Themostsupreme

In regards to making big bucks. The nurses at my current facility make roughly 2 1/2 time to 3 times what the pct makes. So yeah, huge difference. the pct job i only do about 2-4 times per month depending on my availability. But since i have another job, i cant work more than that and im happy with my hours and self scheduling capability. As a future nurse, i will obviously want to work fulltime for the benefits, plus your going to be paying me a lot more as a nurse so ofcocurse i will feel inclined to give you more hours. Also a lot of my friends are second career changers. I asked them why they chose nursing. The answer was always the same. Job security and money. They were laid off from their previous job. I hate to break it to you, not everyone chooses this field to help others. Your probaby thinking why i chose this field. The answer is extremely simple. Im paid well or decent to help others. If you take a nurses salary and cut it too minimum wage, lets say 8/hr, would i work as a nurse or be in school to be a nurse. The answer is no. And as a pct, i just stick with perdiem, since i dont get paid well. as a pct yes, i do get a few bucks above minimum wage, but would i do this if i got paid the very minimum? no the answer is no again, id just work at mcdonalds. There always needs to be a financial incentive, its how capitalism works. In regards to the job isnt gauarnteed comments. You are right, a RN position is not gauranteed. Any healthcare experience is better than nothing. If they do not like me at my current unit, fine i will work on another floor as a nurse or even another hospital. I wont give them any reason not too, when i go to work, i do what i have to do, and i dont argue with any1. if thats not enough reason for them to promote me than its your loss not mines. ill take my experience elsewhere.

Thank you for your support, as well as icuman, thank you for your comments and to others as well who i may have missed. Let me try to make this clear. If i thought aide work was below me, then why would i get another aide job? I obviously will value the experience i gain as a pct. I worked previously as a cna, not a pct, yes the roles are quite similar but i can do a bit more at my current job, like remove foleys, iv's, ekgs, blood draws, and so on. So im doing a bit more then just wiping butt, at my last job. Do i enjoy wiping bottoms, no i wont dent it, i really dont like it. If there are people then enjoy doing that than good for you. Now that doesnt mean i wont do it, its part of my job to assist in activities of daily living, so i just do it. My las t job was a nightmare. Nurses just sat at the station and told me to reposition patients that were extremely obese. Sorry but i dont get paid enough to break my back. Is the supervising nurse going to cover my medical expenses if i have a spinal injury? you bet not. My current job is less physically demanding, im learning more, and i find the staff to be a bit more helpful. As a future nurse, yes i will ofcourse help out my future aides b/c i have learned to appreciate the amount of work they do for the little pay b/c i am now in there shoes. But let me make 1 thing clear, I will never risk my physical, emotional, or mental well-being to be an aide or even a future nurse. My health and well-being triumphs over the hospital i work for or any patient i take care of. If staff like a nurse is too busy or too lazy to help me with a patient then its your problem, not mine. You will be the to get sued. I congratulate the person who left the nursing home job after a few months, i believe that was icumans comment. Good job, i dont know if you work in the hospital currently but from your comment you seemed to really hate that job. Brush yourself off and move to the next step. you will do great! Never settle for less.

So I've been off of my orientation at my pct job. I'm thankfully learning skills and the work load is not high as compared to my previous job. It's still a considerable amount of work but less cleaning since most patients can take care of themselves and i don't work on the morning shift, so thankfully, i don't have to do any AM care. My training was full time for 2 weeks, 1 week class (which i liked), and 1 week on the floor, which was kind of brutal, but i sucked it up. I'm required to put in 2 shifts per month as a per-diem employee so im not doing this often. At my other job, i had to work every weekend, 8 shifts per month.... And im still working part-time in an office which is great since it gives me a lot of time to study and get paid at the same time. I couldn't be any happier with my choices. Now that my foot is in the door, finding a hospital job will be cake and i can avoid the possibility of ever working in long term care/skilled nursing which i would never want to do. I know i have received a lot of angry comments from people on the previous thread and statements of how ill not become a nurse or how ill be a bad nurse, but i want you to know that not only will i become a nurse, but i am on the road to success, and will likely have a much easier time finding a RN job now that im a pct and the hospital pays big bucks for its nurses, which is a double win for me. My advice to anyone not happy where they are, don't be afraid to do what i did. Take a chance, i hated my last job and could never imagine going back. Find the specialty or area you want and go after it. Not only did i land a job in which i can more skills on a better unit but i also got a job where im paid to study. Do whatever it takes to accomplish your goals and never settle for less than what you expect! have a nice day :)

You misunderstood my statement. I said control over the aides, not the patients. I agree with an above poster that aide work can help someone become a better nurse b/c if you work as an aide you'll learn to appreciate the hard work they do for the little pay/respect they get. In regards to becoming an np, i have plans on getting married and starting a family and i'd like to finish school as soon as possible, most programs require 1-2 years of clinical practice, im fine with doing that. Im getting older, and year by year fly's by so im looking to reach my ultimate goal the sooner the better. Like i said, i dont mind wiping butt but if i can avoid it id rather avoid it. I dont like the smell and look of feces, that doesnt mean ill make a bad nurse. We all have things we dislike.

