If doctors are the foundation of the healthcare sector, nurses are its pillars, carrying a huge responsibility on their shoulders. They administer treatments and coordinate care with doctors and other staff members. Their role is crucial in addressing patients’ needs and ensuring smooth operations within healthcare settings. Nursing is thus a remarkably noble profession, often pursued by individuals with a natural nurturing instinct and a deep commitment to caring for others.

Types
Essentially, two groups can qualify as nurses in the country – Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) and Registered Nurses (RNs). While some of the responsibilities of CNAs and RNs may overlap, their roles are distinctly defined, and the qualifications differ for each.

Certified Nursing Assistants
The position of a CNA is an entry-level one in the nursing profession, but it is also indispensable. These nurses perform several essential tasks in healthcare setups, including washing and bathing patients and newborns, feeding patients, keeping stock of supplies, entering and storing patient information in the hospital database, and providing other daily living services. To qualify as a CNA, one needs to take the CNA exam, which has two parts:

Written or oral test

• The written test for CNA exams has 70 multiple-choice questions, testing one’s knowledge of various key nursing concepts.
• Sixty questions are scored, while ten are non-scored and meant to derive statistical information.
• There is also an oral alternative to this test, which has 60 multiple-choice and ten reading comprehension questions. The oral test is recommended for those with trouble reading. Test takers must complete it within two hours.

These tests cover many relevant topics, such as safety and managing behavior, abbreviations, infection control, hygiene, communication, legal and ethical behavior, caring for patients from all age groups, physical and emotional problems, and how to deal with them. Several CNA practice test question papers are available on the internet, and one may also buy readily available books with practice questions to crack the CNA written test in 2024.

Skills test
This test measures 23 nursing skills, which are segregated into a series of tasks. Some of the skills that the exam measures include:

• Hand hygiene
• Assistance with the use of bedpan
• Counting and recording radial pulse
• Counting and recording respirations
• Putting on and taking off PPE
• Measuring and recording the weight of an ambulatory patient
• Mouth care
• Catheter and perineal care for female patients
• Feeding
• Bed bathing

Registered nurses
Unlike CNAs, Registered Nurses or RNs have broader roles and more responsibilities. One of the main differences between these two professions in the field is that:

• CNAs are usually concerned only with executing plans already been made. In contrast, RNs formulate these plans from scratch and execute them directly or delegate them.
• In terms of qualifications, RNs need a college degree to be eligible for an RN program.
• What prior degree one needs differs among states – some states require only an associate’s degree, but nowadays, a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing (BSN) is a prerequisite in many states.
• Also, employers may set their requirements over and above these state regulations.

Now, one has many course and exam options for becoming an RN. For example, aspiring RNs may pursue an accelerated nursing program, which takes 16 to 24 months to complete. Alternatively, the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) is relevant for becoming an RN. This exam has anywhere from 74 to 145 questions, including 15 pre-test questions that aren’t scored. Safe and effective care environment, psychosocial integrity, health promotion and maintenance, and physiological integrity are the main subsections based on which questions are asked.

Things to remember when prepping for nursing exams

Solve nursing practice test questions
Taking nursing practice exams at home gives one a clear idea about the questions that will be asked, the format of the paper, and whether one can complete the paper within the given time. These days, question papers for all major nursing exams, including NCLEX and CNA, are available online. It is also a good idea to connect with someone who may have taken the exam previously and procure the question paper from them.

Find out about individual state regulations
Every state may have a different policy regarding nursing examinations and prerequisites. For example, as mentioned earlier, some states may require aspiring RNs to have only an associate’s degree to be eligible for RN exams, while others may demand a BSN degree. So, one should consider what state one wishes to practice in and determine the rules and regulations in these states beforehand.

Start the prep well in advance
Prepping for a nursing exam requires time and effort, though it is very achievable. So, one should start the nursing exam prep well in advance, covering all the topics from which questions may be asked in the exam so that one is well prepared and has enough time for revision.

Seek guidance from practicing CNAs or RNs
Like in all professions, networking is crucial to becoming a nurse. So, one should connect with practicing nurses who have passed their CNA or RN exams and take practical prep tips from them.