Any CNA's who got hired in a hospital with no experience?

Boog'sCRRN246, RN · Jan 5, 2011

I'm not a CNA anymore, but my first CNA job was at a large teaching hospital. I was actually hired as a PCT and trained on the job to draw blood and do EKGs.

CNAs are hired many, many places. Off the top of my head: hospitals, LTC facilities, home health.

semester1kid · Jan 5, 2011

I'm glad to see this thread because I just passed my CNA exam (through Red Cross), but have basically zero experience in the field other than that I'm a second semester ADN student and have participated in the required clinicals. And my background is pretty much in the jr accounting field.

At first, I thought I'd want to dip my toe in first and only work part time or per diem while keeping my current jr accounting job...But I've had second thoughts and I might just jump in full bore. It can only help my nursing career. Besides, I've heard that places don't really want to hire someone with no experience for the part time/per diem shifts because of potential training issues (i.e not there often enough to absorb what they're teaching you)

Any merrit to that last point?

TamTam23 · Jan 5, 2011

I got hired in a hospital because I got lucky. I did my week of clinicals at a nursing home during my CNA course and that was about the only experience I got, but I learned and saw alot. I also went to a vocational school for Allied Health Care and learned vital signs, EKGs, Blood glucose and all that stuff which made me eligible for an entry level medical assistant. Here and there I have been taking classes that I could get a certificate from to make me stand out or compete with others like a Food handling course I went through and things that CNAs should know.

Really sell yourself and since your at the bottom of the totem pole, other nurses will not want you there or expect you to know everything because you went to school to become a CNA but ask a question if you need to and dont hold back. The nurse cant deny you help because if it is her patient, she doesnt want you messing you up. So really learn skills from different people to see which works best for you. It takes time, and a year from now you will be thinking to yourself "i remember when I thought all of this simple stuff was really hard back then".

magichospital · Jun 18, 2011

I am in the same boat right now and I have my eye on a job. The approach I am going to try is to get as many certifications as possible (AHA BLS, ACLS, PALS, NRP) and just show I am as interested as possible when I go for a job.:pntrghi:Good luck!

northernguy · Jun 19, 2011

Being a CNA in a hospital doesnt require any more skill or knowledge than being one in LTC. The problem is there are fewer CNA positions in hospitals, and a lot more people apply for them, so you are facing more competition.

The Hospital I work part time at has hired both new CNAs and experienced ones, and unlike in LTC the new ones usually do ok. At the LTC I work at, they also hire new CNAs occasionally out of necessity, but a large percentage of the new ones just dont work out, or find out it isnt for them and quit almost immediately.