QUOTE=OrganizedChaos;8565691]Every post you make you keep making me even more disturbed. I just... I.. Wow. I want an NP that has a lot of RN experience. Not once that just got the necessary 1-3 years so then they could then go to NP school. I want an NP that doesn't mind to get dirty. That says a lot about your character & how you will be at work. At my doctor's office (& the one before it) not all the patients can take care of themselves. A lot of them are elderly, in wheelchairs. If you are a good NP you will help the patient with whatever needs they have at the appointment.[ QUOTE] hmm i didnt i say anything disturbing. I think whats really disturbing is the abuse cna's put up with just so they can make a buck and provide for their families. The very same nurses advocating for a greater role for aides to perform are just trying to easen the workload on themselves and have the aides do all the work and those very same nurses wouldnt do the same work as the aides. so pls. save me the small talk. if i every go into politics id advocate for better treatment for cna's, id actually be an amazing nurse. Theres only 1 thing most nurses want, its control, so it makes the nurses lives much easier. I saw on numerous occasions, cnas arguing with nursing staff, bc of the bad treatment their getting and workload, and the nurses just look to make that aides job harder or get them fired. ive seen it and heard stories from friends. O not to mention the nurses that dont answer the call lights. O, thats right they expect the aide to do it. Some of the ppl on this forum are living in lala land, not reality. Your spoon fed what to say, scripted talk. Try to think outside the box, dontjust listen to what others say.

QUOTE=lorbla4;8562545]I honestly can't even believe this post is for real. I start my cna training on July 6th and my asn program on August 11th and I cannot wait to wipe butts, turn patients,and bathe any and everyone. Not because I think it'll be particularly fun or interesting but because I know that every step is going to make me an amazing nurse. I would give anything to be in the position you were in OP. It is very real. By all means, take my former cna job, i truly feel bad for the poor soul who ends up being the next victim for that position. I personally can't imagine how bad working in a nursing home is. I've heard horror stories on forums on here, in which people describe their experiences to be much worse than the hospital. So, i give a ton of credit to nursing home cna's, having a floor of entirely incontinent immobile pts is crazy with possibly no help from staff is even crazier. So, i know personally that i would never work in a nursing home. After researching many forums on allnurses i have come to the general conclusion that most cna's do not enjoy what they do, they do it mainly for the healthcare benefits for them and their family and the pay atleast in my area is a little bit above working in fast food, retail, and other low level wage jobs. The wage for cna's isn't good but isnt as bad as working for a minimum wage type job. And most cna's that do this are also nursing students, using this as a means of passage to gain skills, network, and eventually make the bigger bucks. I would say that describes me. If you enjoy wiping bottoms, by all means, go right ahead. I personally couldnt do that for a living. I don't plan to stay at the hospital scene for long, ill simply use it to gain tech/future RN experience and then i plan to switch to working in a clinic or doctors office as a family NP, I realized what my true calling in nursing is. It isn't the LTC or hospital scene, personally when i go to my doctors office i love it! calm, quiet, peaceful, pts can walk and take care of themselves, typical appt only lasts 5-10 mins, dont have to wipe bottoms, and so on.

You need to tell this too the nurses who i used to work with who felt they were too good to do cna duties. Y do u think i left? lol Im not breaking my back for any nurse or any patient, they can kiss my butt for all i care. My well-being is #1. Again the nurses i worked with pretty much formed their own little union saying they refuse to do any tasks a cna can perform. i saw no team work. i left. Now if they paid me 20+/hr then i would be inclined to stay, since your giving me an incentive to work really hard in dangerous conditions

QUOTE=OrganizedChaos;8559555]Wow. Just wow. Between your screen name & your posts, I wouldn't let you take care of my DOGS! *shake my head* Get ready for the real world of nursing once you graduate. Wow... haha your words dont phase me not 1 bit. I've met a few nurses that have this sort of gang mentality, if sum1 doesnt agree with them or do their bidding, they automatically attack that person, with verbal harrassment, crude jokes, among other things. Its a disdain/curse thats found in this profession. unfortunately. But at the end of the day, its what i think is best that matters the most. bye

