CarlyBelle

Hello everyone! After waiting so long, I finally received a call for an interview at a hospital here in NYC. I got hired for the position. All I had to do now was finish the process with Human Resources. I took in my license, documents, filled out all forms, etc. All I needed was one thing, drug screening. I was given the drug screening order to get it done Friday or Saturday. My sister is hospitalized (seizures) and so I spent my Friday with her. I spoke to HR and was assured that the testing facility was open on Saturday and that I had time to get my test done. I showed up and the lab was closed, I contacted HR the same moment I was at the place. Receptionist told me that I could get another testing form. I'm not blaming anyone, it's most likely a confusion in the given information what occurred. Well, my recruiter called me to let me know the job was rescinded due to the fact that I didn't get the test done when I should've. Ever since I'm calling, writing, apologizing, explaining myself, and so on in hopes of a second chance. I feel terrible. I had been waiting so long for this chance. I gave up on trying to get a second chance. I called HR and the receptionist told me that I can indeed reapply to other open positions. I am afraid that for any other available positions I may be put to the side due to being rescinded once. What do you think? Obviously this would've been my first job out of school (even more hurtful to have lost it!), as I am not so experienced with the system I do not know if my chances of being considered again are less.

Hello everyone! I got the job as a patient care technician at Montefiore in NY. I am just waiting for my physical results to come in then I'm supposed to meet up in order to get my schedule. I will have to attend orientation first for a week before officially starting on the job. I know I should've probably asked my recruiter more about this when he told me about it but I was nervous and honestly I was more focused on doing good throughout the interviews than anything else. What exactly is orientation? I would've guessed it's basic information on the unit, rules, responsibilities, etc. But I will be attending for 7 days straight and I was wondering if perhaps this is more based on training and going over basic skills. No? Yes? First job, no experience, so that's why I'm wondering what's to come.

Will be starting soon as a PCT on the cardiac unit. No experience, starting salary is $19.54 - Bronx, New York

Thank you for the answers. I graduated from a training program as a patient care technician. That's the position I got hired for, I will be called on Tuesday to start off. In school I was taught how to do EKG's, I guess that the fact I graduated 8 months ago with no luck in finding a job is what scares me, I might have forgotten a thing or two in such time. I hope that the person in charge of training me for my first week is a nice one.

Hello everyone, I was so stressed about not being called for a job interview, but finally after many months of insisting and constant applications I got called and interviewed twice for Montefiore Medical Center. The interviews went good, and today I was accepted in the cardiac unit. I have no experience, someone will be with me for training of course as expected but I am nervous! I would love to know more about what's it like to work for this floor. Do any of you have experience in that area? I had a quick tour of the floor, I was shown monitors that I will be working with to check and keep an eye on the patient's state. Which worries me since I have no idea how to use these... Overall I'm afraid of what's it like to work with patients on the cardiac unit...

Hello HM I'm 21! Hang in there, I haven't had any luck either, not even at those offering training. I think I'll start looking into nursing homes.....

Hello all! I passed my certification exam, I'm very glad I did, now I'm stuck on looking for employment. I live in New York, I have applied to every PCT position I've found online, I am aware of the fact that due to lack of experience I might get overlooked. Montefiore has many available PCT positions for example, my mother was told that they're not necessarily looking for experienced PCT's at this hospital but I've been applying to Montefiore since BEFORE I became certified, and no luck on receiving a single call (online application). I am a bit confused as to what to do, I hope to land a hospital job, I'd love to be able to do a bit of everything, I want to be here & there, a little bit of this, a little bit of that, it's why I went for the PCT training in the first place, but should I forget about this for a while and go for a CNA position (seems like there's more of a chance to get hired as a CNA without experience than as a PCT at a hospital). How many of you had the luck of easily finding a job as a PCT without experience? Or started off at a long-term facility ?

Congratulations on your certification! & Thank you for the advice! I have been sending applications, I have a feeling that I'll most likely have more luck finding a CNA job rather than a PCT sooner with only my diploma, at least I have heard that of similar cases. If you don't mind me asking how was the certification exam for PCT? Aside from the CNA skills part of the test, do you have to demonstrate skills on phlebotomy as well?

