I have almost of year of direct, though unlicensed patient care experience, and almost 6 months of licensed home care experience (CNA/HHA)
I have sent out resumes to over 100 SNFs, LTCFs, and just about any other place that says they're hiring CNAs and I haven't gotten a single bite.
Whenever I'm not out on some sort of "homemaker" assignment through the "health care staffing agency" I currently work for, I am searching the net for jobs, cold calling every facility within 50 miles, and sending out resumes.
When I decided to try to put myself through nursing school by working as a CNA, I had no idea that it would be nearly impossible to find a job in the SF Bay area. It's bad enough that we have to wait years to get into nursing school.
Is there something else I should be doing? I'm really discouraged and getting really depressed.
This is the exact thing I am worried about. I am currently in community college and My counselor advised me to go into CNA, for this fall, while completing my prereqs for nursing program I would be able to work part-time as CNA. Is it difficult to find part-time CNA positions than full time positions? Hospital or Homecare centers? Which is better? And what are the pay rates? I was told it would be around $11-20 range, I would be putting myself through school and just want to get an idea. Thanks.
I appreciate the sentiment, but trust me, I have already asked everyone I know, and asked them to ask everyone they know- I've called people I haven't worked with in over 10 years! I already have BLS, and since I can't find a good paying, regular job, I can't take phlebotomy. I also have bills to pay, so I can't afford to volunteer, and at this point I already work 7 days a week through an agency just ot get a measly 30 hours and those hours are spread out over the entire day each week, so I can't schedule anything else. I have had a job for more than 20 years of my life and I am aware of how to behave in order to get one.
I think the simple fact is that, particularly in t he SF Bay, nepotism, and not a good resume is what gets people jobs. Just ask all the unemployed nurses in the area.
since you have your bls become a bls instructor at the colleges or recertify businesses. if you look at the trend healthcare is exploding. lot’s of students each year and all of them are your going to need the cpr/bls for healthcare workers cert
you can do that part time if you got yours from a program that the aha approved that’s easy money right there. in fact most of the males in my family that are nurses in the bay have put themselves through college doing just that. i know how the bay area is that’s where i’m from and to be honest most of those nurses are unemployed because they being picky about pay (which i don’t blame)
ps you can always volunteer sure you might lose sleep but it can be done
i work 66 hours a week and still find time to
study
produce music for mtv, midway games
raise kids
volunteer
spend time with my family
no i don't get a lot of sleep but my point is there is a way to make things work
seriously look into being a bls instructor the pay is great all you need to do is sit with some colleges and show them your cert and map things out with them from there.
This is the exact thing I am worried about. I am currently in community college and My counselor advised me to go into CNA, for this fall, while completing my prereqs for nursing program I would be able to work part-time as CNA. Is it difficult to find part-time CNA positions than full time positions? Hospital or Homecare centers? Which is better? And what are the pay rates? I was told it would be around $11-20 range, I would be putting myself through school and just want to get an idea. Thanks.
Striver- My experience so far has been that a lot of agencies will bait you with ads looking for "CNA's- New Grad okay" and when you get there, they will tell you that since you don't have experience, they will have to hire you as a "caregiver/companion". The agencies that I work for are all large national companies, so I thinnk it must be common practice.
FEW of the cases I have worked on have actually involved CNA type duties; most have been situations where an elderly person needs a babysitter/diaper changer, or needs their house cleaned/rides to doctors appointments. This is oaky if you need the money, but I have spoken with some hospital H.R. people, and they all told me that they would NEVER consider home care (or so-called companion services) to be valid experience. I think they do this to skirt licensing regulations and pay you less (my opinion).
In the SF Bay area, I have been offered jobs paying anywhere from $9-11/hr. I have had a hard time finding both full and part time work. It may be different where you live.
If I were you, I would talk to some local places where you think you might like to work and ask if they would hire someone fitting your experience/education to get an idea of how you might fare once you start looking for jobs. If I had done that, I never would have gotten my CNA, I would have spent the extra time and money getting my CMA instead (I know quite a few people that did just that and got jobs immediately- even in this location). Sad, but true.
Guess it really just depends on where you are located because the CMA is being advertised all over and is busting right now. Most new grads have a hell of a time getting positions and the ones that are getting placed are kicking ass where they do their extern. In fact a number of them go back to school to get their C.N.A
I’ve seen both though CMA’s getting their C.N.A vice versa simply because there were not enough job opps.
Places like Concord offer a 6 month Diploma and most of those graduates (in CO at least) are turned down because they don't have a 2 year degree aka CMA. Which is kind of silly but it is what it is I guess
I had a hard time deciding between CMA and RN. Jumped into the RN finished the pre reqs then decided to be a CMA took a few classes went right back into the RN program. Now I'm studying for my Teas Test.
What I’ve come to notice is a C.N.A can acquire the same skills as MA/CMA for much less (often free)than what it cost to actually finish a CMA or MA course. The trick is finding a facility that will cross train you and most hospitals will. Then you can simply take cert test and that’s that.
That’s just my experience.
I will look into the BLS teaching. I just hope I won't be expected to pay to take a class to be certified to teach!
Just make sure your BLS is up to date. That's all that is required (and you have the materials) but the students will pay for that on enrollment
Striver
6 Posts
This is the exact thing I am worried about. I am currently in community college and My counselor advised me to go into CNA, for this fall, while completing my prereqs for nursing program I would be able to work part-time as CNA. Is it difficult to find part-time CNA positions than full time positions? Hospital or Homecare centers? Which is better? And what are the pay rates? I was told it would be around $11-20 range, I would be putting myself through school and just want to get an idea. Thanks.