Medication Tech count as experience

[VidyaNC]

I understand that CNA experience will qualify as "pre-nursing" and clinical experience once a nursing student wants to land a job and has passed the boards and put CNA work on their resume. Or at least get their resume looked at and possibly be considered because of the possible clinical experience. I am not going to go to war as to whether that experience is in a hospital setting, skilled nursing facility, nursing home, etc. just the fact that it is within the nursing sector and recruiters see that you are dedicated to the nursing profession. Does that make sense?! :)

Now, with that being said, I am just as curious to know if, say, having experience as a medication tech, without any CNA experience, would merit the same "respect" in the same hypothetical scenario above when a said student moves out from nursing school, passing boards, etc. Does that make sense?! :)

Have you transitioned from being a medication technician to a full time, OR part-time nurse after graduation without CNA experience? or did you get your first 'real' nursing job with a combination of skill sets: CNA I, CNA II, CNA+4, PNA, AND medication technician, with the emphasis being with any of the above with medication tech experience?

Please share your experience and what nursing specialty your first "real" nursing job after schooling and boards were in, facility, etc. and where you are now. If you could do it over again, what would you do differently? And any other advice you may find beneficial to new and upcoming students coming into or thinking about becoming future nurses.

Thank you for your input :)

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

While CNA/ PCT gives you hospital experience, only a nursing job will give you nursing experience. On a job posting, when they ask for one year experience required, they are referring to nursing experience.

The only benefit that you will get by working at a hospital is that hospital employees are usually given preference for jobs over outside applicants. If you were a PCT or unit secretary on a unit, you will have a better chance of getting a nursing job on that unit when you graduate. Overall, other ancillary healthcare jobs are not imperative to landing a nursing job.