Hello everyone! Update::: I passed my written test, and my diploma of completion is ready and will be handed to me on Monday. I am making room in my time to go back to school for the skills practice class that helps us to get ready for the state board exam. To be honest... I do not have the money to pay for the state board at this time. It's $150, in case I haven't mentioned it I'm 21, unemployed, live with my parents. I was going to college for nursing but due to loans and my insecurity on whether it's what I truly wanted I stopped going. I decided to go for the PCT program so that I can get my foot in the door and serve me in the meantime. I know that my parents will be willing to pay it for me, but 1.I would like to practice the skills class very well before taking the test rather than to pay for it and fail, and 2. I do feel very uncomfortable with my parents paying this for me after they helped me out with paying for the program. Do you think it's possible to find a job with just a diploma from school? At least in the meantime until I'm ready to take the state board? I live in New York City (in case that influences).

I'm a little disappointed, I have read so many decent well-paid PCT's on here but here in New York I just started my CNA 4 day internship and I was lucky enough to land on a floor where the nurses were very helpful and we got to talk a lot about the field. Before I left for home I was able to ask one of the CNA's more about the job because I wanted an idea of what the pay was like (since I was able to see and experience how tough being a CNA can be). She told me "You start off with $8/hr maybe $9 and if you're lucky maybe even $10". I told her I did the ekg and phlebotomy which will mean I'd be a PCT. Her response was the same, told me that without any experience being a PCT doesn't matter, I'd get paid the same. I had been researching online for a good while now and I was sure that $12/hr would be the least to start off with as a PCT in NY. I am attending the Jewish Home Hospital in the Bronx. So maybe this was just this CNA's experience according to the location. All I have to say is that with just one day of hands on "practice" I was able to experience that it's a tough job at times, $8/hr in NYC doesn't make up for the hard work.

Thank you so much ErikaRose & BlackVans!

Me again! LOL Well as I said previously, I'll be doing my in ternship at a nursing home starting the 28th of this month, a little nervous about everything but I know I'll be fine. Meanwhile I have been studying my books at home - CNA-Phlebotomy-EKG. I also bought an online review "course" on the NHA website, so that I can be as ready as possible to take my PCT certification exam without further waiting once I'm done with the internship. That has been very helpful since I can go over anything I may have forgotten about from class in my own time at home. But I was just wondering, once in the field, working as a PCT, how much knowledge on diseases, medical term/vocabulary, are you exposed to and expected to know about? I know the basics according to what I was taught in class; Bathing, feeding, positioning, blood drawing, when to stop blood drawing if an adverse reaction is shown in patient, what to do if patient shows signs of syncope, what and how to react if patient has seizure, skin problems, etc. I know that as a PCT you're doing basic care and a little more, but going over my books I see a lot of medical terms that I have yet not been able to memorize one by one. (Names of diseases, syndromes, etc.) Am I worrying too much? Are these things I'll learn about as I go on? Thank you to anyone who can answer me in advance!

Thank you!

Update:::::::: Today I received the dates I will be going into the nursing home, I will be there to shadow the other CNA's and be allowed to do the clinical skills (moving, bathing, feeding, cleaning etc.) with the help of the those I'll be shadowing. So that part is cleared up for me... After the 4 days, I will receive my diploma from ABC Training Center showing proof of completion of the program, my dates are the 28th of Feb. 1st, 2nd, 3rd, of March. Meanwhile at home I'm going over my notes, practicing with online quizzes here and there so that when I'm ready I can go in and sign up for the PCT certification exam. Just wanted to add this on here in case anyone is interested or has ever wondered on this school and the way they go about it. Thank you Miiki for your answers always!

Hello! Well, like I've mentioned before, I finished up a patient care technician program here in New York, I'm refreshing myself up for when the time of taking the certification exam arrives. I have been searching for LPN programs online, just to serve me as reference since I would like to further myself after PCT. I have a question pertaining a comment a classmate made while I was in one of my PCT classes, she mentioned that some hospitals here in New York City will help out with becoming an LPN after a year or so of working as a patient care tech at such place. I didn't really have much of a friendship or approach with my classmates so all I did was listen, didn't really go ahead and asked for details. But I've been trying to find out if this is true, yet I haven't found any links or information online. I have heard some things here and there of hospitals helping out with tuition, or training, etc. in exchange of a working agreement or contract. But again, this is just what I've been able to get from hearing or reading here and there. I'd love to know if there are such opportunities for PCT's after a certain amount of time working at a hospital. If not, then okay, but I would like to clear up the doubt. Anyone?!