Advanced Unlicensed Assistant

[LPN MOM]

Hi ive been a cna/mat for 5 years now & work in a memory care unit. Im burned out on elderly & memory impaired at that. I have wanted to be a nurse since i was about 5 years old. I enrolled at OCCC for summer but i have to start at the bottom with pre-reqs. Im also planning to take the AUA class this year. I feel as if i work in the hospital it will be a better start for my nursing career. I am a 27 yr old single mom of 3 children. I need to make a change for the better in my career. I have my grandma who lives with me & she takes care of my kids for me when im at work and now when i start school. I get them every other week, me & their dad have joint custody. I would just like any advice on the AUA/PCT (heard they were the same but idk). Best hospitals to work for, work environment in a hospital, pay ?, etc. just anything to give me more of an idea. I do know most hospitals do the 12 hour shifts which is fine with me. Thanks for reading & i appreciate all advice.

[jesuslover007]

Hi there! I began working as an AUA two months after graduating high school, that was three years ago. I worked at Children's and the base rate back then was 11.41/hr. I do believe it has increased slightly since then and the adult tower pays more. A friend of mine works at Integris and makes $10 something an hour on the floor but is going to make slightly more as an ER tech. It was definitely good experience to have under my belt before starting nursing school. I officially finished my first semester at OCCC yesterday. During clinicals I had more confidence in myself and my abilities/skills when working with patients than my peers who had never worked in a hospital or any patient care role. With my knowledge as an AUA I was even teaching NPII students techniques for different things such as a simple FSBS at health fairs we volunteered at. If you're able to work as a tech in the unit you wish to work on as a nurse then your foot is already in the door. Also, I have two children under 3 and the program at OCCC has worked extremely well with me and my family. Good luck to you in your nursing career!

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

This is an interesting concept - haven't heard of it in my area of the country. Our PCT jobs are intended for nursing students. But salaries for CNAs are certainly better than the ones quoted above.

Can you describe the training program for AUAs? How does it differ from requirements for LP/VN?

[LPN MOM]

Thank you jesuslover007. I know the details of what an AUA does, but do you have any advice, pros & cons to working in the hospital. Do you get swamped with patients every day? How is the other staff towards you? Ive never worked in a hospital, just assisted livings & alzheimers unit. Also, if you work 12 hr shifts which is 3 days a week im guessing is how their schedule goes, are they willing to work with your schedule if your in school??