Stna/cna

I was an STNA for 10 years. There is no such thing as a CNA (certified nursing assistant)
When I started, pay was crummy around $7 an hour :( I believe my last job was well over $10.
You will most likely work in a nursing home. It is a HARD very physical and emotional job. Unless it has changed, the state law is that you can be responsible for 13 residents during your shift. Depending on the type of unit you are working on, it can feel darn near impossible.
However there have been changes, and some really "good" nursing homes try to make sure you never have that many residents. Do not pay for this course, look around and find facilities that provide the course for free and then offer employment. I used to be from the area you live in, and have heard Villa Camillus is a good facility and they used to offer the course, check them out. You can also research facilities on line to get an idea. I will also offer this tip, if you enter a facility and it doesn't smell clean, it's not. Don't work there!
It can be very rewarding, but as I said it is a hard job. You will work!!! And if you don't a have genuine compassion for the elderly, it's not for you. Many of these people have dementia, Alzheimer's etc and can be quite challenging. But they can also be very loving, and a joy to be with.
Good luck! And really think it through. It is not a field for everyone!

I worked as a nurse aid all through nursing school. It sucked. I worked in a nursing home, with elderly with dementia, and that was absolutely back-breaking work . I had 10 patients who had to be up, bathed, and fed by 8:00 (my shift started at. 6). They were combative, confused , and pooped A LOT.

I also worked in the hospital on an ortho floor that specialized in hip and knee replacements. The clientele was predominately little old ladies with broken hips or morbidly obese people who had blown out their knees. That, too, was back-breaking work. Getting these clients on the bedpan, bathing them, putting their legs in the constant passive motion machine. I got my first back injury there, by helping a 450 lb woman onto the bedpan.

I also worked on a gyn-oncoglogy floor. That wasn't as physically strenuous , but was very sad. Lots of bad cancers, plus women who had a fetal demise were on that unit. And since it was a gynecological floor, it seemed like there was menstral blood EVERYWHERE.

I made , on average, $12/hour - if you're in nursing school, most aces pay you more per hour than if you were just a cna.
Personally, if theres any other way for you to make money, if do that, rather than being a nurse aide . It's really a thankless job, and you don't want to burn yourself out before you even start nursing school.

While having your CNA (or STNA) will not really help you get into nursing school, if you have to work while in school it is a great route to go. I went to nursing school right out of high school and had no experience in the healthcare field. You will have a great start on providing patient care, and will have working knowledge of how the hospital systems work. Pay isn't great, wherever you are. Here in OK, it is a bit above minimum wage. It's a hard job, and will get you used to being on your feet for 12 hour shifts! Good luck, whatever you decide!

ETA: When looking for jobs, always ask the hospitals if they will help pay for nursing schools. Some will!

A good friend of mine does job placement. Everytime she comes across a person who wants to become a CNA she quickly steers them toward becoming a RN. If nursing is a passion for you why not go for the full crown instead of the lesser. The lesser offers more work for less pay but the don't get me wrong becoming a RN is equally difficult work wise. The reason my friend steers people away from becoming a CNA is because for a little more study and a little more time you can get a nursing job which would pay significantly more.

The healthcare profession at any level comes with a whole lot of responsibilities and dues that must be paid as far as the totem pole of power begins. When you are the low man on the pole you get the worst jobs for the worst pay for the most hours. This applies to doctors, RN's, LPN's and CNA's.

If you have a passion for people and caring for them then pursue your passion and not the money and that would apply to any work you are looking to do.

I know one person, she makes 9 dollars an hour, works the worst hours on earth at a nursing home. She is not happy and it doesn't seem worth it.

My mom was a nurses assistant for many many years as it was a decent job with benefits and she was left a single mom and it worked for her. It's very hard work. You're doing the cleaning and care of patients. Hospitals patients are critically ill and need a great deal of help. Nursing home patients wouldn't be in a nursing home if they could care for themselves.

I have a great respect for nurse's assistants. I see how hard they work at the nursing homes (my mom's last 18 months was in a nursing home). If the NA is good she is an angel from heaven - and has a very special gift of care & compassion. If she's not a good aide it's awful for the patients since the NA is really the primary caregiver.

As a resident of a nursing home my mom had a few wonderful, awsome NAs and a few dreadful ones. What a difference a good, kind and sweet aide makes in the life of a nursing home residence.

In the NY metro area the pay starts at about $30,000 and goes up to about $45,000 I belive - with benefits (keep in mind cost of living in this area is phenomenally high). It is hard work - and if another aide calls in sick it can be a very long shift. But as the family of a resident, I admire the work and the people who do it well.

My sister was a CNA in a major hospital while she went to nursing school. She both loved and hated it - for all the reasons the other people posted below. You will do tons of heavy lifting. And you will see every single bodily fluid possible. All the time. It's your job to move people around and clean up after them. That's pretty much all you will do. If you can handle that, it's a good opportunity to see how a nursing home or hospital works.

I was a CNA (there is in fact, such a thing, as you stated in your question) for 6 years. There were many things I loved about the job, and also quite a few I didn't love. It is awesome to get to know the clients/residents/patients and their families. I got to know and learn about so many people and that part was wonderful. I also got to witness how some people seem to be just 'forgotten' by their loved ones when they most needed them, that part was not so wonderful. I met some pretty neat folks I would otherwise have never gotten to meet...a woman who flew her own plane into her 80s, a rancher who worked his land until he was nearly 100, writers, war vets, people from all walks of life, that part was great. I also got sore feet from being on them all day, backaches from constantly moving people around (even when using proper body mechanics,) but the worst of it, for me, was the heartache, witnessing broken hearts on holidays and birthdays :-(

My starting pay was $2 over min wage at the time, my ending pay was $2 over min wage-min wage was increased while I was doing it, so I did get pay increases but not a lot. I am in school full time now, working on getting my Master's in Education, but I often think about going back and getting re-certified to work part time and earn a little extra.

Good luck in whatever you do!