How to gain experience.

Nurses Career Support

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Hello! I thought I could use some advice as I have found myself in a road of mixed signals. To start off you should know that I am a college student currently finishing up core classes and about to enter Nursing School to get my associate RN degree. This action plan has been a slow yet fun experience so far. My main problem is that I am in the process of applying for a position known as a PCT: Patient Care Tech at a local hospital. This position only requires a high school diploma, which at the moment is all I have to offer. I am afraid though, due to my lack of any experience in the medical field that I have no chance of getting this position. I've already had 7 applications turned down. My only hopes are that I may be "grandfathered in" as some say. I have become very good friends with the charge nurse and retired director of nurses recently and they both seem to be trying in any way possible to get an interview set up. Yet even at this point I fear I will be turned away. My main question is... how can I get any experience before I must complete school? Is being "grandfathered in" still possible? Is there any chance of getting a job as a PCT still with no degree?

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Specializes in Critical Care; Recovery.

Volunteer at the hospital, then get get to know the nurse manager of the floor where you want to be a pct. this will also make it much easier to navigate clinicals in nursing school and find a job afterwards.

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I can see where you're coming from! I was hoping to volunteer or at least shadow for more outlook on the positions avaliable as well. That being said I am a close family member to the charge nurse on the floor I was applying for if that means anything. I will be talking again tomorrow with the retired director of nurses which is also very good friends with the charge nurse I just spoke of. If I can't get in this way I plan to definitely volunteer and hopefully get my CNA in the process.

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Specializes in 15 years in ICU, 22 years in PACU.

I am totally confused about your use of "grandfathered in". What does that mean to you?

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From what I've been told it means that I am pretty much let into a position from someone I know on a personal level. Someone I know well who has been around a long time with connections and is able to get me a job.

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Getting your CNA might help you on your resume for sure. And knowing someone who works there and can pull for you can help. Sometimes as well once you are in nursing school you will be getting some experience and also they might look more favably on your resume. Get you CNA and get into school and you might see doors opening up for you.

Grandfathered in does not really mean that you get a job because you know someone. It usually is implied for those that already working somewhere and some different requirement is added to be cable to be hired, but the ones that already work there will be considered grandfathered in and will not have to meet that requirement.

For instance let's say a hospital wants to start to hire all RNs and no LPNs. There are 10 LPNs that are working for the hospital when this new rule is set in place. These LPNs will be considered grandfathered in and will be able to keep their jobs regardless of the new RN rule.

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I had this problem. What I did was volunteer on the floor I was interested in specializing in for 2-3hrs after college classes. If I was done with class, off to the hospital I went. I treated my volunteer experience like a job. The RN Manager ended up offering me a PCT job 2-3 months later. So I started my job the summer before starting nursing school. This was one year ago, and now I'm in my 3rd semester of Nursing School and still at this job! Best of luck to you.

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You don't need a degree to be a PCT. However, getting your CNA certification (usually through a course of about 6 weeks), will make you more marketable. A diploma might be the bare minimum standard, but if you have your CNA cert, they prefer it because there's less training they'll have to invest in you.

And PP is right in her description of what "grandfathered" means. In this case, the hospital may continue to employ PCTs who have only a HS diploma, but be looking to hire new PCTs with previous experience or a CNA cert.

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Thank you all so much for the advice!

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