Am I making the right choice?

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I want to get my cna and eventually go for my lpn. Currently I am about to start a medical assistant program. To make a long story short, I messed up in community college and failed out of a completely unrelated program offered by the school before i realized what i really wanted to do, and they won't let me come back for my cna unless I pay out of pocket which I can't afford right now. The career institute that's I might take the Ma course at is that only other school really in my area. I know there are a few nursing homes around here that give you free training for cna but, those classes won't start for quite sometime I'm told. I read countless times that Ma is a waste of time and money and it's hard to find a job. So my question is should I take the Ma course or wait for my CNA? I know what I want to do I'm just stuck between a rock and a hard place trying to get there. I don't want a position that is a joke to people. I just need some honest opinions really. Thank you.

I hope I posted this in the appropriate place. Sorry if it's not.

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Medical Assistant really is a joke unless you can get into a doctor's office. I know because I went the career college/medical assistant route and never could find work. That was just a wasted student loan. If I were you, I'd work at something else until I could either save money/get a student loan for the community college or go through the nursing home training program.

Good luck, it will be a long road, but if it gives you satisfaction then it is worth it.

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Have you tried Department of Labor and the WIA Grant? look into it~

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Why are you doing all these different degrees instead of just shooting straight for the LPN? You will be wasting a lot of time and $$. It's really unecessary to get a Medical assistant degree, then a CNA degree, then go for an LPN degree. You will be making less then 11-12 and hour depending on where you live with a CNA/MA but with an LPN you can make up to 21-28 or more.. Your choice.

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Specializes in Transplant/Surgical ICU.

Have you tried the Red cross or American Heart? Fairly cheap route

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Specializes in tele, oncology.

Find out if your local facilities even require a CNA, or if being a nursing student will be enough.

Don't screw around and get LPN unless that's the only option...jobs are much more limited, and it's not much more schooling.

If you do go the LPN route, for the love of all things holy, don't do a career school or other for-profit, and NEVER take their word that credits will transfer. Call around to local stae universities and CC's instead to discover just how transferable the credits are.

I've been a LPN for over 11 years, all acute care, and still am not at the rate they hire in new grad RNs. We're low paid, little respected, and looked down on to a large extent.

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OH yes, that previous poster reminded me.. I went to a vocational school.. Best route! The previous poster is right about not going to a "career school" they rip your off for thousands, (sometimes 20,000 or more) and sometimes not even affiliated. My school was 5,600 a for the 11 mo. LPN program, and I actually got financial aid for the whole thing! I didn't need any cna stuff just went straight in, and now I have a job five minutes from my house, get paid great, tons of hours, and saving up.. waiting to get on the LPN-RN program at my local community college. I'm in NJ btw.

And if you do the RN, They start at 35-40 an hour at my local hospital.

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