Career move to CNA good idea?

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I am 39 years old, divorced woman without college degree, and I have never been in Health care industry before.

I am thinking about switching a career to to be a CNA. It seems like there is demand in my area, in the District of Columbia metro area, but concerned if it is the right move.

I don't have savings and renting an apartment, don't own a house. Financially not in a very good place. My question is can you make a living as a CNA self-sufficiently? I understand this is a matter of budgeting as well as it is obvious that when you go into brand new field, you have to start at the bottom, needess to say a pay cut.

Also, it seems like most positions require experience and I am not sure if I would be able to land the first job.

Can you really make a living as CNA at 41 years old alone? Without any experience in health care industry prior?

Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks.

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I would say no, CNAs really don't make that much, at least in my area. Most CNAs I know live with parents, husband or someone else sharing the bills.

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I'd say it depends on how thrifty you are and also how savvy you are in finding employment. LTC facilities will give you tons of experience but pay crap, private duty pays better but isn't as secure. If you are willing to work overtime and pick up shifts it's doable.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Med-Surg, Psych, Geri, LTC, Tele,.

I'm not a CNA, but am in CNA school now.

CNA pay isn't great. In my area, CA, it starts at just $2-3 more than minimum wage.

In my area, experience isn't required to work in many positions in both home health and facility based care.

The benefits of CNA work, from my perspective, are that the work is shift based (6a-3a/3p-10p/10a-6p), which allows you to 1)raise a family or 2) go to school or 3) work more than 1 job. For me, a prenursing student, these are the 3 reasons why I am becoming certified to work as a CNA.

The other benefits for me are that the experience will help me on my nursing school applications as well as give me experience in a patient care / clinical setting.

Experienced CNA's easily make 14-16 or more an hour, even in long term care facilities. In the hospitals, they make over $20/hour. A high paid CNA earns a salary similar to a low paid LVN/LPN.

HTH!

ETA: I re-read your post and saw that you said you are not financially in a good place. In my area, there is a high demand for CNA's and this is why I have chosen to obtain my certification, so that I can get a job. I believe that in most areas, there is a high demand for CNA's in long term care and home health.

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Specializes in LTC.

The pay is bad, and the job is bad. I wouldn't do it unless you run out of options.

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THe pay isn't good...but for me, it's no worse than my OTHER options until I finish school...jobs are in short supply these days.

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Honestly, you would probably make more money working as a waitress.

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Ok there's a lot of negative posts here, now let's focus on some positiveness. I used to be a CNA and I had 2 jobs. I worked noc shift at the hospital and worked days/eves at a SNF. I was in nursing school and had to rent a room. I could afford my own apartment but this was a good deal and couldn't pass it up.

The posters are right. The pay is about $2-$3 more than minimum wage. It's VERY hard to get in the hospitals but once you're in the pay is more than double minimum wage. At least that's the way it is here in the Bay Area in CA. You can make yourself marketable by taking the CNA class and then do the EMT course so you can do the ER Tech and they are paid more than CNAs. Then from there you can decide if you want to pursue a career in the medical field. You can get financial aid since you don't have a college degree. You can get lot of money especially if you don't make much. It won't be an easy road but definitely rewarding in the end.

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Specializes in CNA.

Hi guys. I am new here but I too need help very badly. I used to be a C.N.A. but I am currently unemployed. I am trying to start my own non medical home care agency. I can no longer work outside the home because my husband is now bed bound, so I have to care for him 24/7 but we need an income. I finally got licensed as a non medical home care agency by my state and medicaid certified but not medicare. Now I have gotten this far, I am completely out of money and also completely lost. Can someone please tell me the best way to find elderly and handicapped clients? I really love helping others and also I need to survive, so any help at all would truly be appreciated. Thank you guys in advance.

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Hi guys. I am new here but I too need help very badly. I used to be a C.N.A. but I am currently unemployed. I am trying to start my own non medical home care agency. I can no longer work outside the home because my husband is now bed bound, so I have to care for him 24/7 but we need an income. I finally got licensed as a non medical home care agency by my state and medicaid certified but not medicare. Now I have gotten this far, I am completely out of money and also completely lost. Can someone please tell me the best way to find elderly and handicapped clients? I really love helping others and also I need to survive, so any help at all would truly be appreciated. Thank you guys in advance.

You have a fantastic idea there. I've heard that it's not difficult or expensive to actually start an accredited CNA training program if you know how to do it. Perhaps that would be easier to set up than a care agency, or you could even do both! It might be worth checking out. Good luck to you. I admire someone who does something innovate such as you have done instead of just leaving the CNA world completely because of burnout.

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I am 39 years old, divorced woman without college degree, and I have never been in Health care industry before.

I am thinking about switching a career to to be a CNA. It seems like there is demand in my area, in the District of Columbia metro area, but concerned if it is the right move.

I don't have savings and renting an apartment, don't own a house. Financially not in a very good place. My question is can you make a living as a CNA self-sufficiently? I understand this is a matter of budgeting as well as it is obvious that when you go into brand new field, you have to start at the bottom, needess to say a pay cut.

Also, it seems like most positions require experience and I am not sure if I would be able to land the first job.

Can you really make a living as CNA at 41 years old alone? Without any experience in health care industry prior?

Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks.

The vast consensus about this is that being a CNA is a low-paying dead-end job that can be very stressful. There are advantages in that the training is not expensive and some facilities even scholarship the education while providing you a job at the same time. It can be a good jump-start into the field of healthcare and for those who are able to further their education in the direction of becoming a nurse the job security and financial rewards are very good. I've only ever dreamed of a CNA job that pays $14-16/hour even in a hospital, but I suppose that depends on what city you live in. However if CNA pay is your only income, you better learn to be extremely frugal. Where I live Walmart employees get much better pay, benefits, and advancement opportunities than the average CNA.

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I hate to see so many negative posts about the field. If you are looking for a quick certification, that is inexpensive and worth it I think that it is a good move. I am currently seeking employment as a CNA (recently graduated), I have no experience and hope to get into one of the hospitals here in the NC area. There is very high demand where I live. I have great hopes that I chose the right career path. The medical field is a great way to go, and with further education, you have so many options.

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