NA at a hospital?

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Hi guys. OK so im currently entering nursing school at a university for my BSN. I wanted to get a job at my local hospital as a NA from 3-11:30 part time. You dont need to be certified it says you only need a HS diploma and CPR both of which i already have. I really want to start working at the hospital plus they give back 5,000 to nursing student that work for the every year which i would love to put towards my schooling since it is pretty pricey. How since im not certified as a CNA can i up my chances of getting the job? such as making the resume look better, should i call them? i would go get my CNA but i dont have time because i am taking classes in the summer before i start nursing school like microbio and all the CNA classes around here all summer long and start at 8:00am and thats when my classes start. Any advice would be great, thank you!

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I think you should look further into taking a CNA class and getting certified. Where there's a will there's a way. I have a BS degree in another field and when I decided to go back to nursing school I had to take Micro and Anatomy which I took along with my CNA class (and I have young children). The CNA class was cake so it didn't interfere with my "real classes." It was just a matter of arranging my schedule. Maybe you could even take Micro and/or Anatomy online. It will be worth it. I got hired at the biggest/best hospital in the area before I even finished the class.

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Specializes in Hospice.

i think your chances are unlikely without that certification. good luck.

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If you can wait until after you finish your nursing fundamentals course (first semester of nursing classes), then you can get hired without getting your CNA. That is what I did! At my hospital, we are called Nurse Techs instead of CNAs, but we do the exact same work.

It has been a great learning experience!!

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Specializes in 1st year Critical Care RN, not CCRN cert.
If you can wait until after you finish your nursing fundamentals course (first semester of nursing classes), then you can get hired without getting your CNA. That is what I did! At my hospital, we are called Nurse Techs instead of CNAs, but we do the exact same work.

It has been a great learning experience!!

And to top it off, I believe the NT or PCT is paid more because they are in Nursing School and capable of performing tasks on a bigger scope.

Many of the nurses will help you to perfect skills while working. I am doing all I can at this point to get hired as a nurse tech. I was working at an ALF for a month and quit, it was some of the worst experience you can get. Not the patients/residents but the nursing staff and ownership!

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

you can contact the nursing educator in that hospital. Let them know that you are a nursing student and like to get some experience on actual patient care settings. You already have CPR certification, so it is a plus for you. 3-11 part time shift help is needed in the hospital, at least where I am. Not too many people want to work on that shift and the employer doesn't have to pay for the full time benefits, so it benefits both sides.

The worst thing they can say is "No", and it is not going to kill ? you.

Just ask.

Good Luck!!! :nurse:

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thanks everyone! im going to try calling the educator there in a few days if i dont hear anything back because it says my application is being reveiwed. i would go take CNA classes but in my area there really is not too many places to take them just the community college pretty much and they dont have the classes all the time and start at really weird times during the year making it hard for me to go to school, work, and take the CNA classes. If i dont get hired im just going to wait like someone suggested til i finish my first semester of nursing classes and maybe try and get a job in the hospital in the mean time as something else, maybe a unit secretary? or something like that...thank you everyone for your advice though!:)

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i figured maybe a unit secretary since i already took all anatomy classes, medical terminology, pretty much all pre reqs for getting a BSN but maybe i need more things to work as a secretary im not sure.

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this is true that you can get a job as a nurse intern which has the same duties as a CNA after your first semester. i personally didn't want to wait because i wanted to get started working so i could see if nursing was something even remotely for me. plus, i thought it would benefit me DURING that first semester when most people are learning about blood pressures and all those other things that i've not only learned about, but DONE a million times. i say go ahead and do it if you can. it's really easy to get certified and doesn't take long.

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this is true that you can get a job as a nurse intern which has the same duties as a CNA after your first semester. i personally didn't want to wait because i wanted to get started working so i could see if nursing was something even remotely for me. plus, i thought it would benefit me DURING that first semester when most people are learning about blood pressures and all those other things that i've not only learned about, but DONE a million times. i say go ahead and do it if you can. it's really easy to get certified and doesn't take long.

by the way, you should call your local hospitals and nursing homes in the area. they are usually the ones who offer classes. i did mine through a hospital (where i later got hired) and it was very inexpensive. nursing homes usually offer the classes for free in hopes that you'll work for them when you finish. opening up the phone book and making calls is how i found my class.

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