Becoming a certified nursing assistant is the foremost step towards becoming a registered nurse. CNA programs serve to prepare the front liner professionals in the nursing industry. Certified nursing assistants are the basic requirements of any health care facility or hospital.
Many of these certified nursing assistants wish to study further and become an RN to reach the next point of their careers.
As the name suggests, CNA to RN programs is meant for the transition of the certified nursing assistants to registered nurses. Registered nurses who are licensed are eligible to work anywhere across the country and there is a need to transfer the license to that respective country.
Many of the certified nursing assistants opt for higher education to become registered nurses. They require to be enrolled in a certified nurse assistant to a registered nurse course which is offered by many health science institutes.
The certified nursing assistant is an entry-level position, while RN is a higher position in the career of a nurse. To climb up this step, CNA to RN programs helps a lot.
The certified nursing aide course consists of technical and practical sessions. Both are given some specified periods and after completion of these sessions, an exam tests the knowledge of the students through 2 tests.
The technical test asks multiple-choice questions and the practical test has 5 clinical tasks to be performed by the students.
On passing both the tests, the students are given the certified nursing aide certification and they also become eligible to apply for the license.
This license enables them to work anywhere in the same state as the exam.
However, the license obtained after taking certified nursing aide to registered nurse classes enables the students to work anywhere across the country. This is the most important benefit of the course.
Transition to RN
There are 2 ways in which a certified nursing assistant can become an RN. The students either have to complete an associate degree in nursing (ADN) or they have to complete a bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN).
Even if you are working somewhere, you can move from being a certified nurse assistant to become an RN.
ADN is a 2-year course and BSN takes 4 years to complete. BSN is more expensive than ADN.
However; since BSN is a bachelor’s degree, it definitely has the recognition and benefit, if one is going to apply for the master’s degree further.
Their syllabi also differ from each other. It is often recommended to complete BSN rather than ADN, but the students can take steps as per their convenience and suitability.
Requirements for Enrolling in CNA to RN Programs
- High school diploma or GED before certified nursing assistant certification
- A valid social security number
- Working experience of minimum 5 years
- Medical/surgical nursing for a minimum of 48 months
- Pediatric and maternity nursing for 6 weeks each
CNA to RN Programs: An Overview
The objective of this course is to enable licensed as well as unlicensed certified nursing assistants to become licensed registered nurses so that they will be eligible to continue their nursing practice anywhere across the country.
This course gets accomplished in as fast as 15 months (may last longer) in 2 steps. The first step is from CNA to LPN / LVN and the second step is from LPN / LVN to RN.
The first part is nothing but certified nursing assistants to licensed practical nurses and the CNA to LPN course can be completed in about 3 – 4 months. The students can also work as professional LPNs after successfully completing this course.
The second step is becoming an RN from LPN, which lasts as long as 9 months.
As soon as one becomes LPN, it is possible to enroll in the LPN to RN course.
The NCLEX board approved exam is also conducted in 2 parts, one after each respective course. The students can accomplish both these steps separately or consecutively, as per their convenience and planning of career.
The entire training process is self-paced and thus, depends upon the student’s sincerity, commitment, and hard work towards the goal of becoming an LPN or RN. These classes can be taken online as well as offline.
The cost of CNA to RN programs is also divided into 2 parts,
One for the first step program and another for the second step program.
The second step of the course is more expensive than the first step.
One can pay for each part separately or at one time.
Usually, it is desirable to pay for the respective course part at the respective time. Additional fees may vary from state to state. Financial assistance is provided for the payment of fees.
The syllable of the course obviously is of a higher level as compared to that of certified nurse assistants courses. The students are already certified nursing aides and experienced with a lot of nursing practice.
This course serves to teach them many higher aspects of nursing to become successful and responsible nurses.
Significance
Though certified nursing aides are the front liners in the health care industry, RNs are those who are very much in demand all the time.
The position of RN comes with an increased level of responsibility, as they are directly involved in a broad spectrum of patient care activities such as medication, treatment, and diagnosis.
CNA to RN programs enable the certified nurse assistants to grow in their professional careers and provide the health care industry with a number of successful, skilled, and licensed nurses.