CNA and EMT job opportunities

Nursing Students CNA/MA

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Hello

I've been a state licensed and nationally certified EMT-B for several months, and just recently completed a CNA course and just passed my Michigan CNA exam. There are no EMS jobs near me, so I'm looking to find work in a hospital. I'm wondering if being an EMT makes me more employable or is of no real value in getting a CNA or patient care tech job in a hospital. My ideal job would be as an ER tech, as I plan on going on to paramedic school eventually, but because I live in a pretty remote rural area, my options are limited so I'll take what I can get.

I just applied for a CNA position on a med surg unit, but competition for jobs up here is pretty stiff, so I'm wondering if the EMT would help at all.

Thanks in advance for any tips or experiences posted.

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Specializes in ICU.

If you've never worked as an EMT, I doubt just being certified will do you much good in getting a med/surg CNA position. It would probably help you get an ER tech job, if there is one to be found. A med/surg CNA position with many good applicants will most likely go to someone with extenstive experience, not someone with no experience but (related) additional education. In my experience, anyway. I've never known an EMT to work as a med/surg CNA....med/surg just doesn't require anything more than basic CNA skills.

Of course, getting your foot in the door of the hospital is 95% of the battle in getting an ER tech job...internal transfers are so much easier to come by than outside hire jobs! I hope you get it!

Or come to Oklahoma and you can get an EMT or an ER tech job, haha! :)

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Specializes in PACU, LTC, Med-Surg, Telemetry, Psych.

Most hospitals are going to want CNA for med-surg.

ER does favor EMT-B over CNA but ER is considered a very desirable job for CNAs. As such, internal applicants keep tabs on ER commings and goings and jump on it!

Many ER techs used to be EMTs and were on good terms with the doctors and nurses. They got tired of always being outside (or hurt something lifting stretchers) and just used their network to get in. All these guys had medical experience, of course!

One way to slide past this is to be an ER sitter and do psych obs. This is sitting with suicides and overdoses until the ER can ship them to another floor or a behavioral health unit. Most of the time, ERs do not have the staff to sit 1:1 with suicides/ druggies... nor do they really want to be stuck in a room for 8-12 hours. I have known 1 or 2 that started out doing this that ended up actually working as an ER tech later.

Bear in mind, this only works in larger cities.

Better than that, if you have EMT- B, why not move to where they use it? The EMT to Paramedic path from what I have researched is MUCH more laid back and actually counts towards credit than CNA. You will not be making much, but EMT/ Paramedic culture has lots of autonomy.

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Ctmed.......This ER sitter is a volunteer position? I did over 40 hours of ER clinicals for EMT school and the ER I worked at didnt have anything like that. Then again it was a fairly small ER, they didnt use ER techs or CNA's there either. It was all RNs, which was good for me since I got to do a lot.

I would like to move to an area where I could find work as an EMT, but my financial situation isnt the greatest, so it would be tough to do since EMT's dont make much. I do volunteer as a medical first responder though so my EMT license isnt a total waste.

In the end I probably will relocate, as there isnt any place I can go to paramedic school near me. Just getting my EMT required me to drive an hour and a half 3 times a week for 5 months.

Thanks for the reply, was pretty informative.

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