Need some assistance

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First off hi im emily , i am going to be attending community college to get my pre requisites done immeadiately . I would like to know if theres any nursing jobs that i can apply to as a pre requisites student , to keep up financially and to get ahead in nursing . I have been given a very strong feeling from the healthcare field that nursing is a hidden career and you must search for every piece of information . Lots of information is misleading and vague , none of it is consolidated nor organized . I am very passionate about becoming an RN or neonatal nurse . Thank you all hope you can help me through this tough time .

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

There really aren't any options for a pre req student. Once you have completed a year of your nursing program you can apply for CNA jobs.You generally couldn't get a job involving patients until you have had some education in patient care.

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See about the CNA courses at your CC. The CNA courses here in Peoria, IL at (ICC) are a semester long, roughly 7 credit hours, so you could still fit in your pre-reqs geared toward the RN program. This would be the best option since you're looking to get experience and earn an income while attending school instead of waiting until you're accepted into the RN program and completing a year in the program.

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Your only option, without nursing experience, is to become a CNA and work in the field. There are usually classes offered for 2-6 weeks that will teach you how to test with your state. Or, you could do like some people...and challenge the state CNA licensure exam. I personally wouldn't recommend doing that, without having formal training, only because you're in for a shock if you've never worked with patients before.

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One does NOT need to complete a year of prereqs in order to get a CNA job....completion of a short 6-week CNA course would be what you'd need to apply. No nursing school required, but you'd have to lay out some money to take the course. There's another option that doesn't require you to pay money for a CNA course, IF you can get hired by a nursing home that offers the course with a pay-back package. This varies by region; you'd have to do some local checking.

However, not all hospital aide jobs require certification (CNA); many hospitals have no problem hiring what they call PCTs (patient care techs) who can be taught on-the-job. Hospital I used to work for still does that--if you can learn how to take a blood pressure and give a bed-bath in orientation, you're hired for the floor.

Volunteering also gets your foot in the door....you do NOT have to have completed any nursing education, you simply have to be willing to be responsible to the schedule you're assigned. It doesn't get you anywhere financially, EXCEPT it could put you in line for a pct job if there aren't any at the time you're inquiring.

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RNsRWe is right about getting hired without being licensed. As a matter of fact, I completely forgot that there are many Home Health Agencies that will hire you right away. They train you, get you licensed and even pay for this up front and gradually take it from your paychecks. That's here in FL, anyway.

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Amazing information here thank you so much . I will inquire about cna oppourtunities at my cc thank you all again.

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.
One does NOT need to complete a year of prereqs in order to get a CNA job....completion of a short 6-week CNA course would be what you'd need to apply. No nursing school required, but you'd have to lay out some money to take the course. There's another option that doesn't require you to pay money for a CNA course, IF you can get hired by a nursing home that offers the course with a pay-back package. This varies by region; you'd have to do some local checking.

However, not all hospital aide jobs require certification (CNA); many hospitals have no problem hiring what they call PCTs (patient care techs) who can be taught on-the-job. Hospital I used to work for still does that--if you can learn how to take a blood pressure and give a bed-bath in orientation, you're hired for the floor.

Volunteering also gets your foot in the door....you do NOT have to have completed any nursing education, you simply have to be willing to be responsible to the schedule you're assigned. It doesn't get you anywhere financially, EXCEPT it could put you in line for a pct job if there aren't any at the time you're inquiring.

Sorry I didn't mean that it was the only way to become a CNA. Where I am you can get a CNA type job after you complete nursing fundamentals.

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Sorry I didn't mean that it was the only way to become a CNA. Where I am you can get a CNA type job after you complete nursing fundamentals.

Ah, gotcha. Yes, I took it to mean that that was the only way to get to be one, and didn't want the OP to miss out on an opportunity to get in another way.

Although, I've definitely come across a good number of aides that thought that they were really "nurses" anyway :uhoh3:

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