Lordday

In FL you don't "need" certs, but unless you're going to work in some rural area, good luck finding a hospital job without them.

I'm kind of slow this morning, but does "holding the door" mean holding it open for the person behind you as you enter, or holding the door open and stepping to the side so the woman can enter first? Unless its a woman I know personally, or a woman who is older, struggling with a package, etc. I no longer hold the door and step aside so she can enter first. I was raised to do it that way but in my early 20's noticed that very often when a man makes that gesture for a woman - particularly attractive women and most particularly young, attractive women, they won't even make eye contact or say "thank you". Either they think you're trying to hit on them, or they think being young and attractive means they should be rude in the face of courtesy. So while I personally hold the door as I enter for anyone, male or female, I no longer do the "Step aside, ladies enter first" routine unless I'm dealing with a woman who looks as if she really needs it.

At the school I attended they had programs for CNA's and PCT's. The CNA's did our clinicals in an LTC, while the PCT's had one week in an LTC and three weeks in a hospital. Many of the CNA students invested a great deal of time griping about how "unfair" this was. I never quite figured why they just didn't go sign up for the PCT program if they felt that way.

She's a native English speaker. I didn't know her situation that well but from overhearing some of her conversations she really seemed to study hard and do her homework. During tests she always asked to go into a room by herself and she was always the last one finished which is why I assume she just had some kind of a learning disability or maybe ADD. I just felt really bad for her because you could tell the class was important to her and she was devastated when she wasn't allowed to go to clinicals with the rest of us.

My CNA class was four weeks, 19.5 hours in class per week for three weeks, 30 hours online, and one week of clinicals. We had reading, homework, and online tests and quizzes every night. I felt really bad because one of my classmates tried so hard...she would be up all night studying but she wound up flunking the class. She spent the last two days of class in tears and never made it to clinicals. I think she had a learning disability. Meanwhile a friend of mine partied all the time, never did his homework, and sailed through the whole four weeks. Life is unfair.

EKG and Phlebotomy.

I absolutely agree that the OP should consider all options, and the website you suggested works great as a supplement, but when a manager is getting dozens, maybe even hundreds of applications for the same job, he or she is going to filter based on prior experience and formal education. It's pretty hard to compete with applicants who've been through a training course when you've gone the quickie route. In healthcare, even if your goal isn't to be an RN or an LPN, it's a good idea to take continuing education classes so you're in a better position to be competitive for the positions you want. It's rough out there.

I looked at the site and I would be very afraid. I'm in CNA class now and no way do I think I would be able to learn all this stuff in one day. I could just about see them going over the practical skills with you in a one-day setting, but what about all the book work?

lol. That's funny.

I still think taking an EKG class is a better option. The class would be more thorough and well-rounded than a four-day class or trying to teach yourself.

A course you would want to take would be EKG technician. Community colleges usually offer it.

For two years I have lurked on this forum. For two years I have read and learned all about being a CNA, the good, the bad, and the ugly. I have waited for the right time to sign up for a CNA class and fulfill my dream of working in healthcare and now that time has arrived! For sooo long this is something I wanted to do and I can't even believe that time has arrived. I researched and found there are 16 nursing homes within a reasonable bus trip from where I live (No, I don't drive). I know that in this economy there's a good chance I won't get hired at any of them but I figure if I wait for the economy to get better before going after this I'll be waiting forever. Anyway I had to rant...I'm so keyed up even though it means waking up at 4 in the morning to get to class on time:).