BP Human resource management

If you are hoping to become a CNA, a certified nursing assistant, you might be considering a CNA certification online. In some instances this might be quite acceptable, but if you are hoping to land a well paying job at a large medical facility with perhaps some room for advancement, you might want to research all your options before making a decision.

No real training was involved other than some on the job training, and not much was really needed. You worked as part of a team and never on your own. Each shift you were given a list of the nurses you'd be working with and a list of patients. After a few weeks it was easy to figure out what a typical day would be like, and without too many surprises, the days pretty much all were the same.

As laws changed in many states and medical rules and regulations tightened up along with patient privacy laws, nurses aides were phased out and certified CNAs took their place. The instruction program could last anywhere from six to 40 weeks depending on where you went. Colleges and high schools usually offered the program as either part of their regular education or as perhaps adult evening classes.

With any type of training there are two important components - classroom training and practical hands on learning. The practical aspect of the programs can be vital to your overall success - you can't learn everything from a book. For instance, you can look at pictures of how a particular dressing needs to be applied, or how a bed can be lowered or moved, but if you've never done it on a hospital floor, all the classroom study in the world can't make up for that.

And this is the major problem with any of the online CNA training programs. You don't get the hands on experience you need to really know your job. Some of the large educational facilities have managed to provide a type of web based learning where students would be required to attend scheduled classes and events using various online programs and web cams

You can interact with the class and even practice things like dressings, but other important tasks like making a bed or moving IV poles will be all but impossible to practice without having access to these things in your own home.

Just remember - you can pass your program with an A and you can ace your state exam, but if you haven't mastered all the hands on tasks you'll be responsible for mastering your first week on the job, you might be forced into taking extra courses to give you the practice you didn't get the first time around.

If you want to work in a big hospital, find out what schools they are affiliated with. Graduates of these programs are sought after in the industry and if you do well, you'll have your pick after graduation.