QUOTE=FlyingScot;8559349]The issue with the OP is the author's disdain for the less glamorous aspects of nursing, his feeling that having done it in class he has nothing else to learn, that he expected to be having clinical type experiences rather than doing the job, and his egregiously unprofessional exit from said job. It's not about disliking the job it's about his attitude and believe me that will permeate his nursing persona. Had he simply come on AN and said "I tried to be a CNA but golly gee it was way harder than I expected and I bit off more than I could chew. I couldn't do it" he would have had a bunch of us saying the same things you just did. In addition, nursing is a very, very small world. Managers talk to each other. He left them in the lurch. Now they have to start the entire process all over again. Trust me, the chances he will be hired by that hospital again are nil. Thank You, norlns24, for your kind words. You pretty much took the words right out of my mouth. You are absolutely right. The 1st 60 days or so is an introductory trial period to see if both you and the employer are a suitable match for each other. It even says that both parties can terminate employment during that time w/o prior notice. I simply determined it wasnt a suitable match and decided to end the contract early on, when i was just on orientation as oppossed to wasting my time and the employers time/money. I was extremely happy with the decision. In regards to the hospital itself, it is a independent hospital. So thankfully, even if im out of luck, im only out of luck at that hospital and it will probably mean that im only out of luck for a couple of years, then id be eligible for rehire, i doubt they even remember who i am at this point. but i could really care less lol. I recently applied and was offered a pct position. Now this is different from my cna position, ill be doing a lot more medical tasks as opposed to just cleaning patients. Its a small unit/specialty floor, so i feel i can truly gain a skill(s). This is at a different hospital. I was working part time hours at my cna job. This job however i decided id only work per-diem, that way if i truly end up hating it, id only have to work once in awhile as opposed to quitting, id just suck it up. Also im less than a yr from graduating, so i wont have to do nursing aide work for much longer. Yes, i know as a nurse ill be doing aide work but as a RN ill be paid well to wipe butts. If you pay me more to do something then yes ill be more inclined to do it. After i obtain my bsn i dont plan to stay at the bedside for more than 2-3 yrs, im looking into medical sales, insurance, Np, school nursing, and nursing education. im already networking with family/friends, doctors, np's, that i know of that way i have an in. And to just clarify in regards to the butt wiping, no i do not enjoy it 1 bit, i do not get any sort of satisfaction from smelling feces, i pretty much want to vomit. if i can avoid it, then absolutely id avoid it. ppl that enjoy the sight/smell of feces good for you. lol

QUOTE=SnowShoeRN;8558809]I had applied and been accepted to grad school while still working as a RN, but left - amicably - just prior to starting because I wouldn't have been to work nights (my contracted position) and still attend class. During the summer, while in school, I worked as a camp nurse and also as a graduate assistant at my school. I do encourage new nurses who hope to become NP's to work as a RN for at least 2 or 3 years before going to grad school. I know many classmates and colleagues who either went directly to get MSN's from having BA's or BS's in other fields or were only a nurse for a 1 or less before going to grad school and it's been quite difficult for them to get employment as NP's with so little nursing experience. I had been a nurse for 5 years before applying to grad school. Think very carefully about that decision too. I know many people who - once they attended nursing school and worked as a nurse for a while - wanted nothing to do with becoming a NP. It's a very different role and your opinions and interests may very well change as you get closer to the end of your program and start your first RN job. Also, while it's great NP's can make a good living, please don't go into it with the goal of earning a lot of money. NP's still get vomited, peed, pooped, and bled on. But they also have to contend with not only having more medical responsibility and accountability, but also myriad paperwork, insurance issues, billing issues, and liability concerns. All this is discussed about and examined in length during MSN cirriculums. I see....well my plan is to work fulltime and attend classes part time.I'm going to do a MSN as oppossed to a DNP, that way i finish quicker. Ill try to find a 3-12's/wk type of job tht way i have 4 days off per week. I know i'd much prefer to be an NP. The quality of work is much better. The np's of shadowed pretty much perform the same role as the doctor. And I will obtain about 2-3 yrs of experience as an RN by the time i sit for the board exam.

ive already contacted a few np schools that do not require any experience. I plan to gain experience while attending np school. I know a friend that did that and shes making big bucks as an np and is very successful running a clinic. ill actually end up working with her and she said she'll mentor me and teach me anything np school doesnt teach me. she also has a supervising physician who i can also learn from...

Thank You for the nice post....Now did you work as an RN while in NP school? or did u 1st quit the RN position and then enroll in NP school? If i go the NP route my plan would be to start a program part-time after the bsn while gaining experience as an RN working full-time.

I went in this job with an open mind that i would gain valuable skills for the RN. The job i took was a cna, where the hospital didnt let u really do anything besides checking vitals and cleaning patients. Thankfully the job i quit was at an independent hospital, not some major health network. Instead of working part-time like my old job, i decided i'd go perdiem instead. That way if i really dislike the job, i dont really have to go their often, just once in a blue moon. Now instead of being a cna, i applied and recently received an offer to work as a pct on a specialty floor as opposed to general. My tasks will include doing a lot more than cleaning patients, although i've been told most patients on that unit need minimal to no assistance in regards to hygiene. Techs can suppossedly do alot more medical tasks at this hospital than your avg cna so im pretty excited about the opportunity. I'll keep my administrative assistant job and work perdiem at this hospital. I have less than a yr until i graduate so regardless of how this job goes, i wont be a tech for long. After im a nurse i plan to become a nurse educator, NP, or possibly do something with medical sales/insurance. I dont plan to stay at the bedside for long, i know some people that can get my foot in the door w/o much bedside experience.

pa school is pretty hard to get into. 3.5+ gpa and 1-2 years of healthcare experience is the norm as an EMT, paramedic, cna, pct ect. anything involving direct patient care. Most schools require LOR's and some require the GRE. Some schools also have specific prereq courses that you would have to take that may not be included in a bio curriculum. You also usually apply a yr before your start date. Most PA programs are 27 months in length although it can vary between 24-36 months.

If you work as a chemist, y do you work as a cna? just out of curiosity, dont chemists make like 60-80k on avg? which is similar to a nurses salary.