First let me say i have been browsing this community, and have been amazed by the amount of excellent advice offered and how willing and able to help everyone in this community is!!
So my situation - currently hold a Bachelors Degree in Economics, and am finding the business world to be very unfullfilling and unrewarding. To that end, i am starting my CNA class in a week here and should be done by October. I am signed up as a volunteer at a hospital to get some good experience as well. I held a position with the corporate headquarters of Target in Minneapolis, so i have excellent computer, communitcaiton, and interpersonal skills to have on my resume. I have every intention of continuing up the ladder to LPN and then Rn after getting my CNA and landing a job that will allow me to go to school at the same time.
I am wondering what would be the best place for me to look for first employment? I have expenses and student loans to repay, and i know that CNA are not paid what they deserve to be, but is there anyone that could let me know of some great places to get started in the cities? Is there any type of position that would enable me to make more for my existing degree? I would hate to have paid for this degree and not see any return from it, if you know what i mean. Should i look for some type of administrative position that would pay more and the my CNA certification would support? Please let me know - any info on career path, suggested working locations, and attaining a good pay scale would be much appreciated. Thank you all so much in advance!! P.S. I live in the so. metro, so something around there would be nice :)
Oh you know i am interested. I used to work as a BA in MPD for home decor. I designed the home design event and all that. Esunda, where are you pursuing your nursing education? What route are you taking? Right now, i am just trying to find an overnight position somewhere in healthcare so i can go to school during the day. All the more affordable schools for me only have day programs :) Also, for some reason i cannot pm either of you guys, so if you can send me one telling me how to do it that would be great. Chat with you soon!
I was wondering the same thing about the PM. I looked it up and found out that you have to post 15 times before you can PM. Bikelola PM me and we're now connected through facebook which has my email, too. She could probably give both our info through PM to you.)
I'm just taking my second and third prereqs at the U of MN. School part-time, waitress part-time. I just left Target last month. I'm hoping to take a CNA course eventually so I can get some healthcare experience, too. I have to have the majority of my prereqs done in order to apply to the programs I'm looking at: U of MN, Metro State, Mankato, and UW-Eau Claire, maybe out of state, too. So I won't apply until next fall. They are all Accelerated BSN, MN entry level programs that take generally 15 months. It's sort of expensive and highly competitive, but the quickest way to get a Bachelors/MN degree. I was looking at St. Kates too but how they're set-up and the fact that they are not accepting application for next fall would mean it would take me a very long time to become a nurse. So ultimately I'm taking a gamble, but working hard and hoping for the best :)
Yeah the accelerated route makes the most sense, i just cannot afford to not work ya know? Planning a wedding for next year, and student loans and bills!! Whew, just think i have to go the night school route, or work overnights as a CNA with a day school program. So much up in the air now!! I guess i'll just have to keep posting til i get to 15, but we should all get together and chat about Target - definitely a funny coincidence :)
PS Edunada if you are looking for a cna course, look at Comfort Services in minneapolis, they have alot of flexibility in their class offerings, and are the most affordable i found. I am in their weekend class right now.
It may be difficult to get a job at a hospital as your first job as a CNA...at least that's the trend I was seeing from most of my classmates when I was at the tech college. The economy is slow right now of course, but working your butt off in a nursing home for 6 months and then applying to a hospital may be worth it to you. My classmates that held hospital CNA jobs got paid $14-16 an hour depending on the shift of course (not bad!) but they had started in LTC beforehand.
Sorry, just found this thread, and so you may no longer need any input- but here's my two cents....
I would advise against going the LPN route..the jobs simply aren' t there, unless you are okay with LTC being your only option.
The major trends in hospitals are not taking on LPN's anymore, and in some cases LPN's are being laid off en masses, even if they have been there for decades.
In fact many hospitals are even lowering the numbers of or flat out not hiring ADN RN's- many require a BSN to even get your foot in the door.
Like you, I also hold a B.A in another field, so when I graduate in May I am hoping that although my nursing degree is ADN, the combo of the two will sway prospective employers to overlooking my lack of BSN.
We'll see.
So in short, skip LPN, go directly to an RN program, and if you start in an ADN program, plan on finishing at least the BSN program some day- if you know that you are intrested in higher practice, nurse practioner, let me tell you a secret:
more and more MSN programs are admitting ADN graduates who have a BA in another field- so don't bother with the BSN, unless you know for sure that's where you want to end.
Thanks Dinah, i know it makes more sense to go straight for the ADN, the only issue is finding a school that works for me. I guess either way i am just going to have to bite the bullet and leave my current position and take an overnight position as a CNA at a LTC facility, and go to school during the day. It is just too hard to try to find a night program, and create my work schedule around that, and have time for all the other things in my life. The leap is just a really scary one to take.....
Mike, the ADN program at St. Kate's has an evening option. So does one of the technical colleges...maybe Anoka-Ramsey? Hennepin Tech? I can't remember, but I know that one of them does. Anyway, I sympathize, believe me. It is a scary leap to take. If you ever need to vent, send me a message on Facebook!! It's taken me 6 years to take the leap, but I'm glad I did. Granted, I have the support (financial and emotional) of my husband, but it's still not easy. Let me know if I can do anything to help.
St. Kates totally would be the first choice, but it is just too expensive for me at this point (still got those student loans from St. Olaf). It will have to be a technical college or some other public institution just for the cost issue. Thanks for the leads, i will have to start checking around some more. Hopefully i will soon have the same kind of support (wedding scheduled fall of 2010)
"It is just too hard to try to find a night program, and create my work schedule around that, and have time for all the other things in my life. "
I totally understand. However, just take the plunge- there are several night programs, as bikelola already pointed out. I go to St Kate's ADN program, and EVERYONE in the night program works full time- (I'm day). It's totally doable
I know more then one person in the night program who not only works full time but is a single parent too..
You just gotta understand and prepare yourslf for not having much of a life for the two years of the program, if you wanna pass the first time through- do I get tired of not having as much time for friends, family and fun stuff as I would like? Of course. But not only has time flown by, it is gonna be SO worth it! Cuz at this time next year, I will be ( knock on wood) in a stable, well paid job in a career of MY choosing for once, and then I will have plenty of time for all the things I want to d0 ( not to mention a lot more money to do them with
Preparing yourself for this type of mindset is CRUCIAL for success- I know several people who have flunked out, and had to re-sequence in, because they tried to do it all ( work, school, and all the social commitments they were used to having prior to nursing school)
Well, now that they flunked out, they are two semesters or more behind, and instead of graduating me with in May and getting to return to a normal life, they won't have that until December of 2010 or May of 2011
So, in short, stop and ask yourself where your life is, and if you are willing to give some of it up for a while in exchange for being a nurse. This may be a good starting place- many people think they are, but when it comes down to it, they aren't.
mikejjmay
45 Posts
Oh you know i am interested. I used to work as a BA in MPD for home decor. I designed the home design event and all that. Esunda, where are you pursuing your nursing education? What route are you taking? Right now, i am just trying to find an overnight position somewhere in healthcare so i can go to school during the day. All the more affordable schools for me only have day programs :) Also, for some reason i cannot pm either of you guys, so if you can send me one telling me how to do it that would be great. Chat with you soon!