No experience?

Tweety, BSN, RN · Mar 18, 2006

I started school in my 30s with plenty of life experience but no nursing. I was the only one in my group who didn't have experience as either a CNA or an LPN (although there were plenty of other inexperienced people in the class as a whole, just not in my group). The first clinical I kind of stumbled around a little bit but then through my eagerness to learn, and loosing my fear of asking for help, I caught on quickly.

Once upon a time most nurses left high school, went to nursing school and then hit the real world. Many people still do. There was one student in my class who started the nursing program fresh out of high school and didn't work until the graduated. You will do fine.

You're going to be in the same boat as all your classmates, none of them know how to be RN's. Don't let the fact that you have no experience intimidate you. If you're an eager learner (not just book smarts, because you've definately got that part down pat) and willing to ask questions and for help, you're going to do just fine.

Good luck to you in all that you do.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Mar 18, 2006

No. You shouldn't have a problem finding your first nursing job. Nursing is just one of those things where you can't get a job until you've gone through the training because it's so specialized. Employers know that. So, when you come out of nursing school it's like starting out brand new. Anyway, if you've been a homemaker who decided to go to school, get trained for a career and enter the work force, that is not going to be a problem. Being a CNA or a nurse tech is just going to make you more proficient in doing what you will learn in the first 9 weeks of your nursing classes. There is more to being an RN than doing CNA work, believe me. RNs are taught to supervise and manage patient care which is a lot different than actually giving hands on care. Being a CNA can't give you any experience with that.

NeoNurseTX, RN · Mar 19, 2006

no prior experience with working in the health care field here, and i'm doing fine. i'm still in school, but i know i do a lot better than some people that have been CNAs, etc.

rhenmag9 · Mar 19, 2006

theres a lot of opportunity out there....success in life is gradual and a step by step struggle..Im sure u will have a lot of opportunities coz ur striving and wll be blessed bcoz of taking care of ur father...good luck and Im sure u will find jobs as an RN in any field...Godbless!!!

mediatix8 · Mar 19, 2006

I have a perfect solution for you. You can always put volunteer activities on your resume. I was involved in an organization helping adults learn how to read, which took a whole 1 hour of my time per week, and I put that on my resume and listed it as a previous emplyment on my application... I just wrote "volunteer" in the space where it asked for salary info. Also, my school was asking for research assistants and I volunteered doing that, working closely with a professor involved in research. I used him as a reference, as a "former employer," but again told them it was volunteer. That only took a couple of hours a week and it looked awesome on my resume. You have to have something, you can't just have a totally blank resume. You could also list clinical sites you attended for school on your resume, even though they aren't technically jobs. In an interview, they ask questions like: "give me an example of a time when you were a team player" and you can use volunteer/school experiences to answer those questions. Your reasons for not being employed show you're a very studious and caring person, just be honest.

BreeEmmy · Mar 19, 2006

i was wondering the same thing, i really have no experience either and am worried about it effecting me. :nurse: