nclady31

No, I never used the CD or the workbook. The CD has the skills on it. BUT, don't even look at the steps for skills in this book. They will list like 40 steps for one skill and the booklet from the NC community colleges will have 12 steps for the same skill. Plus, the booklet is for NC skills test specifically. They even highlight the skills that you can be tested on, I think there are 24 or 25. You will get: 1. Handwashing (everyone gets this one) 2. A measurement skill (one of the vital signs, I&O, or weight) plus 3 more.

I'm not sure for the Fayetteville area. In Raleigh, the starting pay ranges from $8-$11 /hr + shift diff. The hospitals in this area start around $10-11. Keep us posted and good luck!

Danielle, My book was Mosby's essentials for Nursing Assistants. This is not geared specifically for NC, so if you still have your old textbook, that would probably work. I am in the Raleigh area and I must say, I am jealous that both of your comm. colleges offer EKG. A CNA with EKG skills usually means $2-3 an hour more at the hospitals in this area. Once you get your NC CNA, you may want to check into that, if you are interested in working at a hospital. Hope I helped, let me know if you have more questions.

I think when you say cccc. you are talking about central carolina cc. If you look at the continuing ed schedule, on page 29, there is a class that is specifically the skills portion. It runs from Oct 12 - Oct 26, two evenings a week. They do not administer the test though. My understanding is none of the cc administer the test anymore, (they used to). To challenge the test, contact pearson vue. Their web site is http://www.asisvcs.com/indhome.asp?CPCat=0734NURSE You send the app and money to them. They will send you your test date. From app to test date can be 1-2 months, so go ahead and do it and study in the mean time.

Hey Danielle, What part of the state are you in? Whatever class you decide on, make sure you are not spending a lot of money. Some of these CNA classes are over $400. That's crazy for the amount of money we make. If you took the class a year ago, you should be able to pass the test by challenging it. Otherwise, community colleges are your best bet. Some offer an accelerated class for those whose listing expired or are moving from another state. I passed the exam this spring by challenging it. My certification had expired in 1998. The youtube videos were a great help, along with a paperback book I bought at my comm. college. Also, I bought the NA book by Mosby and just read through it. You already know the skills, I just went through the motions of the skills without a "real" person. Good luck!

There is not too much surrounding Jacksonville. Coastal Carolina Community College is there and they do have an ADN program. UNC- Wilmington is about an hour and 15 minutes away with a BSN program, but that may be too long a drive for you. Good luck!

Congratulations!!! As a life long native of NC, welcome! I am sure you will like it down here. Are you in the triad or triangle area of NC or elsewhere?

Cleveland has all the pre-reqs online, including A&P, so it is just so much more convenient. You would think DTCC and Wake Tech would have this option by now. I think since I will not complete my pre-reqs until Spring, I probably will not be considered until Fall 2011. I am also doing the pre-reqs for UNC's program since I have most of the general ed. and possibly could get into a BSN program that last 2 years at the same time I am accepted into the ADN program. I noticed you have a lot of college credits as well. Since you have a goal of MSN, you should look into UNC's program. I sent you a couple of PMs.

I had been a CNA 1996 so it had been awhile and the test has changed somewhat. The written exam is common sense. Find a book to study and go through chapters reading and taking end of chapter test and you will be fine. The skills portion is the one that freaks most people out. In NC, we have 25 skills they will test you on and if you miss steps, you will fail that portion and have to take it over. The paper back supplement I mentioned is a great help because it has the 25 skills with a checklist and the bold steps you cannot miss. Also, go to youtube and in the search enter jtduncan56 . She is a CNA instructor in NC that has posted all 25 skills being done. By reading, doing and watching the skills you will become more relaxed and confident in doing them. I am taking the pre-reqs online through Cleveland CC, but for the ADN program at Durham Tech. I still have the Mosby's book and if want to meet somewhere, I will be happy to give it to you. I cannot find the paperback, but it was only about $10. One more thing, if you are planning on working as a CNA, start applying as soon as you have your test date. The process with the hospitals and even some LTC facilities can be lengthy. Good luck!

This may have changed over the past few years, but there is not a true staff/patient ratio per shift. It is the number of staff over 24 hours per patients. So even if days has a few extra staff and evenings are short 2, nights are normal, the facility is within the correct ratio. I don't remember the exact staff: patient but it is very high and as short staff as I have worked, it has not been close to being below what the state requires. In a skilled nursing facility, which is what sounds like where you may be, evening shift ideally had 1 CNA per 10-12 patients.

Are you trying to challenge the exam? If not, your class will tell you the books you need. I challenged the exam in April and used Mosby's Nursing Assistant book. Not sure which area you are in, but I went to Durham Tech's bookstore and found a paper handout (about 50 pages) that listed all the skills with a checklist that was excellent for studying the skills portion. Hope this helps.

I think is very normal. Even more so when you are wanting to further your career in nursing and not just looking at this experience as just a job or paycheck. Everyone was new at some point and no one expects you to know everything from the jump. There will probably be at least a few very helpful RNs on your floor. Look to them to ask your questions. Most really do want you to learn so that you can take the load off them with the patient care duties. I think you will know "when to stay out of the way". I think you being nervous means you want to and will do a great job. Just keep your eyes and ears open and learn all you can. I'm sure you will do great. Good luck!!!

