For my junior and senior years, I have an option of taking a class that would allow me to be a CNA before graduating high school. However, taking this class would take up room that I could use for (potentially more important?) classes such as Statistics, Psychology, and Anatomy. So my question is, would being a CNA help me stand out enough/be enough of a factor on my applications or should I stick with the other classes?
What do you plan to study in college?
How soon do you need to have a steady income?
The CNA program will take up time that you could use for those three electives, but it will also give you an immediately employable skill that you can take just about anywhere in the country. If your longer-range goals include a degree in a health-related field, working part-time as a CNA while you finish college will give you the patient-contact and medical environment experience you need to be a viable applicant for med school, medical assistant school, pharmacy, physical therapy, etc. and can mean that your employer helps pay to upgrade your education if you are a nursing major.