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If you're thinking about becoming a nurse or CNA, you're certainly not alone! More and more people are looking at medical careers, and one of the most popular specialties that people choose is nursing. When you're looking at nursing, there are two options that people generally choose from: either becoming a registered nurse (RN), or a certified nursing assistant (CNA). These two careers are similar, but also very different. The biggest difference between them is the length of time that you need to be I school, the pay, and the things that you'll do in each job. Let's take a moment to look at all of these differences and similarities.

First of all, a CNA is a nursing assistant, so your job will primarily be to assist registered nurses with patient care. This helps free up their time, and also helps ensure that better care is provided to patients because more resources are available. The things that you'll do are similar to what a nurse does, but a bit more limited (for more information about this, click here to visit CNA Classes Central, one of the best sites on the web for this information). When you think about nurse duties like helping move patients around, collecting medical information, etc, those are the same things that you'll be doing. You may also be helping prepare meals, and providing care in other ways too. As an RN, you'll be doing more advanced things than just taking blood pressure or transporting patients, and your options will be broader too. You can work in a number of places as an RN, but as a CNA, your options are more limited because you can' t specialize in different things.

In terms of schooling and pay, there is quite a big difference between the careers. Schooling is short when it comes to being a CNA, and typically only lasts a few months. When it comes to schooling to become an RN, schooling lasts at least 2 years, but can be 4 or more if you're going to school for a bachelor's degree in nursing. In addition to this big difference in schooling, there's also a big difference in pay when it comes to both professions. On average, RNs can earn 2-3 times more than CNAs depending upon their specialty and whether they work in a private practice office or a hospital, or somewhere else. One way that people pursue both careers is they become a CNA first, and then if they like it they continue on to become an RN. This way they can earn money to help pay for their tuition and gain career experience at the same time. No matter how you look at it, both of these options are great career choices for anyone who decides on either one.