Hi, I am currently a CNA 1 in LTC for 4 years. I am starting my first hospital job in a few weeks in the float pool (full time). I would really like to get my emt-b certification and hopefully transfer to the ED at this hospital as a ED tech in 6-12 months. Is this something that a larger hospital would have classes for? Or does anyone know of a hybrid course in NC, preferrably through a community college? I will be working nights and am having trouble finding a traditional class that works with the schedule I will be working. Any suggestions? I am in the triangle area, so if the classroom portion was on line and I had to go to clinicals twice a month or so, most of the state would be convenient for me. Thanks!

I agree with Kyrshamarks, I don't know what the average starting salary is in California, but if you graduate a year earlier with at least $38000 in loans, that will negate a majority of your take home pay for the first year. That is assuming a starting salary of at least 50k. So the year you have a head start, you would technically only be paying for the difference to graduate the one year earlier. Good luck!

Congratulations!! I was watching your other post on the wages, but no one replied. I had an interview last Friday at Durham Reg. as well and an interview at Duke next week, but pay was not brought up. Is it competitive?

It is primarily admin work. Transcribing dr.'s orders, updating nursing notes, answering the phone, scheduling follow up visits for patients, maintaining medical records for incoming, outgoing, and current patients. You answer call lights, but from the phone system, and then paging nurse or assistant. You will learn though about MARS, reading dr.'s orders, medical terminology, medical abbreviations, and getting a feel for how the unit works and a day in the life of an RN. Alot of people like doing this while in nursing school. For me, I wanted the hands on aspect of patient care and quickly became bored with primarily doing the administrative work. UNC has great bennies, and will be pretty flexible with scheduling once you get into a nursing program. Good luck! Everyone is super nice in the nurse recruiters office and most of the nurse managers you will interview with are as well. Keep us posted.

Not sure what state you are in, but most programs are only about 2 1/2 - 3 months long at community colleges (best value as well). I don't think it would be a waste of your time or money. Good luck!

This is so helpful. I am currently taking pre-reqs for ADN but I am finding myself strongly leaning to the RT program. I wish there was a site as great as this one for RT's. Also, in my barbaric research of RT, I am finding more variety in this field that what alot of people are saying. Such as NPS, C-AE, PFT, as well as a few job postings on my local hospital site for jobs such as cardiology specialist where the qualifications are either RN or RRT with several years experience in your field in an intensive care unit. The more I am finding diversity in this field, the more excited I am about RT vs RN. I hope to be able to shadow a couple of RTs in the next few weeks. Hopefully, after that, I will be able to make up my mind for sure. Thank you guys for all your info!!

I agree with whispera. But to answer your question. I don't think you could regret sending in the additional info. But, if it were me and they denied me, I would always wonder if I HAD sent it in, it might have made a difference. Good luck.

You then have great skills; time management, patience, ability to remain calm in stressful situations, etc. :)

Just state that you are following up on your application. If you have other work experience, you could perhaps use the qualities you needed for that to "sell" yourself; such as team work, compassion, customer service, dependable employee, etc. Let them know you will treat all co-workers and residents/patients with respect. Maybe also something about how excited you are to be entering the health care field, and feel sure you would be an asset to this community and look forward to hearing from them. I hope this helps, you probably just have "writer's block" :) Probably just following up with move you a little higher up in the app. pile and anything you can use to sell yourself will be even better. Good luck. I know it's tough out there- keep us posted.

Momofthreeboys, You are a genius! I just looked at their (CCC) web site and their pre-reqs for A&P are less stringent than DTCC, as well as offering the classes online, which DTCC rarely does. Did you send transcripts to them or did you apply as "special student" status? Some schools let you apply under that status and waive the transcript requirement.

NCPhoenix, I am doing the pre-reqs at Durham tech, it is so much closer to me than Wake Tech, and am on "pre-req ADN" status. Once those are completed, I an thinking of finishing the pre-reqs for UNC. I do not have a degree, but I do have 26 transferable hours for the BSN program. My thinking is if I am waitlisted for a year or longer at Durham Tech, I may actually get into UNC and in the same time period graduate with a BSN rather than ADN. Their is a link on UNC SON web site you can download a form, send in unofficial transcripts and they will evaluate how many gen. ed. classes you have already completed. If you can't find it, let me know and I will find the link. They sent me mine within a week. I hope to begin the science pre-reqs this August, but all others for Durham Tech are done. I have a way to go obviously. I was a CNA for over 4 years, but it was long ago and the certification expired. I used Mosbys nursing assistant book for the written, but that is the easy part as you said. But it is helpful to gauge how much you do know with the practice test. For the skills portion, I found a book at Durham Tech that listed each skill with a checklist. Very helpful. Also, on YouTube, I found videos done in Mitchell County I believe. The CNA instructor posted a video on each of the skills you may be tested on in NC. Put jtduncan56 in the search bar and you should find all the skills she listed. I still have the skills book from Durham Tech and Mosbys book. If you are interested, I will meet you somewhere and you can have them. Let me know. Good luck and keep us posted.

Chrisitna08, She is very strict on the rules of taking the test, both written and skills. She has to read the rules word for word by the evaluators book. And of course, she has to enforce those rules. (like not talking, and quietly leaving the room when finished the written part) But she explains everything. If I had to do it over again, I would go back to her. You are not allowed to give specifics about your test experience, or I would elaborate. My problem now is still finding a job. I thought once I was re-certified, I would have a job within a couple of weeks, but it has been 2 months. Yikes!

I took the test there in April. I was the first one to do the skills, so I only know that me and my "skills partner" passed, as you are to leave immediately after that. I challenged the test so was very nervous about the skills of course. It is an odd set up, but she is a good evaluator. WantAccelBSN, I'm pretty sure you can take the class there as well. Good luck to all.