Acute Care Nursing Assistants: Advice for getting NA job in acute care?

[andpeggy]

Hello!

I was wondering if any acute care NAs out there have any advice on getting a job in acute care after NA training...with no previous NA experience. Is it even possible, or is it best to start out in LTC?

Thanks!

Lola

[casi, ASN, RN]

It took me almost 3 years to get a job in acute care. Getting in really depends on the facility. I know a few people who got into the hospital as new NAs when the hospital was changing ratios and hired nearly 20 CNAs.

I would get the LTC experience and maybe take an acute care nursing assistant class on top of it.

Otherwise the two magic words that seem to get most NA's into acute care are "nursing student" and they will ask if you've been accepted into a program or if you are just working on pre-reqs.