Advice on 1 year contracts

Nursing Students CNA/MA

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I have an interview coming up this week and if im offered the position I will have a 1 year contract. The reasoning I was told was... the orientation is 3 weeks long/ 40 hours week. People who applied before left after the orientation and the facility was losing money. Its only 10.50/hr for that whole year and I live in ny.

So im wondering is this a smart thing for me to do if they pick me?

Also I have another job interview tomorrow that pays 11.88/hr thats 8 months temp. I figured this would be smarter since im a new grad and get some experience.

But if I dont get that one should I settle for the year contract? Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks

Specializes in Pediatric Home Care, Dr Office/Clinic.

Congrats! Remember it takes about a month to get used to the demands of the job. Be flexible, know that you will make mistakes but it's ok, so don't be hard on yourself when you do. Good luck! Please give us an update on how it's going.

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Specializes in Long term care.

Good for you! :D

I'm glad you didn't take the contract position. That could be a sign that the place has ALOT of turnover, and you have to wonder why a place has such high turnover! Poor working conditions, etc, etc.

I agree with the others on not being hard on yourself when you begin. You will be exhausted from running around and feeling disorganized. You will wonder how the heck the other CNA's can get so much more done then you. ...It takes time and practice and you will get there.

Once you get a routine down and get to know your residents it will all fall into place. It will take a good solid month before you get into the groove of things.

You can do it! :yeah:

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Specializes in None yet..
A one year contract for a CNA at $10.50 p/h in NY? What are the penalties if you quit? Do you have to reimburse the facility for your signing bonus?

This was my first thought exactly. Lawyers say that any contract can be broken and the only issue is damages. If the penalty is small...

However, I'd go for the second job based on the maxim, "If you see a flag, color it red." WHY are all these people leaving? WHY does the facility believe it needs a penalty clause? (I just hired on with a large facility. I had four days of desk training and a MONTH of full-time orientation. Granted, I work float pool on four floors with three wings a floor so that may take a bit more training than someone assigned to a unit would need. However, there is no penalty clause in my employment contract. People who work here often become "lifers." There is extremely low turnover, usually because people go on to nursing school or move.

Even with a good employer, conditions can change. You may want to start a family, go to school. Your family or friends may require your help. A year is a long time to be tied down for a low-paying job. I smell rats!

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Specializes in None yet..
It's for a cna job, I'm finishing up my pre-reqs for nursing at a local college. But anyways It sounded crazy when I was told that over the phone. I figured during the interview I'll ask more about it. And what penalties there are. .. cause im a new grad just trying to get some experience to move on to a higher paying position and become more comfortable in the setting.

Just hoping I nail the interview and test tomorrow.

Anyone know what kind of questions they ask?

I just read down to this comment. If you're going to nursing school within the year, no way you want to be tied into a work schedule!

The best resource I've ever found is at interviewsuccessformula.com. It helped me to nail the interview. Best I've ever had and completely because of the help from this program. Basically, you don't need to memorize any questions or answers because you get a solid foundation that identifies your skills and values and shows you how to present them as solutions to the employer's needs. I felt strong and confident because I was just showing up and telling the truth about who I am and what I have to offer. (I wasn't really clear on that before.)

I was hired at a highly-respected facility, fresh out of school over a pool of experienced applicants... after disclosing that I might not be able to continue half-time when school started three months later.

Good luck to you! Have faith in yourself and your future.

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Specializes in None yet..
Thanks for the advice guys! I ended up getting hired at the facility that paid more n isn't a contract. I start in 2 weeks, now just nervous.

Woot, woot! Congratulations!!!

(I really need to start reading all the way to the end of the thread before I post!)

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Specializes in None yet..
Good for you! :D

I'm glad you didn't take the contract position. That could be a sign that the place has ALOT of turnover, and you have to wonder why a place has such high turnover! Poor working conditions, etc, etc.

I agree with the others on not being hard on yourself when you begin. You will be exhausted from running around and feeling disorganized. You will wonder how the heck the other CNA's can get so much more done then you. ...It takes time and practice and you will get there.

Once you get a routine down and get to know your residents it will all fall into place. It will take a good solid month before you get into the groove of things.

You can do it! :yeah:

MissingYou is really, really smart!

Do NOT compare yourself to the experienced CNAs! Look at them as the goal you're moving toward. Look over your shoulder and compare yourself to the student you used to be. Then you can leave work every day feeling you've advance in knowledge, experience and skill. Because you will.

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