarded the license to practice as a nurse.

CNA RN Programs – Advantages 

If you are a Certified Nursing Assistant, you are eligible to enroll for the CNA RN Programs. These programs take less time for completion, as majority of the nursing schools take into account the training and experience of a CNA while conducting the RN training and awarding the nursing degree. Thus you have the advantage of gaining a ADN or BDN degree faster than your competitors by six months. Hence, make sure that you choose schools that permits your CNA credits transfer, so that you can land up saving a lot of time as well as money.

CNA RN Program Cost 

When you enroll for the RN program, the associate degree costs around $6000, while the bachelors degree costs $10,000. However, if you are a CNA, and you enroll for the CNA RN Program, the cost of the associate degree would be around $5000 and the bachelors degree will cost around $8000. This is how you will be benefited in terms of saving your money if you are a Certified Nursing Assistant enrolling for the RN program.

Many individuals opt for the 2 year courses as the duration is less. However, if you aspire for some kind of higher education, it is best that you opt for the 4 year degree course. Many students enrolling for the ADN program later go in for the BDN course, as it offers the advantage of higher paychecks.

It is better to choose nursing schools while considering the CNA RN programs because the universities will tend to charge comparatively higher for the same courses. Certain schools also provide the facility of online training with the practical or clinical training being conducted in hospitals or the nursing homes.

There are many schools that also offer scholarships to CNAs who are excelling in their performance or those going through a financial crisis. The State Nursing Board of various states also has these kind of scholarship programs. You need to carry out some research regarding these scholarship facilities as well as the eligibility requirements for the same.

1 comment:

  1. When you work as a CNA, you get familiar with the hospital or clinic environment and get into the habit of serving the patients who are ill. Also

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