$8.25 an hour...*** is this normal?

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Specializes in Wound Care.

I had an interview with a LTC center in Long Beach, CA. I am a new CNA but have two years of private duty care giving experience. They said the starting pay was $8.25 per hour with no benefits.... okay please tell me she was just low balling me and that CNA's in Los Angeles don't make that much money? I was hoping to make at least $10. But if its only $8.25 I will waitress my way to LVN school.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

I was born and raised in southern CA, and while I have not lived there since 2005, I know that $8.25 per hour is low for the cost of living in Long Beach. I live in Texas, in a city with a far lower cost of living, and my workplace pays CNAs $11 hourly with benefits. I have not seen a pay rate of $8.25 in 6 or 7 years around here.

However, wage deflation does happen. Since so many people are becoming CNAs in southern CA due to being laid off and switching careers, there's an oversupply of new CNAs in the local job market. The LTC facility knows that if you refuse to work at that wage, other people will be lined up and desperate enough to work at that pay rate.

It's not fair, but that's how businesses roll.

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Specializes in Wound Care.

Well looks like I better dust off my serving resume. I refuse to work that hard for $8.25 an hour. If someone else out there will do it then more power to them but its just not worth it to me.

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Specializes in inerested in school nursing, peds, OR.
Well looks like I better dust off my serving resume. I refuse to work that hard for $8.25 an hour. If someone else out there will do it then more power to them but its just not worth it to me.

I'm having the same problem. I work as a director of a daycare now making 14an hr, had 2 job offers as a CNA at hospitals one pays 9 an hr and the other 10. I really want the experience for nursing, and to spruce up my résumé, but I just don't know if I can afford to make that little.

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Specializes in Wound Care.

I know me too. I am a single parent on limited income and with loans for nursing school and living expenses making $8.25 is a waste of time. That wont even cover daycare for me. It's really sad that employers take advantage of people like this. There needs to be a law against this crap. I have a "job" if you want to call it that with a caregivng agency right now and I make $8.25 when I work...never any work. I was on an assignment and happened to run across the bill the agency sent the client. They are charging this lady $24 an hour for care...and paying me $8.25....made me sick....just sick. Too everything in my power not to say "look lady how about you hire me direct and Ill do the job for half of what you are paying this agency". I know its not ethical to do that so I just kept my mouth shut but I felt sick and used the rest of the day there.

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Specializes in inerested in school nursing, peds, OR.

I definitely understand where you are coming from! I think I'll just keep my other job, and hope that having no medical experience on my résumé won't hinder my chances of finding an RN job. I also thought about keeping my current job and getting a PRN position, but I don't want to overwork myself with two jobs and school! Sheesh! I think we deserve better than 9 bucks an hour as a CNA!

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Specializes in Wound Care.

How do PRN jobs work? Do you go through an agency for that? Do they basically call and say can you work today and you say yes or no? Any chance they might have evening or night shifts?

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Specializes in inerested in school nursing, peds, OR.

Yes they have evening and night shifts.. You have to commit to at least 3-6 shifts a month depending on your facility and if you can you can work more but you don't have to. Also, night and evening shifts usually have shift differential pay. I got an offer at a local hospital to work at least 3 shifts per month day,night,or evening.

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Specializes in Wound Care.

OMG SWEET!!!! This is EXACTLY what I need! So I find something like this at a hospital or do i go though an agency? I am looking for something that will allow me to work 3-4 days a week but on the days I want.

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Specializes in inerested in school nursing, peds, OR.

At hospitals, or LTC facilities. I've never heard of agencies doing this, but maybe. I've never looked into it. I thought that is how most home health agencies work though, they give you the information and you choose the days you wana work. Is that not how that works?

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Specializes in inerested in school nursing, peds, OR.

I was a PCA at another hospital along time ago for about a month and loved it, but it was full time plus extra and I was taking 6 classes that semester so I had to quit.

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Specializes in inerested in school nursing, peds, OR.
I was a PCA at another hospital along time ago for about a month and loved it, but it was full time plus extra and I was taking 6 classes that semester so I had to quit.

My phone is acting up on me. What I was trying to say is now I'm looking for PRN work, and luckily got an offer. Idk if I'm going to take it though bc of the low pay.

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