North Orange County CNA Pay

[SOCALSTUDENT]

I am currently attending a community college getting ready to transfer to a CSU RN program. I thought it would be a good Idea to get some experience in the healthcare industry while I am going Through the RN program. I start a 6 week course in January to become a CNA this is the first health care experience I will ever have. I was hoping someone on here could help with a couple questions I have. What is the job market like in fullerton,brea,placentia,yorba linda, Anaheim etc.. north orange county areas for CNA'S and What sort of pay can be expected? and What is the likely hood of getting a job in a hospital as opposed to a nursing home or long term care facility with no health care experience?

Thanks for any help :)

[RonnieDita]

I wish there was more info about this on here as well. I'm in South OC and just finished my CNA course with the Red Cross in Torrance. Good luck to you where are you doing your training?

[SOCALSTUDENT]

Hey Ashlee I posted this over a year ago so here is some advice based on my experiences. First off its not as hard to get into a hospital as everyone makes it out to be especially because you went through the Red Cross program which is well recognized. Here is what I did – I emphasized my customer service experience ( I was currently working at Disneyland) Hospitals love customer service skills because patient satisfaction gets them into Magnet status. –Secondly I applied like crazy to a lot of positions at many different places within driving distance- Third I applied to PRN or per diem positions because their easier to get as a new c.n.a also nights if that’s an option for you it wasn’t for me because of school however nights is usually easier work and a 1 or 2 dollar pay increase. - typically you will work as much if not more than the fulltime staff and supervisors will “float” you to other departments which helps with work experience. – I would also recommend calling all of the hospitals you’ve applied at. just call their front desk and request human resources they will connect you either directly to an HR recruiter or the hiring manger for that position- I would also aim for a larger hospital because obviously there will be more opportunity. I ended up working Prn for 8 months on a tele floor then moved into a fulltime position with tuition reimbursement. The pay rate at hospitals for C.n.a’s is BASE 15.00 hourly only increasing with experience and education. I would avoid SNF’S or nurse registries because they don’t pay very well and I ve heard horror stories about both job environments. Congrats on your C.N.A License

I hope this helped

[RonnieDita]

SOCALSTUDENT:

Thank you very much for your reply. I appreciate your advice. I have applied to about 15 hospital positions and Im going to do what you said and call all the HR recruiters to let them know Im super interested. I wouldn't mind working the night shift, but I do have school on Tues and Thurs and Im not sure how I will handle it. Im in MicroBio so I know I'll need to be alert to study all week . I really want to work in a hospital though, so Im going to keep pushing. Again, thank you for your advice and good luck in your nursing career.

[Elvienm]

To SOCALSTUDENT.

Hi its nice to know there are others here from SOCAL... I am from San Fernando Valley.

and Grad last month as CNA. I would like to say that I have been disappointed applying on Hospitals because most of the ones I have applied required at Least 1 year experience and even some LTC required at least 6mo. And I say on my head "How In Hearth will I get experience, if NOBODY is giving me a chance?" I'm sorry I am just frustrated by this...