Nursing Students: Is Being A Cna A Good First Step To Being A Nurse? How much do you really know about nursing and nursing school? Prospective nursing students may want to consider a part-time or even a full-time job as a CNA before putting in the time - at least several years - and money - possibly tens of thousands of dollars - to go to nursing school. Being a CNA is a great way to get paid while seeing what nursing is really all about. A CNA is a certified nurse assistant or aide. In most states, there are privately-offered courses which, for a few hundred dollars, offer courses in the basic skills required to be a certified nurses assistant. These courses can be completed in just a few weeks. To find them, just go on a search engine and type in "CNA course" and the name of ...