Help deciding major/career

dewberrysquish · Jul 3, 2008

Oh I forgot to ask what does a patient care aide/nursing assistant do and what is their pay?

mybrowneyedgirl, BSN, RN · Jul 3, 2008

Medical Assistants make around $10 / hr. Insurance specialist / office type help I believe around $11-15 / hr but could be wrong. None of these are really high paying jobs from my experience.

Sure you don't want to be a nurse?

Good luck with your decisions. It's great that you're really looking into pay etc. I wish I had done that when I was younger.

gemberly · Jul 6, 2008

Medical Assistants make around $10 / hr. Insurance specialist / office type help I believe around $11-15 / hr but could be wrong. None of these are really high paying jobs from my experience.
Sure you don't want to be a nurse?
Good luck with your decisions. It's great that you're really looking into pay etc. I wish I had done that when I was younger.

I agree that it is good that you are looking into how much they pay. If you are getting student loans the amount you have to pay back will be the same if you make $10/hr or $25/hr.

The nursing assistant jobs are some of the tasks that nurses do, that a license isn't required for. (that is how I believe it is, not 100%) I know that baker has a certificate for that, but it would be better and cheaper if you go that route to just pay the money up front and go with the Red Cross or similar program. Alternately, you can go for your ADN and after you do your first quarter, you can get your CNA and start working while you finish your degree in nursing.

If you really love the job you do, pay might not matter so much, that is subjective, I guess. My friend went to school to be a vet tech, and now that she is done she makes like $8/hr. Worth it to her, but for me that wouldn't be such a good plan. LOL

dewberrysquish · Jul 6, 2008

I would love to be a nurse but I feel I couldn't cut it. I hear hard it is even for people with the best grades. I've never been the smartest so I probably would never get into nursing. What is another high paying job? I was checking out Diagnostic Medical Technology but its not offered in Flint, most of the real good tech jobs aren't. Physcal Therapist Assistant looks like it pay well but look hard to get into as well.

mybrowneyedgirl, BSN, RN · Jul 6, 2008

How about Radiology? I know the wait is even longer though. How fresh out of high school are you? You might surprise yourself and perform much better in college. I stunk in H.S. but am an A student in college.

I really don't know of many high paying jobs that require limited education.

HFCC goes by waitlist not GPA but once you're in the program they require an 80% to pass each nursing class.

Just something to think about.

Good luck

fUsi0n86 · Jul 6, 2008

Look into Respiratory Therapy. The wait is not as long as Radiology or Nursing.

fUsi0n86 · Jul 6, 2008

I've never been the smartest so I probably would never get into nursing.

One more thing I wanted to add. The people that get into nursing schools aren't geniuses, okay? They have the best grades because they have the discipline to sit down and study their butts off. Now, I don't know you personally so I can't assess your learning potential but don't get discouraged if you really want to become a nurse. The trick to learning is knowing how to study effectively so you can actually memorize something while you're reading. Take some general education courses at your college and in the mean while get an Anatomy & Physiology book and start learning at your own pace. That is what I'm doing. Looking at the whole book, or even one chapter, can be often very overwhelming and you'll think to yourself that you will never be able to memorize this stuff. But, if you break down the pages, it really isn't all that bad. I'll write down 10 words from a single page and just memorize them first before moving onto the next few paragraphs. I actually find this stuff easier than writing essays for my English class because it's just pure memorization, that's all it is.

I guess science courses are considered hard because there is just so much information you need to know and the 12 weeks you're given during a school semester to memorize it all just seems not enough. As I said, none of this stuff is really that difficult, it's kind of like learning a new language though because most of the words there you probably never heard of before. If you really want it, I'd encourage you to do it but do it at a slower pace so you give yourself enough time to learn the material. I just got done with directional terms, body parts and areas, body planes and body cavities. It's not that bad, trust me. Just pick out a few words a day and memorize them. Besides just studying from the book, I use flash cards and I take them with me everywhere I go. Also, I printed out a few sheets of paper with different terminologies and taped them up right in front of my computer screen so I look at them even when I don't want to :banghead: I highlight a lot in my book too, and I'm also going to record myself when I'm reading and then play it in my car. You just have to immerse yourself in your studies as much as you can and you will be fine. If you want it real bad you will do it.

dewberrysquish · Jul 7, 2008

Thanks for the info everyone. I really do want to work in an hospital setting. I haven't put nursing off my list completely but looking at other things. What are some jobs in the hospital that doesn't deal with patients as much?

I know of Health Information Technology, Medical Administrative Assistant, and Medical Insurance Specialist, I thought Medical Insurance would be boring though. I wouldn't mind dealinig with patients but not in caring for them hands on hands, you know what I mean?

I was looking at one of the hospitals in my area and there was a job position for Unit Clerk (Utilizing advanced customer service skills, acts as part of the team of caregivers by functioning as the initial point of contact for patients. Greets patients and their families in a friendly manner and creates a positive first impression. Performs clerical and receptionist duties to support the unit. Provides patient registration duties. Provides limited, simple nursing care to patients under specified conditions.) Patient Services Representative (Primary responsibilities are office management; receptionist duties; initial intake of referrals; obtaining insurance authorization; scheduling of client services; typing and processing of related information for client services, accreditation readiness activities and quality assurance initiatives) and these jobs really only require like a training with computer or training in office support or Medical Receptionist. I was thinking about maybe applying for these positions to get my foot in the door and just check it out, maybe there's room for an advancement. I was thinking about just getting a certificate in Office Support or Medical Receptionist first. What do you thnk the salary range will be for these jobs? I was thinking about being a Nursing Assistant at a hospital, nursing assistant is easy to get into but I hear Nurse Assistants get the slave work type of jobs that the nurses don't want to do and the pay isn't that great.

If I got a Human Service degree, I could work in an hospital and be an Psychiatric Technician. I was also looking at Surgical Tech, I wonder if I could hack being in a room where a doctor is performing surgery on someone. So many options. I know I will have to talk to a counselor at Baker but I respect all y'all feedback since some of you are in the field and know people.

Thanks again

gemberly · Jul 7, 2008

I was going to say surgical technician. They make a good amount and it seems like interesting work.