PCA position in nursing school

[2GNsoon]

Hi everyone! I am starting my S1 (3/4) semester of my BSN program in August, and I'm applying for jobs to work as a PCA and get some experience. I've been a CNA before but never had the chance to work as one because of full time classes. I go to school in the Texas Medical Center and plan on finding an RN job here after graduation. A few questions for applying as a PCA/student nurse 1) should I only be applying to jobs in the hospital system I want to work in? For example if I wanted to work at Texas Children's hospital as an RN should I hold out for a pca position at a Texas children's hospital system job right now as a PCA or 2) would it be more beneficial for me to hold out for a job in women's services (I want to do L&D) at any hospital for the time being, to better my chances of getting a grad job in women's services? Which do you think would be my best option? Thanks

[funtimes]

Working as a PCT at a hospital by no means guarentees you will be hired there after becoming an RN. It depends somewhat on the hospital whether they tend to hire former techs once they graduate. Some you might be almost guaranteed a position IF you have a good reputation as a tech(which can be tough to maintain as you cant please everyone all the time and techs tend to be natural scapegoats for both patients and RNs).

I worked at a large well known and somewhat prestigious hospital that pretty much never hired former techs as RNs, much to the shock and anger of the techs who graduated and thought they had a foot in the door. I think working as a tech there was almost detrimental, as they maybe felt you wouldn't be taken as seriously by other RNs and techs if you had worked there as a tech. That hospital was notorious for treating its techs like garbage while pampering the RNs though, so its probably not the best example.

Personally I think PCT experience is overrated. Most RNs have never been techs or even CNAs and they manage ok. Yeah they often suck at CNA/Tech type skills when they start out but that's usually not make or break for them as they have techs to do much of that work, or show them how to do it on the job. I've even worked with techs who were fired for poor performance but finished Nursing school and went on to work as RNs. One such former tech just got hired at a level one trauma center as an ER Nurse, and she was HORRIBLE as a tech.