I found another way to get my foot in the Health care door

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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i found a college near me that offers a 9 month medical assistant training program.

it is mostly phlebotomy, which is what i am interest in the most about that course.

the training is for-

medical assistants, medical secretaries, laboratory assistants, phlebotomists, medical records professionals, and medical transcribers.

i think it is a wonderful way to get my foot in the door and to be able to interact with patients.

afterwards i can become certified.

the best part is i most likely qualify for a college grant of 13k.

it starts in the summer or fall. i have requested more information about the course and when i need to apply.

so based on the large household and lower household income i qualify for the grant money.

so exciting as this will, no doubt, give me more skills in phlebotomy and people skills prior to entering nursing school.

is there a way that i can be a cna and a phlebotomist?

because the cna course is in the spring and the other one is in the fall.

i would like to work and get payed while getting my pre-reqs done.

Read any financial information very carefully. Some technical schools promise you great financial aid -- and it really turns out to be mostly loans. Be careful that any "Enrollment Forms" are not really Promissory Notes. Unfortunately, some of the private, for-profit schools have been more interested in the profits than student success.

I encourage you to also take a look at your local community college or vocational school for any applied health classes. For example, the vocational school in my town offers a CNA course for under $1200 (including books and the certification exam). The local community college offers a 12-month LPN program that costs approximately $6,000 (including tuition, books, uniforms, and certification exam).

Specializes in NICU.

Sorry to keep harping on money, lol. I graduated from a community college a few years ago and it cost me only a few thousand, inclusive. I can't remember how much or I would tell you... :). I used my workplace's tuition reimbursement program to bridge to a bachelors and that cost me nothing.

It sounds like you've got a couple of good leads! Also, once students passed their first semester of nursing school they were eligible for hospitals to hire them as CNA's. That way the training didn't cost any extra and it was a much easier way to get a job in a hospital--which was really where I wanted to be.

Keep us posted on how things are going. You may have heard we like to eat our young, but we just keep that rumor around to keep the l'il ones in line...

Your best bet is to take a 5 week CNA course and a 3 or 4 month phlebotomy class so your options are much broader. You can be hired as a CNA, PCT, Phlebotomist, EKG tech, and in some cases be hired in place of a medical assistant if you know someone at a location, but you'd have to be cross trained in some areas.

P.S. Cross train in any location as much as possible.

In NY it is amazingly expensive for college.

My bro went to a ITT tech and it was an upwards of 30-40k..if I remember right.

He got about 10k free for that.

For me it is going to cost me $4,900 FT semester or $415 PT credit hr.

So that college is around 20k without financial aid.

The other college (community college) is around 12k per year. Which is around 24k.

I know I qualify for at least 10k, checked into.

Seems nursing school is cheaper than other colleges..only harder to get into.

One college needs a ACT and another exam prior to admittance. They 3 letters of professional recommendation and a essay.

But they don't have their own clinicals. You have to drive to the hospital for it.

So I like the one that is around 24k. It is more money but is a community college/hospital.

They have longer clinical hours(good thing if to learn anything). It is convenient to go the next floor up to do clinicals.

Plus learning from people in the profession is a plus.

I am going to see what it takes to apply and where I can get my pre-reqs done at.

Check into how much it really costs and how much I get towards the tuition.

Also at this college/hospital they hire new grads as well as seek out other employment options.

Anyways I am checking into it all. CNA course opens up in a month or so.

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