magichospital

right before i got my cna certification, my car broke down and it would cost more to fix than the car was worth and more than what i have. i want to start a cna job badly but i believe it would be too hard to get a job without a car (i rely on the bus and carpooling right now) and i wouldn't want to be late and jeprodize a job that i could later build my career off of. even the closet ltc facility would take 2 hours to walk too(maybe an 35 min-1 hour bike ride but i don't have a bike either). i do have a part-time day job now but i am afraid to quit because it is helping me pay for school and it is helping me save up for a car. after i got my certification, i was expecting to wait a little while anyway because i wanted to get my aha bls, pals, and acls so i can have a better pick of jobs, but i was expecting to wait no longer than 2-3 weeks at max to get all of that done. the reason why i say 3 months now is because that is how long i predict it will take to save up for a (decent,reliable, running) car and i will have an easier time setting work around my school schedule (i go to school 2 days out of the week this fall). my initial goal was to keep my day job for a couple more months while working nights at cna job then gradually quit my day job and switch to day time work. i am not quit sure what to do and since the bus and the person i carpool with are not very realiable, i think it would be best to wait. i am already late to my day job all the time and i would rather have that not happen with a cna job. but, i am also worried about waiting 3 months because i feel that employers would look at that and qeustion why i waited so long and think "why hasn't anyone hired her in three months?, something must be wrong" and not even give me the chance to get interviewed. i am so conflicted right now in what i should do. do you think 3 months is too long to wait? what would you do in my situation? thank you so much!

You can't base all your ideas on one person and it would be best to look up some more facts on nursing for yourself. You can't be sort of sure with nursing you have to be 100 percent if you are pursuing it. ADNs aren't going away anytime soon, because community colleges need their money and there's a lot of money in nursing. I have done some reasearch on and outside this site and they say that The only difference is you can pretty much go anywhere with a Bach. and you can go most places with a ADN. Depends on company preference.The advantages to being a LPN or ADN first are that get experience, can get to work sooner, and get tuition rembursement if you decide to continue your education. Plus, if you do ADN you can go straight to a MSN bridge program when you graduate.

i am not sure of all the prereq.s of your program, but the best thing would be to talk to your counselor and see what she suggests grade wise. i feel blessed because my counselors gave me really good advice on fixing my grades and set me on the right path. i would definatly say wait before you apply (i know, the waiting list is long but if you are going to become a nurse, you have to face it) until your grades are atleast "b's" or else you probably wont get in. just take your time to fix your classes because if you apply too soon, you may ruin your chances of getting into the nursing program if you apply again when you are qualified the second time around. hey, don't worry about wasting your degree, because if you do the lpn/lvn thing, you can qualify for bridge programs (does your school have a lvn to rn?) or, the other reasons why you could consider it are: experience. when you graduate from your rn program you will have experience and have an easier time finding a job than all the unexperienced graduates, plus, you get a feel for what the rn program will look like and you will be well used to the stress of nursing programs by the time you go for the bach. program. your plan is good, just remember to wait before you rush into things without being fully qualified so you can get accepted! you have the drive, just make sure you really apply it in the right places so you can get you bsn!:tinkbll:

you should take your time and come back when you are ready. try taking some time off to focus and prioratize your work. try to relax as much as possible and take care of yourself (eat well, get enough sleep, take long baths) it will help you feel better and take on stress better. if starting off trying to get a bsn is too much, try to fix your anatomy and physiology grades and you can start applying for lvn/lpn programs and work your way up. there are many pathways into nursing, you don't have to put all your hopes on one program or one type of degree right away.:tinkbll: i hope this has helped!

CPR and First aid are not the same as BLS for healthcare providers. CPR and first aid are nice, but certifications like AHA BLS, ACLS, PALS, NRP, are all more vauble and looked at by hospitals/LTC than just CPR. Do you know anybody else in your class who got hired? Did you ask them how they got there job? The person right above this answer has a good suggestion. Sometimes volunteering will help increase your odds.

That sounds like a very desirable combination! I am in the same boat right now and my plan is to get as many certifications I can. You could also try AHA BLS, PALS, ACLS, if you really feel the need to get more certifications and stand out. :tinkbll:Good luck!

Do you just have your CNA certification? The last post I read about CNAs said a lot of them have their AHA BLS and most of them couldn't find jobs before hand. There is alslo ACLS, PALS, NRP, but AHA BLS is the most important for finding a job.

I am in the same boat right now and I have my eye on a job. The approach I am going to try is to get as many certifications as possible (AHA BLS, ACLS, PALS, NRP) and just show I am as interested as possible when I go for a job.:pntrghi:Good luck!

When I go to turn in my resume who should I go to and should I get a letter of recommendation? I am interested in a pediatric per diem job at an out patient center and I have basically no experience (besides clinicals of coorifice!) and I want to show I am interested as possible. I just read some advice from CNAs who went directly into hospitals after they graduated and they said the best things to do were 1.)Get AHA BLS certified 2.)Go to HR in person, give them your resume, and ask them if they reviewed your application. Basically anything to show you're are really interested. Should I talk to the hiring manager or go directly to HR when I go to turn in myresume? Do I need a cover letter? Would that be trying too hard or would it look professional? Thank you!

Thank you!

You live in a big city? there should be tons of jobs there. Have you really exhausted every avenue there is? Have you tried online? Have you tried visiting every single place you applied to, talking to the Hiring manager/HR handing them your resume and cover letter? Have you tried to update your resume accordingly? Have you applied over and over to the same places? I live right next to San Francisco and all the CNAs I know got jobs immediately after graduation. I can't picture a big city being hard up for jobs. Maybe it's just California.

Wow, even the agencies require experience? Have you listed your clinical experience? And when you say "In your area" about how far of a mile range are we talking? Have you applied to every place within 100 miles? Would you be willing to relocate?

I was just browsing the local out patient center in my town for CNA positions and there's a per-diem position I am really interested in and I was wondering if the range of consideration would be wider than it would be for regular work? I am freshly certified and about to get my AHA BLS certification soon and I know how competetive regular positions are and how tough it is to break into anything above LTC. I know I am aiming high for my first job application, but I figured it never hurts to try and if I end up getting a job somewhere else they will recognize my name from before and know that I am really trying for a job there. Also, since it's per diem maybe they will accept a canidate who is qualified just not with much experience. What do you think? Since I would be hired as-needed would it be easier to obtain that job? Maybe If I had a really good resume and went in person and introduced myself to the hiring manager? Thank you so much:nurse:

Have you tried any nursing/staffing agencies? They might be able to help. Manpower is U.S. wide I am sure, if you can try to look up the one in your area. If worst comes to worst, angencies can atleast get you a temp job. I hope I have helped.

That reminds me of where I had my clinicals! The workers (mostly) never respected privacy and some of the CNAs were very rough even when the residents were crying of pain! It makes me sad to see that but what can you do? I just became certified (today in fact) and I am trying to get a job somewhere other than a LTC because it is just so sad to see that!