A means to live?

oregonmom · Nov 22, 2010

Nope, not crazy. I quit a good paying job in 2009 so I could go back to school and finish my Associate of Arts Transfer degree. I finished that and I am going to take a CNA course this spring and hopefully start working this next summer. Not sure yet if I want to become an RN but do know I want to work with people in a medical setting hopefully a hospital. I have always liked going to the hospital, weird, I know.

AzDeb · Nov 22, 2010

You are not crazy....in fact your honesty should be admirable. I can relate to you 100%. I left a job in early June that I made excellent money at. (double what I'll be making as a CNA....at least). I worked that same line of work for over 16 years.....didn't feel fulfilled whatsoever. I always wanted to work in the medical field and help people as well....my desire to do so was overwhelming. So I signed up for a CNA class in July and by late October I got my license finally. I am learning to do without and to downsize and cut back in life.....sacrificing some "things" for my happiness. I have no regret at all. I recently got hired and willl start orientation in the next week....I am soooooo excited!!! So feel great about your decision, it's people like us who really have their heart in it, that make a real difference in peoples lives. And good luck on your path to become an RN!!! :yeah:

gonzo1224 · Nov 22, 2010

Ooooh, you sound like me! I quit my fancy Chicago paralegal job 7 years ago. I was making 56K a year back then. Now I'm a CNA making a fraction of that. Granted, I could afford to make this drastic change. I had almost ZERO job satisfaction before, and now I love what I do. I LOVE DIRECT PATIENT CARE! You need to be sure you can afford to take the plunge. Can you take CNA night classes? You could try working alternate weekends as a CNA before you quit your well-paying job. It's very soul-satisfying, but NOT glamorous work. You will get confused, elderly, combative patients who will get their poop & pee on you. I guess that's why God made gloves and gowns! For every horrendous day, you will get 10 rewarding days. There is nothing like a little frail grandma taking your hand in her two hands, looking you straight in the eyes saying, "Honey, thank you for keeping me so clean!" You are probably the only person who touches these people anymore.

Anyway, think it through and find a way to make it work.

Good luck to you!

busygurrl · Nov 22, 2010

Thank you all! I'm ver excited :yelclap:

interceptinglight, CNA · Nov 22, 2010

I must admit I have a very hard time having sympathy for someone who makes a lot of money but is unhappy with their job.... :no: I'm a mother of 4 who has a severely disabled son. I work as a CNA for minimum wage ($7.62/hour.....soon I'll get a $2.00/hour raise, big wow..... ) I absolutely love the residents I work for; I bust my a** to do a good job and give them the best care possible. However, the heavy workload for such low pay is very discouraging to me. I'm always having a hard time affording nice things for my kids and I can't save one dime toward my own future (I'm 47 and would really like to retire with some money in the bank). If I could trade places with someone who makes really good money but didn't enjoy the job all that much, I would do it in a hearbeat because the reward of being a better provider for my family would outweigh not being satisfied with my job. With me, charity begins in my own home with my own kids that I'm responsible for. For these reasons I may not continue to be a CNA unless I can work in a different state or a different facility that pays their CNA's better. I know enjoying your job because of the intangible rewards is very important --- to me, being a good provider as well as having financial security for my future is more important.

gonzo1224 · Nov 22, 2010

I must admit I have a very hard time having sympathy for someone who makes a lot of money but is unhappy with their job.... I'm a mother of 4 who has a severely disabled son. I work as a CNA for minimum wage ($7.62/hour.....soon I'll get a $2.00/hour raise, big wow..... ) I absolutely love the residents I work for; I bust my a** to do a good job and give them the best care possible. However, the heavy workload for such low pay is very discouraging to me. I'm always having a hard time affording nice things for my kids and I can't save one dime toward my own future (I'm 47 and would really like to retire with some money in the bank). If I could trade places with someone who makes really good money but didn't enjoy the job all that much, I would do it in a hearbeat because the reward of being a better provider for my family would outweigh not being satisfied with my job. With me, charity begins in my own home with my own kids that I'm responsible for. For these reasons I may not continue to be a CNA unless I can work in a different state or a different facility that pays their CNA's better. I know enjoying your job because of the intangible rewards is very important --- to me, being a good provider as well as having financial security for my future is more important.

If it's money you're after, consider finding a job in a law firm. Or, I just saw an advertisement recently that ALDI grocery store cashiers start at more than $12 an hour. :flwrhrts:THis might sound crazy, but write out your greatest wishes on a piece of paper. Be specific about what you want. Fold it in half, and sleep with this piece of paper under your pillow every night. Read it before you drift off to sleep. You will be delighted at how your wishes start to materialize! How can the universe possibly give you what you want and need unless you specifically ask for it?

