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Starting Your Journey as a Certified Nursing Assistant

Choosing your career path can be a tasking decision, to put it mildly.

A career is more than merely a job. It consumes your brain space, while more than 86% of professionals feel it more or less defines their rounded identity.

You truly need some soul searching to really know where to set your direction. For instance, if you were always the one to stick up for classmates in school – does that mean you will make an achieving lawyer? Will your love for children or thirst for knowledge draw you to education?

Perhaps. Yet with all the dandy of youthful interest and going after your heart, according to a study conducted by the New York Federal Reserve Bank, only 27% of people use their degrees. And the trend is only increasing as the Zoomers are entering the workforce.

The reasoning is mostly when people do not end up feeling the anticipated satisfaction in the line of work they touched.

Let’s Talk Nursing

Some people are natural nurturers. If that’s you – heading into nursing may have been as natural.

For many prospective nurses, hesitance finds its way into the decision-making process. They are uncertain whether they are really up for the responsibility of the job caring for critical patients when they have not been in the medical setting to truly absorb the level of intensity, if it is in their scope.

Considering the investment and effort of nursing studies, some may be reluctant to pursue a career thus staying put, scarecrowed if it is right for them.

Why to Start Your Journey as a Nursing as a Certified Nursing Assistant

 The best way to probe whether caregiving is a fit for you is to start out as a Certified Nursing Assistant. Unlike most other nursing jobs, a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) doesn’t require a college degree. That gives you the benefit that before advancing in your studies, you can ease into a healthcare setting to ensure it is for you. It also wonderful way to get your feet wet in healthcare for those who have their mind on future nursing, but they are not ready for the financial investment just yet.

You’ll need to earn a certificate or diploma in a CNA program with training in patient personal care, infection prevention, vital signs, communication, mental health, and other basic care. If you’ve selected a short training program and are able to take the certification exam immediately after your clinical hours wrap up, you can become a CNA is as little as a month, in some cases.

CNAs provide direct care to patients of all ages, under the supervision of a registered nurse (RN) or Physician. They help ill or injured patients with many facets of daily life, including help with mobility, bathing, dressing, monitoring vital signs, and much more.

The first step on the path to becoming a CNA is to seek out a top educational program. CNAs aren’t required to hold a degree, but they do need to complete a State-approved certificate or diploma program. Once their training is complete, they will have to pass their State’s certification exam in order to begin practicing.

CNA Program Eligibility Requirements

Once you’ve decided on the best school for your CNA training, you must ensure that you meet all the eligibility criteria in order to be accepted. Exact requirements will vary from school to school, but in general, you should be able to fulfill the following:

  • Must be 18 years of age or older with a valid ID
  • Must hold a high school diploma or GED
  • Must be First Aid and CPR certified
  • Proof of a current physical exam with up-to-date immunizations

CNA Certification Exam & Licensure

Once an approved program has been completed, students must sit for and pass their State’s Nursing Assistant Certification examination. Each State’s exam will be a little different, but all will consist of a combination of written or oral multiple-choice knowledge testing along with a nursing assistant essential skills test. The skills test requires a demonstration of 3-6 select nursing assistant duties (such as proper hand washing technique) in front of a nurse proctor. Students will generally be given 3 attempts at passing the certification exam within 2 years of completing their training program before re-training is required.

New York CNA Certification Requirements

  • Complete a New York state-approved training program
  • Pass the nurse aide exams administered through Prometric

Link: New York State Department of Health Nurse Aide Registry

At last: Joining White Glove as a CNA

Onboarding at White Glove as a CNA is not a hop skip and jump away, but a phone call. From your first outreach to reaching placement is literally a matter of just a few days. Our devoted Placement Specialist is on it from the moment she spoke to you first with a thousand percent assertiveness to match you with the ideal opportunity based on your preferences. As soon as you submit all the required basic physical documents, license, and exams, we are likely to find placement for you, often still the same day it is received.

Ready to start a fulfilling journey as a White Glove CNA with some awesome strings attached like medical benefits, a monthly flex card, and a ultra supportive team? Browse our hottest CNA jobs here.

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