Irishowl

I work in a hospital in California as a PCT. I have 10 years experiance and I make $22 an hour with full benefits. I work 3 - 12 hour shifts per week. Shannon

I went from being a CNA to a PCT because I moved to a different unit in the hospital. I was already EKG trained because I worked on a telemetry unit. I was already a monitor tech for the same reason. The unit I was hired on to work as a PCT hired me specifically to pull arterial lines because most of our patient population comes from the cath lab with lines in. So yes I can do more than a CNA. They trained me to pull lines and also to do unit secretary work. Shannon

I work in CA as a patient care technician in a hospital. I have 10 years experiance and I make $22 an hour. On weekends I make $1 more per hour. Shannon

I was finger printed at the begining of November and by mid January I had my license. One month later I had a job and I've been at that hospital over 6 years now. Good luck! Shannon

I'm a patient care tech on a cardiovascular interventional unit of a hospital, I do a little bit of everything. I enter orders, watch the monitors and answer phones as needed. I discharge and admit patients and do ADL's. We ambulate and reposition patients. We pull arterial lines when patients come up from the cath lab with them. We also do vitals and pretty much whatever needs to be done. Shannon

I work as a patient care tech in a hospital. I have my CNA as well as basic cardiac monitoring class and unit secretary training, both are required for my position. I have over 8 years experiance and I make $22.10 an hour. My hours are 10am-8:30pm. On weekends I make $1.40 more per hour. I started out in Vermont as an LNA in a nursing home making $5.75 per hour. Shannon

I'm not a nurse, I'm a patient care tech with 8 years experiance. I'm also awaiting entry into the respiratory therapy program. I have been out at work for a very long time and it's a non issue. Everyone knows I'm a lesbian and when my partner and I got married this summer everyone was very excited and supportive. My partner used to work at the same hospital so many of my coworkers know her also. When patients are making small talk and ask if I am married I say yes! But, I do not elaborate. I have had a few gay patients who have flat out asked me about my orientation and I have been honest with them.

Sher - Thank you for posting that! I appreciate it. Today is the big day! Respiratory AP exam with urinary anatomy thrown in for fun! I spent about 7 hours yesterday studying and I'll probably get another 3 in this morning before I head in to school. I don't know if I feel confident but I feel ok. My professor gives exams that have several differant portions. There is a practical portion, a power point identify portion, a multiple choice portion, fill in the blank and short essays. I plan to go very slowly and focus on 1 thing at a time. It's very easy to get distracted in that room with people changing stations every 40 seconds, the powerpoint slide changing every 40 seconds. Shannon

Sher10 - I am a visual learner, I think. I have no problems remembering anatomy. I can literally see the page in the book in my mind. I have problems remember the physiology, the big picture concepts. I am trying to focus my study on those things primarily. Another issue I have is we always have enormous homework assignments before exams. I've decided that some of my homework may not get done before this exam. I need to be studying. I'm not going to sacrifice my 200 point exam on a 10 or 15 point homework assignment. My exam is Tuesday at 1pm and I have a study schedule up to that point. I work F,Sa, Su from 10am - 8:30pm. But, I'm bringing my printed out lecture slides to work with me to read on breaks and slow times. When I get home I am working on rereading the chapter. Monday I plan to study for 8-10 hours, broken up into 1.5 hour intervals. Tuesday I'll be up early reviewing anatomy and concepts that may still be a tad fuzzy. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...............

I am 32 and still doing pre reqs for the nursing program! I will be nearly 35 when I graduate, and that is IF I get in the first semester I apply. I guess it helps that I have alot of friends who are around my age doing the same thing. My only regret is that we are waiting to start our family until I graduate and the clock is ticking. But, we all make sacrifices. At 32 you could be doing the same thing you are now, or you could be working on your dream. The time will pass either way, it's what you do with it that counts. Shannon

I'm hoping to get accepted to the nursing program starting January 2009. To prepare I'd like to: ~Deep clean my whole house ~Get my every inch of my house super organized ~Spend lots of time with my partner - I couldn't do this without her love and support! ~Freeze some casseroles ~Make sure all my car maintence is up to date Shannon

My current position as a PCT requires me to work as a CNA, cardiac monitor tech and also a unit secretary. I've learned alot such as meds and common dosing for many medications. I've also gotten the chance to have alot more contact with physicians than I would normally have as a CNA on the floor. It's made me feel more comfortable around Dr's and I think that will serve me well in nursing school. Also, once I work in that hospital as an RN someday, I know so many of the procedures and how to order things, and get things done. Shannon