People say I'm the luckiest person they know.

TRY IT! BE PATIENT, IT WORKS!:heartbeat

caliotter3 · Nov 22, 2010

I was all fired up about becoming a nurse myself. Unfortunately the reality of being unemployed most of the time has taken care of that viewpoint. I would trade for a boring but steady job any day of the week.

interceptinglight, CNA · Nov 22, 2010

I believe in focusing on your dreams and aspirations, and if you do it with a single-purpose hopeful attitude you will see it come about !!! :idea: Yes....the truth is I have skills that would allow me to get a much higher paying job in the medical field if I was living in a bigger city, in a different state. I am a very experienced medical transcriptionist, I've also done medical coding, billing, claims processing, and even medical assisting in various doctor's offices. The trouble is I live in a small town with rampant unemployment and in a state where the minimum wage is $7.25/hour. My plans are to move out of here where I can get better medical care for my disabled son and have more opportunities for much better pay, even as a CNA or whatever I can find. The best thing for me would be to be able to work from home as a medical transcriptionist as that would solve a lot of problems, such my husband having to be the backup caregiver for my son when school's out or there's no caregiver available from the agencies that provide me with services for him -- that way he could work full time as I do and we'd have 2 incomes. Right now that's not possible because I simply cannot take time off from my job at a moment's notice to care for my son if anything happens. It's complicated! :uhoh3: I still love CNA work :heartbeat, but unless it pays me better I can't afford to keep doing it.

azcna · Nov 22, 2010

Interceptinglight: Where do you live that CNAs get paid that low of a wage? Somewhere in the midwest, Ohio maybe? If you got a job in a hospital you could paid twice that, and if you worked 12s you would get 4 days off a week to care for your son. That's a rough situation :/

To the OP: Just so you are aware, I have always heard that CNA experience doesn't count at all towards getting an RN job. The only reason people becomes CNAs prior to being nurses is for their own personal benefit of becoming comfortable with pts, etc.

ctmed · Nov 23, 2010

Interceptinglight: Where do you live that CNAs get paid that low of a wage? Somewhere in the midwest, Ohio maybe? If you got a job in a hospital you could paid twice that, and if you worked 12s you would get 4 days off a week to care for your son. That's a rough situation :/
To the OP: Just so you are aware, I have always heard that CNA experience doesn't count at all towards getting an RN job. The only reason people becomes CNAs prior to being nurses is for their own personal benefit of becoming comfortable with pts, etc.

Not necessarily.. many hospitals pay less than good LTCs. Most places also base the rate of pay according to the original certification date and years of experience. Hospitals also tend to be a lot pickier and want all sorts of experience in some places.

Some CNA programs DO count towards LPN/RN. In Louisiana, I know of two - LTC and Nunez.

That said, it is better to have a job that makes you happy that may not pay as good than a job that pays pretty good but you hate and shortens your lifespan.

Good for the OP if this works out :yeah:

interceptinglight, CNA · Nov 23, 2010

azcna: I work in Moscow, Idaho (2000 population 22,000) at a so-called 'not for profit' LTC facility. Idaho is also called 'The Slave Wage State', you can see why. Next door in Washington State the minimum wage is at least a dollar higher and jobs such as mine pay $14-15/hour and up if you work in a hospital. That's where I'm setting my sights. This facility I work in is getting me down -- it's all about cost-containment. They're phasing out the use of different types of incontinence briefs and pull-ups for these very expensive taped undergarments that are supposed to be able to handle up to 4 voidings. If we change people too often without letting the attends get more than 50% wet, we get reprimanded. It really burns me, because we CNA's are already taking 'slave wages' in order to absorb the high cost of long-term care and now we're supposed to ration out incontinence supplies to save money?? When the census is down in this 64-bed facility we take 45-minute lunch breaks because that little extra 15 minutes saves the facility money, however when we're at capacity they don't staff extra people to help absorb the workload, we have to cut a few corners here and there to get everything done, and never mind those 15 minute breaks every 2-3 hours. Most of us can't spare even that little bit of time because it would slow our pace down, and you better not get behind and clock out later than your shift is over or you'll hear it from the DON.

The only shifts that aren't sheer hell are working in the Special Care Unit which is a lock-down facility for the Alzheimer's residents. :hpygrp: I love working there because the ratio of staff to residents is much higher, allowing for more personalized care and direct supervision that these people require. Someone in that unit recently quit so I've asked for her shift hours. Even so, I am not going to stay on with this facility for very long because I refuse to be a beast of burden and not paid what I'm worth. I'm sure I'll find something that's financially as well as emotionally rewarding to me.