Looking for a part-time job as a pre-nursing student

[xpinchx]

I'm finishing up my B.S. degree and I'm going to have about a year off before I start my accelerated B.S.N. program and I'm trying to get a job in a hospital and having some trouble. I've been working as a patient attendant (sitter) for 2-3 years now and it's terribly boring and I have a long commute to the hospital I work at (UofMich). UofM doesn't really require any certifications for things like phlebotomy or PCT, they do most of the training on the job as far as I know. But all the hospitals where I live here in Lansing require various certs of those sort of things.

The local community college offers some of these certs but none of the schedules really work for me and even if they did it's too late for this semester. I really need a job soon and I'm applying for retail jobs in the mean time but I dread retail/food service and I already know I'm going to be miserable working there. Is there anything I can do to fast-track into some sort of health job? (phlebotomy, PCT, EKG tech, pharmacy tech, etc.) Any online training certification that employers will actually recognize and offer me a job with?

[caliotter3]

All of the allied health jobs that you mention require some degree of time and money commitment without necessarily a sure thing job available in the end. You could get your CNA and HHA certificates and use them to get work in a hospital or in home health care. This would be an advantage for your nursing program.

[fsaav]

I'm currently in nursing school and working as a medical transcriptionist. There are programs/certifications for medical transcription but not all employers will require them. I was allowed to "test" for the position because of the nursing prereqs I already had and I did fine and was hired right then. I absolutely love what I do but I don't want to be sitting at a desk all day.

I was a little nervous when I first started nursing school because at least 3/4 of my class are hospital aides and I felt like I would be at a disadvantage, but after a few weeks of hospital clinicals I've realized that I can pick up on the physical tasks pretty quickly but a lot of people are struggling with the medications, labs, etc. that I'm used to because of my job.

I just thought it might be an option...