CNA or PCA: which job sounds better? How much will it help out with nursing school?

Nursing Students CNA/MA

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Hey guys,

This is my first post on here and Im excited I found such an informative website! I am an aspiring nurse and plan on entering nursing school fall of 09 and I have never worked in a hospital before nor do i have any medical experience. I figured it would do me some good if i got some experience to get me prepared so i applied at 2 local hospitals and got interviewed by both.

One hospital is offering me a CNA position working full time 3 12hr graveyard shifts in the telemetry unit. The bad thing is 1) I HATE grave and 2) They only wanna pay me 8.30 a hour, which is pretty terrible. I have to shadow another cna for 2 weeks then im on my own. I just have a feeling im not going to grasp everything in just 2 weeks. I dont think i have to take cna certification exam bc they never mentioned anything about it..but this hospital is my number 1 choice to work at when i graduate as a RN

the other hospital is offering me a PRN position as a PCA in the telelmetry unit. (patient care associate). Their pay is around 11 an hour and its various days (not full time). Their orientation is a month long and i do have to take a written examination at the end which seems more promising. They seem to let their PCAs do more than CNAs at the other hospital.. which i wanna do as much as possible to learn.

Im just so confused on wat job i should take.. i have a super weak stomach and the reason i want a hospital job is so i can (hopefully) get over it.. do you think taking one of these jobs is really going to give me an advantage in nursing school? I have heard some diff opinions that at first, you might have an advantage but it evens out over time. im just so confused. I would think CNA and PCA are the same thing, but judging by pay, it cant be!

anyways thank yall for your time!

Summer:redbeathe

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Ooh, that's tough. If I were in your shoes, I'd probably go for the CNA position because I would want to get the experience at that particular hospital, if it was the one I planned to eventually work at. Usually if you are already on the staff somewhere, you have a much better shot at getting positions at the same facility.

However, the PCA experience sounds awesome. Hmm. Since that one is PRN, is there any c hance you could do both? Maybe you could arrange for your PRN status to just be one day a week or something? I've worked with people who have done that, some even only worked 2 days a month.

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If they are about to let you care for patients without a certification I would be worried.

Graveyard is hard to learn on... always short staffed, etc...

better training at the PCA job... can always move on if you dont get enough hours.

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yeah im so confused about it. Its seems like the PCA job offers me so much more experience. The interview went so well with the lady up there and she seemed to be promising me full time hours. I'm waiting to talk to her to discuss the schedule more. The CNA job just seems just so much work for that little pay! i just couldnt believe they only paid their cnas only 8 bucks an hour and thats on grave!!

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Yeah, CNA work is terribly underpaid. At my first job, I made 8 bucks an hour for the 5 p.m. - 5 a.m. shift. NOT GOOD.

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Go for the PCA job. Better pay. Better hours. More specialized training.

If the pay were equal, I'd say you'd get a lot more hands-on experience with the CNA position, but the pay is just not worth it.

The other thing is that on night shift, a good part of your job will be turning patients in their beds. If you don't have a good team, you will be doing this alone, a challenge to those in the best physical condition and a back-breaker for everyone else.

Night staffing is often poor. It's hard to learn when you have two CNAs for 50 or 60 people. Maybe your staffing would be better than that, but I wouldn't count on it.

You would also have the job of getting people up and ready for breakfast. That includes ADLs, especially toileting. A few LTC facilities are beginning to allow staggered starts where residents can get up when they prefer, but most still have a "one size fits none" approach to bed and meal times. That means you start around five AM to have people done by seven.

$8.30 is pitiful pay for the amount of work a CNA does. If that includes a night differential, the base pay is probably minimum wage, and that just isn't enough. I'd rather bus tables or deliver papers than do the work of a CNA for that measly amount. If they're skimping on staff wages, you have to wonder what else they go cheap on.

Seriously, take the PCA job and smile all the way to the bank.

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yep the 8.30 an hour is on graveyard so that means they prob pay somewhere around 750 or so for day shift. I just couldnt understand why in the world would they pay someone that low for a job with direct patient care and seemingly important responsibilities.

sorry im new so i have know idea what adl means!:down:

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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

Your REAL goal is to finish nursing school. So whichever job has the most flexible hours would be a major consideration. After that, it depends on your needs. If you need the money more than the experience then go in that direction. I believe ANY job in a hospital will help you get used to protocols, chain of command, and other cultural things. Learning is up to you.

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well looks like i ended up going with the PCA job at the other hospital. I spoke with them today and they were willing to give me day shift with full time hours and i will move to full time with no problem after a couple of months!!!

i cannot wait to put on my first pair of scrubs and walk in that hospital!

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Awesome! You'll get a lot of really great experience. Congrats and good luck.

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