CNA - LTC or Hospital?

[KamieKirk]

After much deliberation, I decided to become a CNA after I get my GED instead of going through an RN program at the local CC. I want to decide if this is what I truly want vs. burning out later.

So, in your experience, do LTC CNA's make more money than hospital CNA's, or vise versa? Also, how many hours do CNA's typically work per shift? Is it more common to see part-time or full-time jobs? What are some duties a CNA does on a daily basis? [in school, they sugar-coated nursing work, which is why I was disappointed to find that RN's do burnout.]

I live in College Station, TX., if that helps. It would be amazing to find someone else who works as a CNA in town who could give me the most accurate answer.

Thanks all!

[LaterAlligator]

1. Hospital CNA's usually make more money but you will likely start out in LTC and need to have a year's experience before a hospital will consider you. If you're certified, I'd do skilled nursing facility over assisted living, because the staffing and resources are usually a little better. Assisted living often means caring for people who need more care than that setting is able to actually provide, so you're scrambling to do your best for your resident with not enough time/equipment/nurses.

2. Hours vary, could be 8 hour shifts, could be 12. Usually 8 hours, from 7am-3pm, 3pm-11pm, 11pm-7am.

3. It's more common to see full time jobs, but there's a lot of turnover in this profession so if you can get hired on as part-time somewhere, you're likely to get a full time job when one opens up.

4. On a daily basis, you'll be doing lots and lots of toileting (including changing briefs on bed-bound patients), feeding, transferring in and out of wheelchairs and beds, bathing people (you'll probably have a set number to bathe per shift, usually 2-4) and wheeling them to and from meals and activities. You'll also be responsible for taking vital signs, tidying their rooms, often for changing their sheets/making their beds. It's very difficult work physically and you will learn time management quickly in order to be successful at it.

If you want to find Texas-specific info I would try the Texas message board.

Good luck!

[yousoldtheworld]

Around here, the pay rate is about the same, and sometimes LTC even pays more.

Most facilities around here have 8 hour shifts, but some have 12. I know of both hospitals and LTCs that have both.

Full time and part time positions are both common. Sometimes a facility will have only part time positions open, but full time positions open up ALL THE TIME because turnover is so high. In LTC, you will likely never have a hard time getting enough hours. IN a hospital, it just depends on the census and how your particular hospital handles it.

As for the daily tasks, read around these forums a bit and you'll get a good and realistic picture of what we do. :)

[northernguy]

Hospital jobs dont always pay more than LTC for CNAs. My hourly pay didnt increase any when I went to work in a hospital from a skilled nursing facility. You also might get more hours in LTC than a hospital. When I worked LTC you could almost get as many hours as you wanted because so many aides call in sick, quit, or get fired, so they are continually short and looking for people to pick up shifts. You dont really get that in a hospital. In fact if the patient census is low you might not even get to work all your scheduled shifts.

Ive worked both 12 hour shifts and 8 hour shifts. I prefer 8 hour shifts for the most part, 12 hour shifts can really drag some times.