SemiCharmedShoe

So after working diligently (lots of phone calls to HR) to get a hospital job I finally have an interview! Some background on me I have only been working as a CNA for a little over a month now in assisted living night shift. Working in AL I don't really do much, I help people to the bathroom, change products, and take vitals if someone falls. I'm on the state registry, and I have my bachelors in biology. I'm doing interviews for medical school right now (yay!) and I want to gain as much experience and practical knowledge as possible before I start med school next fall. For all you ladies who have jobs as a hospital CNA what are they going to ask me at the job interview? My interview for AL was sooo laid back that it really didn't give me much practice at all. What should I expect? I would ideally like to work as an ER tech which is one of the positions I applied for. How do I prepare for this interview and convince them to choose me?

My mother wants to buy me a stethoscope for my birthday. I realize I do not need anything super high performance being a CNA. She is wondering if it is worthwhile to buy me a good one that I can also use during med school next fall (crosses fingers) or should she just buy something decent? In which case she and I do not know much about this and have no idea what to get. I would certainly not consider paying over 100 until I finish school, but if there is one that is good and will last me and is not too expensive that would be great. If anyone could make suggestions as to what and where to buy I would greatly appreciate it. My only desire is that it be pink!

I've been reading a lot of posts and I have to say Illinois is not the same. My certification exam was a very simple multiple choice exam. No I didn't get any acute care in my class it was very basic. In any case, I am thinking I might want to get phlebotomy training, but I don't have time to get it from one of the very accredited places because they are 2 semesters (yikes). Like I said, I am hoping to start med school next fall of 08. My other problem is I need to save up my money for school, so I know that around here hospitals pay better than LTC and I want to earn and learn as much as possible. I'm thinking I should just take this assisted living job for right now. She has morning shifts available and night shifts. I am pretty good with staying up till all hours, so I'm thinking I should take the night shift. I'm sorta miffed as to how many hours I should ask for though. I need at least 20 to qualify for health insurance. Now that I'm not a full time student, my mom is about to kill me for not having health insurance. Thanks and any insight into how many hours I should work would be really appreciated. I don't want to burn myself out, and I've never worked the night shift or done anything like this before. I worked in a laboratory on fibroid research for two years during undergrad so this is very different to say the least. I'm not gonna lie I am pretty scared right now, between not being at college anymore, applying to med school, and getting my first real job in a completely new field....

Hello, So I just passed my state certification exam, and I currently am interviewing with an assisted living place in the chicago suburbs, very close to where I live. However, I am trying to figure out if I should take the job part time or full time. Right now I am applying to medical school, filling out pesky secondary applications which means writing outrageous amounts and plain outrageous essays. Its hard to stay motivated to write all these essays ugh, I digress In any case I really want to work in a hospital, because I ultimately picture myself working in a hospital once I get my MD (crosses fingers). However, I know that I probably need some experience to get my foot in the door because my bachelors in biology counts for crap sadly enough. I'm wondering if I should take a phlebotomy course and then reapply for more hospital jobs or if I should just work a couple months as a CNA at this assisted living place and then apply for hospital jobs? The whole reason I'm not working in a laboratory with my degree is because I want to make an outstanding physician with more than just the brains, I want to have heart and some real experience. I also want to be able to have the respect for nurses that comes from sort of being where they have been. Its just that I cannot seem to find a way to work in a hospital at all, so what can I do to get an interview? If all goes as planned then I will only be off for this year, so the clock is ticking. What should I do?

Hello Everyone, I am actually pre-med. I just recently received my B.S. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from U of I in champaign and I decided to take a year off between undergrad and medical school. I am right now filling out my AMCAS application for med school. Anyway I am trying to figure out what to do for my year off. I want to get some experience working in a hospital. I recently was able to shadow a surgeon and watch her perform surgery and I have volunteered in the hospital before and really enjoy the environment. This is why I am considering not bothering getting a laboratory job despite the fact that it would be lucrative, I hate lab work. By lab work I mean me working in a sterile hood on cell culture or running chromatography or something exceedingly boring that requires me writing in my lab notebook all day and not talking to people. When I saw surgery I realized I'm not as faint as I thought I was, considering I watched her remove a patients breast and dig through another persons small intestines, I found it fascinating and in fact do think I am gunning to be a surgeon. So let me say that I am not too easily grossed out. The smells did get to me a little, but not enough for me to make a face (some people she saw at clinic had some smelly festering wounds). I also would like to say I have no shame, we spent the day looking at peoples genitals and surgery sutures, and I am not bothered by the human form. I look at it like it is what it is and I am very set on becoming a doctor so I plan to brave whatever I have to. I came in telling myself if I got sick from watching the surgery or felt light headed I would make myself deal with it, I am extremely determined. Anyways I am trying to figure out if I should do a CNA or a phlebotomy program and which would be better. Let me say this, I like working with people, but outside of my volunteer experience and in my personal life I find I am not a huge people person. However I have found I do certainly enjoy a hospital setting and I cannot imagine myself being a doctor in anything but a large hospital. However, all this talk of heavy lifting and changing diapers and impacted stool is a little frightening to me. I'm five feet tall and not exactly built, while I'm sure I could manage with the unpleasantness of feces and eventually puke I do want to enjoy my year off. I'm not entirely sure I wouldn't enjoy being a CNA, but I'm wondering if I would like being a phlebotomist better? However, I also want to do what will give me the best experience for medical school. Any feedback will be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance. Melissa