JoCo CNA jobs, Hospital or LTC?

CNM2B201? · Apr 5, 2011

I have worked in both a hospital and LTC. I would suggest starting in LTC first only because in a hospital you are usually on your own and are expected to do the basics on your own w/out help such as a bath, toileting, ect (as long as it doesnt require 2 ppl)...in LTC you work in pairs and as a new CNA it might be overwhelming to be on your own and brand new in a hospital.

When I worked in the hospital I had a year of experience in LTC. Its just really different on a hospital floor...I didnt care for it. I had no one to speak to for 12 plus hours except when a patient needed help because I had to stay on the south side of the floor and the other cna stayed on the north side...it was pretty isolating. The nurses ignored me.. wouldnt even say hello in the break room...it was a pretty awful experience. I much prefer LTC over Hospital as a CNA. Also...after my 2 week orientation I hardly ever worked...I would be scheduled for 3 12 hour shifts but if census was down I got told to stay home (being the new girl) I quit after 2 months and only working a handful of times.

its easy to get an evening shift in LTC 2-10 or even later...hospital it would be 7-7am..again most ppl dont like these shifts so it wouldnt be hard to get one.

CNM2B201? · Apr 5, 2011

as far as experience wise..unless you find a nurse in a hospital that is going to take you under her wing..you arent going to get much more experience than in LTC... you do the same ADL's in both places.

but you might find a totally different scenario than what I had...it might have been my hospital. I would try and find other cna's in a hospital you are interested in and see how it is for them.

parumph · Apr 19, 2011

My current LTCF does 8H shifts during the weeks and 12h's on the weekend (with the rare 16h). 7a-3p, 3p-11p, 11p-7a. Weekends are 7a-7p or the flip for it. The big difference is the pay (shift differential) on the weekends, and the overnights having only 2 CNA's for the floor (32 residents) vs. 4 cna's during the day/evening.

I know of another LTC facility that run's 12's and 8's together. It's weird.

CNM, I'd like to hear about more detail about how the hospital job differed from the LTCF. I'm sure its floor dependent (not many baths in the ED i would guess), but what were the differences otherwise. I'm sure you didn't have to wake up, dress, and push all your residents for breakfast every morning. That's my main 'dislike' of my current job. Trying to wake and dress 6 people in under 30 minutes just isn't fun at all, and i've yet to get it done on time once. lol

OlatheJessica · Apr 23, 2011

Thanks for all the replies everyone, I'm almost done with my CNA class now (which I've loved) and I'm waiting until after I take the exam to start applying, as it seems that no one wants to talk to you until it's official.

Parumph, I am taking my CNA where you did (in part because of your raving review), did you end up working at the clinical site and is that where you currently work? I'd be interested to know because it seems that a lot of people from the class go there after finishing up and I'm curious if its a good place to work.

Thanks!

parumph · Apr 24, 2011

I actually got hired on two places but the clinical site was the first to offer me FT, and, yea, thats where I am. I think they have a few clinical sites but im at the one initialed SG working weekends and one day a week.