I'm so discouraged

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I have been wanting to start courses to become a CNA, but the more i research the more i find forum after forum of people saying they can't get jobs, no one will hire w/o experience, they went to school for nothing etc etc etc. Can someone fill me in? please help.

P.s. I need a job that pays at LEAST 12 bucks an hour SOON within the next 5 months, my girlfriend is having a baby and i need that. any ideas other then the CNA idea? THank you guys..

Specializes in Acute Mental Health.

You may not find work at a hospital right off the bat, but long term care pays about what your looking for. Are you a student? If not, then you could easily become a cna and pick up overtime if you can't make the $12 mark. After 6-12 months, you could move on or take courses to move up the ladder.

Phlebotomy is a pretty quick course and I understand they make decent money. You might want to check into that as well. I know cna's that are also phlebs. You can do both until you find out what you like better.

EMT's don't make much $$, unless they're paramedics and also firemen, but some tech colleges push this.

Really look into what you think you might be interested in. If you need something that can train you quickly, cna and phlebotomy might work for you. Keep us posted and sorry you were getting flamed for the military stuff.

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Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

Just apply and see what happens. Sometimes it doesn't even matter if you have a certification or not. Sorry about being so touchy with the military stuff, was a bit offended. But if you do consider it, if you become a medic in the military, I hear you can challege the LPN boards so that you can become licensed as an LPN.

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Specializes in Med/Surg < 1yr.

I think pay is going to depend on where you live. I'm a CNA. I got the job at a local nursing home that trained us to become nursing assistants and then they paid for us to become certified nursing assistants through the Red Cross. To be a nursing assistant, the pay was $7.40. After becoming certified they bumped us up to $10.00, if you worked the evening it was $10.45. So check out some nursing homes in your area. If you apply at the hospitals, you will most likely start out as a nursing assistant. The hospitals don't certify you. Then after a few months, you can earn more by becoming a PCT (don't exactly know what the letters stand for). Also, with a few months of training you can go to temporary agencies and work as a nursing assistant. They pay up to $15/hr. The downside is you won't have benefits.

Hope this helps!

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Thank you guys, I'll do everything you said. Please, keep more sugestions coming, i heard goverment jobs pay well, do anyone of you have any idea entry level starting jobs for the gov?

All postings appreciated DEEPLY

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Specializes in Acute Mental Health.

Here in WI, it does matter if your certified. If you have no certification than you can get hired as a caregiver for $8-9 per hr. Call some hospitals in your area and talk to human resouces and ask them what they're guidelines for employment as a cna are. Most hospitals here wouldn't touch you without prior experience. None would hire you without your certification.

Now is the time for you to let your fingers do the walking and find out what is expected in your area. Good luck and congrats on your approaching fatherhood. It's good to hear your thinking of your future at 19! Kudos to you!!

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

In my state, CNA's start out making almost $14/hour plus shift differentials. Good luck, and congrats on the baby.

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Specializes in LTC.

Where I work, you start at $13/hr, and that's low. Every other place around here starts you at 15. And it's not hard to get a job without experience, but you do have to be certified. I guess it all depends on where you live. Oh and the housekeepers and laundry people make pretty much the same money as us at my facility so maybe you could work one of those jobs while you're taking the CNA course. They might even offer tuition reimbursement.

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Specializes in LTC.

Oh and don't forget to look into assistance from the state. Unemployment offices will sometimes pay for you to take the class.

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Thank you guys so much for your replies and your interest in helping me with my problem, i have a lot more courage to go through with it and set myself apart from everyone else to make sure i get the job! No is NOT an answer!

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My first (&only) CNA job started out @ $12.25 an hour with no experience. Just put in applications @ big hospitals & you'll have no problem finding an aide/tech job in your pay range.

Good Luck! : )

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I hope I'm wrong, but I'm getting the impression you'll take any job that pays $12 and if that's the case, then being a CNA is not for you, even if it pays better than that (and it most likely won't even get the $12).

If you're not truly interested in helping people, seeing them when they're at their worst and attending to them with kindness, you'd be doing yourself and your patients a disservice. I wouldn't want someone taking care of me/my loved one who was just in it for a paycheck. Are you interested in nursing or not?

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as an update guys and girls,

I went down to the hospital closet to my house, the lady at the front desk said that if i came down and volunteered for a few hours a week, i would be GUARANTEED a job by the time I got my certificate. She said they would prolly pay me a bit more too because of my volunteering.

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