First CNA Job Interview Advice, Please!

Lizzly · May 29, 2014

Working even part-time while you're in nursing school is very hard. Nursing school is ridged and takes endless hours of studying to get through it. You should forgot about work and finish school unless you are in the need for money. I believe, In clinical, you work at the hospital. This advice comes from a currently CNA who works at a assistant living home,Hard work, under paid, don't appreciate you. Good luck.

crossfitnurse · May 29, 2014

1) you don't need anything to prep you for clinicals because that is what clinicals are for. To prep you for working! :)

2) if this is what you want - it's TOTALLY do-able to work during nursing school. TONS of us do it. But make sure - school comes before work. Tests are important and studying is the KEY to success in nursing school. You cannot cram, you gotta keep a good study schedule.

SeattleJess · May 30, 2014

Thanks, experienced folks. I can squeak through the first year without working but it would certainly be much easier with even just a little scratch from a summer job. I will need to work my second year but I should be over the uncertainty and insecurity by then.

I guess I'll try to get hired for the summer and be open with them about probably not continuing after school starts... but being willing to come back the next summer or work per diem.

It's very reassuring to hear that I don't need CNA work to prepare for nursing school clinicals. I'm going to a school that admits on the point system. Grades count but students also get significant points for working as CNAs or EMTs or military medics. That gave me the idea that I'd need some experience just to keep up with my classmates.

If I don't get a job offer, I can happily spend the summer brushing up on my A&P and o-chem and starting to memorize that ghastly mountain of meds in Mosby's pharmacy guide I bought used on Amazon.

Heaps of thanks for giving me clarity. I won't feel so desperate going into the interview now.

crossfitnurse · May 30, 2014

My school used to give extra points to those with medical experience but then did away with that! Which I'm so happy about!

I would wait to see how 1st and 2nd semester treat you, Once you get studying and time management under your belt and your grades are good to go I would start looking for a position :) that way you have an "in" at a facility!

I'm going into my 4th (last) semester of my program and just got a PRN nights PCT job :)

Good luck!

WannaBNursey, ADN, ASN, RN · May 30, 2014

Does either facility have a PRN option? I did pretty much PRN throughout nursing school (I tried to do FT NOC at a nursing home but I was falling asleep during classes). If you can get in at a hospital (and there are hospitals that hire new CNA's) that would be the best because it would set you up for a job after graduation.

Good luck to you and God bless. Being a CNA was wonderful experience for my clinicals. I was confident around patients and in the hospital environment because of my CNA experience.

SeattleJess · May 31, 2014

I would wait to see how 1st and 2nd semester treat you, Once you get studying and time management under your belt and your grades are good to go I would start looking for a position :) that way you have an "in" at a facility!
I'm going into my 4th (last) semester of my program and just got a PRN nights PCT job :)
Good luck!

Excellent advice, thank you! Congratulations on the PCT PRN job! That sounds ideal to me.

SeattleJess · May 31, 2014

Does either facility have a PRN option? I did pretty much PRN throughout nursing school (I tried to do FT NOC at a nursing home but I was falling asleep during classes). If you can get in at a hospital (and there are hospitals that hire new CNA's) that would be the best because it would set you up for a job after graduation.
Good luck to you and God bless. Being a CNA was wonderful experience for my clinicals. I was confident around patients and in the hospital environment because of my CNA experience.

Yes, both LTC facilities have PRN options. Thanks for your comment that some hospitals do hire new CNAs. I'd given up but now I'm thinking I need to expand my search instead. Do phone books still exist? Not sure how to find every hospital within a 30 mile radius using the internet...

I think anything that would bolster my confidence and improve my skills would be worth doing. That was my motivation for working as a CNA before school. The first time I worked with an actual patient as a CNA student I was soooo concerned about hurting her and of course, fear just makes me less efficient and effective. Thanks for sharing your experience.

WannaBNursey, ADN, ASN, RN · May 31, 2014

Yes, both LTC facilities have PRN options. Thanks for your comment that some hospitals do hire new CNAs. I'd given up but now I'm thinking I need to expand my search instead. Do phone books still exist? Not sure how to find every hospital within a 30 mile radius using the internet...
I think anything that would bolster my confidence and improve my skills would be worth doing. That was my motivation for working as a CNA before school. The first time I worked with an actual patient as a CNA student I was soooo concerned about hurting her and of course, fear just makes me less efficient and effective. Thanks for sharing your experience.

I find indeed.com to be the most helpful job search site. Just type in CNA and your zip code or town and lists of jobs will pop up. It's so easy! Or you can just google your town name and hospital and lists of hospitals on a map should show up.