CNA job at a hospital

[funfunfun]

Hi... I am starting school (RN) FT in September. I was told that since I will be a May grad (in 2yrs) it will be very difficult to find a job with all of the competition. I was wondering if anyone knows which hospitals in Mass will hire CNAs that work at there hospital as RNs once they graduate. I also hear rumors that some won't hire associate degrees, ex)BWH (what I will have). Another thing I have heard is that even if you previously work in a hospital and get your RN they won't hire you as an RN because you have no experience..even though you may have worked as a CNA there for years ex)SSH. Are any of these rumors true?? Any opinons on if it is a good idea or not to get a job at a hospital (and which one) as a CNA before graduating to help me get my foot in the door.

THX!!

[HappyPediRN]

Hi there. I'm an RN experiencing a similar problem. I have my BSN, but I couldn't get a foot in the door as a PCA in Boston, and now I can't get a job ANYWHERE because of the nursing glut. Yes, it could be EXTREMELY difficult for you to get a job as a May grad with an ADN. Most Boston hospitals will not accept ADN unfortunately, and many metro-Boston hospitals will only take an experienced ADN nurse. Is there any way you can do a BSN program? If the economy continues the way it is you will be at an extreme disadvantage.

My best advice is get your foot in the door at a place you would want to work in and steer away from Boston because even if you get a PCA position several will only accept a BSN. The Partners network is one example of this. Also, you won't be able to get a job as a PCA until you finish your fundamentals course. Keep that in mind as well. Good luck and feel free to ask any further questions!

[A_Simp]

Like the last poster stated, you will not be able to work as a CNA until you finish your 1st course. I would use that time to research what hospital you would like to work as an RN and then apply for a CNA position in order to get your foot in the door.

I just recently graduated with my ASN and had worked as a CNA during school. I was able to conitune on as an RN there. Some of my classmates were able to find jobs at the Veterans hospital and Mt Aburn without working as an aide.

One way around the BSN arguement that was suggested to me, was to state that my program was a direct entry into a BSN program (which it is) and that I was working towards earning my degree.

Although most Boston hospital are looking for BSN, I believe if you work as an aide and prove yourself then there are ways around the BSN roadblock.

Good Luck!

[edogs334]

There ARE associate degree nurses working at Boston hospitals- even as new grads. I think it's more a matter of connections than what type of degree you have. For example, I'm sure nursing students at Northeastern have no trouble getting hired, because of their co-op experience and their school's reputation.

Unless something has changed, I know for a fact that the BI (Beth Israel Deaconess) hires both ADN and BSN nurses. I worked as an ER tech there (in the recent past) and knew several nurses that had their ADN and were hired as new grads. I'd say try your best to get your CNA certification right after you pass your first clinical course, and start applying for part-time or per-diem hospital CNA positions.

[squee-gee]

"Any opinons on if it is a good idea or not to get a job at a hospital (and which one) as a CNA before graduating to help me get my foot in the door."

I think this is no longer a suggestion - it has really turned into something you have to do in order to have a chance at a job after you graduate. I don't know anything about Boston hospitals - I steered clear! - but even with the community hospitals in the 'burbs it is not a given that you will automatically have a job waiting for you if you worked there. (All community hospitals hire ADN's as far as I know, and almost all of them have structured new grad RN programs - which is what you want - as opposed to you applying after graduation for a RN position on their website w/o nursing experience.)

This is what you should do - get a CNA job soon (although if you wait until you have done two semesters, you don't have to take the licensing exam - you just need proof that you have done x number of clinical hours..) - be a real go-getter, shmooz with the manager/charge nurse etc., and make sure everyone knows you are a nursing student and want to work there eventually. Do well in nursing school!! Have as an impressive GPA as possible. Be sure to get a written recommendation from every clinical instructor as you go. Around January of the year you are graduating, start asking HR what their timetable is - see if you can find the nursing recruiter and introduce yourself etc. etc... It's all about marketing yourself.

This is the strategy I took and it paid off. Out of 15 nursing students at the hospital they hired only 7 for their new grad internship program, and I'm one of them (yay!).