I am taking AP2 this semester and I'm really struggling. I've never struggled this much with a class before. We have taken 2 exams and I have a 72%, I need an 80% for a B. We have 3 more exams in the next 7 weeks so I do have time to redeem myself. I just feel like I do not have enough time to do homework and it's affecting how well I retain information. I did take 1 big step to help myself, I changed my work schedule. I was working all day long on M, W, F with school T, TH. I now work F, Sa, Su with school on T, TH. I feel that will give me 4 days in a row and hopefully the consistent repetition will help me remember better. Does anyone have any tips to help me study more efficiently? I am NOT going to repeat this class. I am very determined to work my butt off these next 7 weeks and get through. :uhoh21: Shannon

I'm pre respiratory therapy and 31 years old. This is my last semester doing pre reqs! I work as a patient care tech at a hospital. I'll be so happy when this semester is over! :balloons:

I was able to transfer my certification from Vermont to California through reciprocity. It wasn't too difficult to do. What took the longest was getting my finger prints and background check done. Good luck!

I started working as a CNA in Vermont 7 years ago. I was making $6.75 an hour. Now I live in California, work in a hospital and make $20.45 per hour. I work as a patient care tech, basically a CNA but also with secretary and monitor tech responsibilies. I have been a CNA for 7 years and at this hospital for 4 1/2 years.

I start AP 1 on 8/28, I'll have Tuesday/Thursday lecture from 12-1:30 and then Tuesday/Thursday lab from 1:40-4:30. The only other class I am taking this semester is a fitness class.I work 3 10 hour shifts a week......busy but doable I hope! This is my last pre req I need to take to apply to the respiratory therapy program that starts in January. They allow you to apply with your AP 1 class in progress! Good luck everyone!

I'm a patient care tech and pre respiratory therapy student living in California.I'm also a lesbian and "out" at work. I've never experianced any negativity or discrimination at the hospital where I work. My partner and I work in the same hospital, differant units and it's common knowledge that we are together. The assistant nurse manager on the unit I work is also a lesbian and open about her sexuality. I have to say it's really a non issue and I'm thankful for that.

As far as washing my hands at work I use what is provided, same goes for alcohol rubs. But, I bring hand cream with me and I use it a few times a day and that helps alot. I love the Body Shop's Hemp hand creme. It comes in a large silver tube and a little goes a long way as it is super thick.

If it were me I would try and stick it out and do my best, but it really is up to you. Also, it depends on how competive your school's nursing program is. The school I am in your overall GPA has to be 2.5 which leaves room for a few "off" classes. However, your GPA for your A & P, Chemistry and Microbiology has to be a 3.0. My school accepts people into the program based on a lottery system, so somone with a 4.0 has no advantage over someone with a 3.5 Some schools have a scoring system that takes your grades, drops, withdrawals and number of attempts at classes into account to give you a rank. Maybe you should take your concerns to your counselor and see if they have an opinion? Good luck! I hope you end up having a great semester.

I was about 23 when I started to think I wanted to be a nurse. I was afraid to make the leap though because I worried I wasn't cut out for it. So, I became a CNA. I spent 2 1/2 years in long term care, then started working at a hospital. I've been at the hospital for 3 1/2 years and I'm working on my pre reqs for the nursing program. Working as a CNA has given me alot of confidence that this is the career for me. Also, the experiance has been invaluable because I'm very comfortable dealing with Dr's, nurses, patients and families. Good luck!

Walk my dogs, rent movies, call friends who are also in school just to vent. I try to plan a fun activity every week so I have something to look forward to, and that helps alot.

The hospital I work at offers $2,000 a year reimbursment for any type of classes. If you are taking classes that lead to a degree for a hard to hire position then they will reimburse $5,000 a year if you make a commitment to work for them after you graduate. I think for every $5,000 they reimburse you have to commit to a year.

I'm only in 2 classes this semester, but I survived the first week! I'm taking Biology and Algebra. I really need to do well in Algebra so that I can take Chemistry next semester. I hope everyone has a great semester! Shannon

I have been a CNA for 6 years. The first 2 1/2 years I worked in long term sub acute care. I've been at the hospital on Telemetry for the 3 1/2 years. I only work 1 day a week as a CNA, the rest of my time is spent on the same unit as a cardiac monitor technician. I'm starting LVN school next year!