Not sure what medical job i should get while waiting for RN

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i'm debating cna, phlebotomy tech, and ekg technician.

i want something that can give me experience in the field but also a job when i finish training. honestly, i don't know if i could handle being a cna. i was talking to a er nurse and she told me that was a dirty job. i just want something that looks good when i apply to schools but also give me experience as well.

any suggestions?

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Specializes in ICU, MedSurg, Medical Telemetry.

CNA IS tough but it would give you experience and understanding of the jobs of those you're delegating to -- a definite plus.

EKG tech would be my second choice if I had to chose all over again what job to take before RN. You would get experience reading tele and that could give you an "in" on a tele floor or a critical care unit above other new grad applicants.

Just my thoughts. ;)

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Specializes in Med-Surg; Telemetry; School Nurse pk-8.

The nursing assistant's position will give you the most experience. However, you should think twice about nursing if you think that you couldn't handle the "dirty jobs" that a CNA does. As a nurse, you will quite often provide ALL the care for your patient ~including the CNA's tasks. If you approach nursing with the idea that as an RN you are above wiping butts or any other dirty task, you will likely find you have alienated your coworkers and are saddled with loans for a career in nursing which was not at all what you thought it would be!

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i'm debating cna, phlebotomy tech, and ekg technician.

i want something that can give me experience in the field but also a job when i finish training. honestly, i don't know if i could handle being a cna. i was talking to a er nurse and she told me that was a dirty job. i just want something that looks good when i apply to schools but also give me experience as well.

any suggestions?

cna is not a dirty job jeez! how disrespectful. nurses do lots of cna work in addition to our job so referring to cna job as dirty is synonymous to calling nursing "dirty."

you seem to share the same opinion as the er nurse. unfortunately for you cna looks the best on your resume when applying for jobs as a new grad especially at this time when a lot of hospitals are not hiring new grads.

i did not have any hospital experience before joining nursing school but after the first year, i worked as a cna at a local hospital and boy, was clinical easier after that! i had no trouble turning and repositioning patients or even changing them. i became more confident in clinicals after working as a cna.

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Specializes in NICU Transport/NICU.
honestly, i don't know if i could handle being a cna. i was talking to a er nurse and she told me that was a dirty job.

wow! and you want to be a nurse? :lol2: let me guess, your becoming a nurse because you want to be a crna? you should probably reassess if you want to be a nurse or not. cna would be the best preparation for being a nurse. i would attribute that to be an enlisted soldier in the military before becoming an officer or someone starting in the mailroom and working their way up through the company before becoming a manager. it's good to know what those that you delegate to do on a daily basis. by the way, you will be performing plenty of cna tasks in your clinicals in nursing school. you might want to get used to the dirty stuff.

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The nursing assistant's position will give you the most experience. However, you should think twice about nursing if you think that you couldn't handle the "dirty jobs" that a CNA does. As a nurse, you will quite often provide ALL the care for your patient ~including the CNA's tasks. If you approach nursing with the idea that as an RN you are above wiping butts or any other dirty task, you will likely find you have alienated your coworkers and are saddled with loans for a career in nursing which was not at all what you thought it would be!

My thoughts exactly when I first read the post!

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I was leaning towards a CNA just because i feel it's easier to get a job.......

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Specializes in ICU.

I started as a CNA, and then I was a Monitor Tech, and now I'm a CV Tech. Part of my current job is EKGs (in addition to assisting in the cath and stress labs). I love being a CV Tech, and I like doing EKGs (although it's pretty repetitive and can get boring fast). Most of all, I love that it's an autonomous job most of the time. I also like that I'm an expert in something (dysrhythmia identification, EKG analysis) that some nurses aren't totally comfortable with. I like that I get to use my mind some, and that I'm totally comfortable with something that will help me in nursing school and my future career as a nurse. Plus, the cath lab is fun!

But I am so glad I was a CNA first. It gives you awesome experience in dealing with patients and interacting with them on a provider-patient level. I learned so many things that I will use throughout my career, and I have a strong foundation in assisting with ADLs.

There are advantages to each job, but you're probably more likely to find work as a CNA, at least at first. Once you get some experience and a foundation, maybe that would be a good time to take a phlebotomy or dysrhythmia class and try to transfer. Especially if you've been a CNA in a hospital for 6 months or a year, transferring to another department may be an easy way to get new skills and try new things.

My hospital is always hiring CNAs, but usually only hires a phlebotomist every 6 months or so, and CV Tech openings only come open once every few years.

Good luck finding something that's right for you! I will warn you, though, not wanting to be a CNA because it's "dirty" is not a good attitude to come into the healthcare field with.

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I would recommend anything medical,CNA,phlebotomist,trust me it will make all the differences in the world,I havent done any of it and now I'm struggling with the basics....

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Oh come on, don't be so hard on the Op, of course it is a dirty job! H E L L O.

Problem is that hospitals are so understaffed that being a CNA as a nursing student in many areas means just that. All this being able to also shadow and learn from RNs while on the job, as would be great for the OP doesn't happen so much anymore. Sad. OP, if you can look around and see if you hear of anywhere that's known for letting nursing students learn while at work as a CNA, you would be blessed. Heck, when I was in school, the CNA's would beg for nursing students to be on their wing as they were usually so overburdened they couldn't even help each other out.

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If you want to start working in a month or two CNA, If you have 13 to 16 months then Tech.

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breaking into your first medical job is tough... i'm a second year rn student and last summer the most I got was an interview as a nurse's aid in a nursing home.

i got a temp job as an H1N1 screener at the hospital, best job i've ever had (i'm stuck working in a kitchen until I can get a real job!) i sat at a desk behind a shield and told people that entered the ER to wash their hands and wear a mask if they had a fever/cough. i basically got paid to study, and it's a start for my resume.

check out the temp agencies! good luck

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