CNA - clinical experience?

[forgetful]

Unfrotunately, I have to go through the course in my home state in order to be licensed. This was a big question for me since I'd have to take a month off work, spend $600 on a class, and then take a serious pay cut once I start working as a CNA. Hospitals around here expect a minimum of 1 year work experience as CNA before they'll hire you, so my only initial job prospects would be in long-term care.

Of course! I was just flabbergasted at some of the comments on here. Physicians/PAs who I shadow commend me greatly for my plan of action especially my work as a CNA. Also, I'm not too sure why but many of the threads regarding CNA jobs emphasize working in long term care (aka a nursing home). I would understand how long term care can be beneficial (as it is!) but I feel obtaining a tech position in a hospital exposes you to so much more.

In my state, you can simply 'challenge' the CNA test. No training classes needed = no $$ spent. I learned all my skills on https://www.youtube.com/user/4yourCNA and the written portion was extremely easy (extremely easy = no studying required, common sense). I got my license, applied at all the hospitals and received 3 interviews at a major teaching hospital in my area. I've been teching ever since. Maybe in other states you are required to have some type of mandatory education classes but that is not necessary in all states. I would look into it for your state.

Like another poster stated above, being a licensed medical staff means you are making assessments on your patients and the nurses NEED you. Trust me. The nurses NEED you. They fall apart without a tech on the floor. For example, let's say I decided to not report an abnormal EKG to the nurse, or I took a blood sugar and it was >500 mg/dl or <30 mg/dl but it was never reported. Oh, and of course if your patient is complaining of dyspnea and don't go immediately run and grab the nurse, pulse ox, dynamap. I can let you reason out the consequences and let you piece together how a licensed CNA is more beneficial than a volunteer.

"Common sense is not so common"-Voltaire

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[TactFR44]

Unfrotunately, I have to go through the course in my home state in order to be licensed. This was a big question for me since I'd have to take a month off work, spend $600 on a class, and then take a serious pay cut once I start working as a CNA. Hospitals around here expect a minimum of 1 year work experience as CNA before they'll hire you, so my only initial job prospects would be in long-term care.

All the positions I applied to required experience as well. "Six months required hospital experience" to be exact. I had zero hospital experience. My resume was pretty much all research oriented and various jobs I held prior (cashier, lifeguard, etc). Overall, this doesn't mean they won't look at your application. I'm assuming you have a degree already and such? I think that is what trumped the experience requirement for the job. If you look at it from a nurses perspective (from my experience this is what they told me when they hired me) they wanted want someone smart, fast and educated. It wouldn't hurt to send out an application. Nothing to lose.

Even if you work in long term care, you would still see so much. It's more physically demanding, lets say versus working outpatient setting or the ER but regardless it's great experience.

 

[EmergDoc2B]

i had the same issue. I offered to work all nights annd got a position. Worked nights for 8 months and then got the opportunity to switch to days.