I have to wait three months to get a CNA job? What should I do?

[magichospital]

right before i got my cna certification, my car broke down and it would cost more to fix than the car was worth and more than what i have. i want to start a cna job badly but i believe it would be too hard to get a job without a car (i rely on the bus and carpooling right now) and i wouldn't want to be late and jeprodize a job that i could later build my career off of. even the closet ltc facility would take 2 hours to walk too(maybe an 35 min-1 hour bike ride but i don't have a bike either). i do have a part-time day job now but i am afraid to quit because it is helping me pay for school and it is helping me save up for a car. after i got my certification, i was expecting to wait a little while anyway because i wanted to get my aha bls, pals, and acls so i can have a better pick of jobs, but i was expecting to wait no longer than 2-3 weeks at max to get all of that done. the reason why i say 3 months now is because that is how long i predict it will take to save up for a (decent,reliable, running) car and i will have an easier time setting work around my school schedule (i go to school 2 days out of the week this fall). my initial goal was to keep my day job for a couple more months while working nights at cna job then gradually quit my day job and switch to day time work. i am not quit sure what to do and since the bus and the person i carpool with are not very realiable, i think it would be best to wait. i am already late to my day job all the time and i would rather have that not happen with a cna job. but, i am also worried about waiting 3 months because i feel that employers would look at that and qeustion why i waited so long and think "why hasn't anyone hired her in three months?, something must be wrong" and not even give me the chance to get interviewed. i am so conflicted right now in what i should do. do you think 3 months is too long to wait? what would you do in my situation? thank you so much!

[pinkstethoscope]

Honestly, I don't think you really have a choice. You don't have reliable transportation, so it really wouldn't be wise to start a new job. If I were in your situation, I would save up until I could fix my car and then start looking for a CNA job. I do not think that employers will look down upon you as you don't have a gap in employment since you are currently working. And even if for some reason they did ask, I think telling them that you waited until you had reliable transportation makes you sound very reponsible.

[yajaira21]

I dont see whats wrong with the bus its reliable I took the bus for years and always got to work on time

[kool-aide, RN]

I'm PRETTY sure you can't have ACLS and PALS as a CNA. Quit stressing, it'll all work out. 3 months is not long at all.

[Hygiene Queen]

Just focus on saving up for the car.

Having a "broken down car" is always viewed as a crap excuse (even if it's true) so it is most excellent that you wish to avoid that whole mess!

I don't think you would qualify for any advanced life support certs, but don't spend money on a class now... the less you spend the quicker you will have your car. That is your biggest obstacle for success right now so that is your priority.

When you get that car and start looking at jobs, try to find one that offers to pay for your education. You can educate yourself on their dime.

In the meanwhile, educate yourself for free. You have a computer and, I'm sure a library. Use your free resources to your advantage. This may not get you any cert in anything, but it just makes you stronger as a person... and it shows.

Cheers.