Honesty is NOT the best policy....

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Specializes in LTC.

today i went with my mother to her job ( she's an rn in ltc)to go pick up her check and i figured that while i was there i would just grab an application for cna/gna/cmt/ lpn. the secretary asked me what position did i want the application for and i told her for gna/cmt/lpn. she asked me why did i need all three and i told her i would like to work as a gna/cmt for now and possibly later come on as a lpn one i pass my boards. well, that was the wrong answer. she told me they won't hire me as a gna because i'll be getting licensed soon and that they won't allow me to work as a new lpn. :cry:

i was complety shocked. i can see them not hiring new grads or graduate nurses , however why can't i get a full-time job as a gna or cmt for right now. this is not the first time that i've heard " why would we hire you as a cna, when you will become a nurse soon? " i figure that being honest and upfront would work out for both the employer and i, but now i'm seeing that i'm getting more doors slammed in my face. i'm not too worried about getting a lpn job until i pass my boards, however i would love to work as a cna/gna until then. i quit my previous job for nursing school, and now that my final is tomorrow i really need work again. for now on, i'm not ever telling an employer that i plan on getting my lpn license... i'm just going to say i'm looking for a cna job and leave it at that. i really don't want to give people the false expression that i'll be working as a tech forever at their company however, i need money now and i may just have to leave some details out when going on interviews. thanks for letting me vent.

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Specializes in LTC.

My guess is that the facility doesn't have any LPN positions open so if they hired you as a GNA/CMT, you would be stuck.

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That's weird. I work as a CNA at a LTC, and we just hired a CNA who has taken the LPN courses, and just needs to pass her boards. She works as a CNA and has done some orienting as a LPN (though I guess they can't have her work independently as an LPN till she passes?) and... they hire lots of new grad nurses.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

It's actually pretty easy to understand if you can just put yourself in the employer's position. They can't afford to "waste resources" on orienting someone who is not planning to stay for very long. So, if they are going to move you into an LPN position, then it may worth hiring you into another position and get you started now. But if they are not going to hire you as an LPN, then they don't want to pay for your orientation knowing that you will not stick around long enough to be worth the investment.

From your persective, it is horribly frustrating to not be eligible for hire. But from the perspective of the employer paying for your CNA orientation, hiring you as a CNA would be a horrible deal for them.

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also, remember that you will be held to your highest lic. and not having been oriented as a nurse you would be the untenable position of having the responsibity and not the knowledge

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I agree that, while it's v. frustrating for you to hear, it's easy to understand that a facility would not want to hire and orient someone who is obviously not going to be working there long. It would be different if they were hiring you with the intention of moving you into a nurse position when you get licensed, but there's no benefit for them if they can't or don't want to do that.

Although it's a frustrating and disappointing situation for you, honesty is still the best policy in healthcare employment!

Best wishes --

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My employer loves to hire nursing students as CNAs. And I love to work with them. Shop around for different jobs--I'm guessing someone will be looking specifically for someone like you to hire.

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Specializes in LTC.
It's actually pretty easy to understand if you can just put yourself in the employer's position. They can't afford to "waste resources" on orienting someone who is not planning to stay for very long. So, if they are going to move you into an LPN position, then it may worth hiring you into another position and get you started now. But if they are not going to hire you as an LPN, then they don't want to pay for your orientation knowing that you will not stick around long enough to be worth the investment.

From your persective, it is horribly frustrating to not be eligible for hire. But from the perspective of the employer paying for your CNA orientation, hiring you as a CNA would be a horrible deal for them.

llg. I like you, you make alot of sense and I have put myself in the employers shoes and totally understand, which is why I'm so honest up front because I don't want them to waste their resources. Should I just make them think I'm not taking my boards soon, work as a GNA , then quit as soon as I pass boards and find a new job ? Thats what I'm thinking that I may have to do, just to get some income coming in now... However, I just hate to have to put them through hiring me, just for me to stay there for 60 days or less.

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Specializes in Gerontology, nursing education.
llg. I like you, you make alot of sense and I have put myself in the employers shoes and totally understand, which is why I'm so honest up front because I don't want them to waste their resources. Should I just make them think I'm not taking my boards soon, work as a GNA , then quit as soon as I pass boards and find a new job ? Thats what I'm thinking that I may have to do, just to get some income coming in now... However, I just hate to have to put them through hiring me, just for me to stay there for 60 days or less.

You show a tremendous amount of integrity and the facility that hires you will be blessed!

Still, I wouldn't do it---you could risk getting negative references from the facility when you do look for positions as a nurse. Can you look for something in a non-health care field just to get you through until you take boards?

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Look for someplace that WILL hire you as an LPN. Then try to get a CNA job there. Win-win for you and employer. Short of that, get a job waiting tables or something that will likely pay better than CNA until you get that license.

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Don't take one receptionist's word for anything that changes your life.

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Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.

Why are you taking advice from the secretary? Put in your application for the job you want and see what happens.

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