Questions about obtaining an Ohio Hospital PCA position?

msteeleart · Feb 26, 2010

I am not certified but I have taken the pre-reqs and I didn't get any responses either. I heard it is hard to get those jobs right now.

foreverLaur · Feb 26, 2010

Hi, I am currently finishing pre-requisite classes for a CSCC nursing program in Columbus Ohio. In the meantime I'm interested in working at a hospital as a Patient Care Associate or PSA
can anyone give me some helpful advice on getting hired. I've submitted online applications with no response.
I have a STNA license with out any expenrience
Questions
Will hospitals hire STNA's without exprience
What hospitals are hiring
how did you get hired
what are some pointers or advice to make myself stand out among other applicants
Any advice or help would be much appreciated
Thankyou

Mt Carmel & OhioHealth do hire without any experience. OSU technically does, but they are next to impossible to have any luck with. I've applied for almost 2 years there with employee referrals and still can't get a call back. HR knows me I've called so many times. Children's hospital requires experience.

Check the websites to see what open positions are available. Most are always hiring. You have to apply through the websites and if you pass HR screening, the floor manager will review your application and call those who they like for an initial phone interview and then bring in some people for in person interviews and go from there.

For my MST position at Mt Carmel, 60 people applied, 25 got passed onto the manager, she called 18 people, 6 of those got interviews, and she hired 3 of them. I was one of the 3 hired there.

My old job @ Grant, the HR rep called me and asked me to come in. I came in and we chatted and he immediately took me over to interview with the floor managers and they called me back a few days later and hired me.

I was not a STNA. I did complete the class at CSCC, but I never took the certification exam. At OhioHealth, all you need is the BLS for Healthcare Providers course completed and a high school diploma. They put you in a 2 week class during orientation that trains you how to do the job. Since I had taken the NA class, I took the test before and tested out of the class and got to start earlier.

Make your application very detailed when it comes to patient care. Elaborate your customer service and patient care experiences, no matter how small. Even something like teaching, serving, call centers, etc are all customer care and helpful with the job. Also mention why you think your job will be extremely valuable to the patient despite sounding very menial on paper. Helping someone out of bed to the bathroom for the fifth time that hour may seen very dumb and repetitive, but to that person, they are embarassed and helpless and without you there to help, who knows what may happen. You are an extremely valuable asset no matter how silly your job may seem.

Even if you have no clue how to do an EKG, put that you know how to do EKGs. I promise you.. you can learn how to run one in 5 minutes via Google. They are VERY simple. My job at Mt Carmel includes foleys and blood draws. They knew I didn't know how to do that and had no problem training me.

The biggest aspects of the job are a respect for human life, a true desire and understanding of the role, and a passion for health care. Having a working knowledge of computers and medical terminology is also very valuable.

Keep fighting. I applied to every open position for over 6 months before anyone called me back.

Also - it always isn't the greatest idea to mention you want to go to nursing school. At Grant, they didn't like to hire students because they always had to work around their school schedule and switch between full-time and part-time or per diem. If they are hiring for full-time, the job needs to be your #1 priority. So if you are planning on going to nursing school and you do wish to mention it, make sure you emphasize that you can fully work your school schedule around your work schedule and don't expect it to be the other way around.

PM me if you have any further questions!!

P.S. What prerequisites do you have left? I'm taking NURC 102 this upcoming spring quarter and then I am done and applying in July. Luckily, I have ever single class done except for nursing classes so I will be able to work my school schedule around my work schedule. It would be great to know a classmate :)

tyhmar6 · Feb 27, 2010

Thanks so much for your responses. I will stay persistant on my job hunt, but as far as CSCC goes, I just recently applied in January 2010 for the traditional program. I haven't heard word back yet, but I'm finished will all my pre-classes except 2 biology classes. I'll try to get them out of the way before the program starts so, hopefully it's not a long wait to start.

Thanks again

foreverLaur · Feb 27, 2010

Thanks so much for your responses. I will stay persistant on my job hunt, but as far as CSCC goes, I just recently applied in January 2010 for the traditional program. I haven't heard word back yet, but I'm finished will all my pre-classes except 2 biology classes. I'll try to get them out of the way before the program starts so, hopefully it's not a long wait to start.
Thanks again

I would love it if you told me when you get accepted and what your start date is. Depending on who I talk to, some people say that CSCC has a 1-2 year wait list and other people say when you apply in January you are definitely starting in August 2010. I'm anxious to hear what the real deal is! :)

tyhmar6 · Feb 28, 2010

I'll post back as soon as I find out!!

tainted1972, ASN, RN · Mar 1, 2010

I worked at mount carmel as a pca I was not an STNA, i actually lucked out and was hired very quickly.

while i worked there this is what i learned... the hospital receives tons of apps every day .. the best way to get an interview is to go to the hospital onto the floor you applied to and introduce yourself to the unit manager... this places a face with a name, and gets you noticed.. you can also call the unit manager and ask if he/she received your application .. sometimes they are just too busy to go through the applications and need to be tracked down.. i know it sounds stalkerish.. but it works.. i know a student who got a job on the labor and delivery unit by doing this

slmmarsh · Mar 17, 2010

What is the pay range for PCA's? Is it similar to that of an STNA?

The reason I ask is I will be taking NURC 101 and 102 summer and fall quater this year. My plan was to try to get a job in a hospital, be it STNA or clerical. That way I can get a feel for how things operate and such. I currently have a very well paying job with wonderful benefits. I cannot quit working all together to attend school because I have two children and my fiance has health issues and cannot work. I dont think we could handle a 50% pay cut.

foreverLaur · Mar 17, 2010

What is the pay range for PCA's? Is it similar to that of an STNA?
The reason I ask is I will be taking NURC 101 and 102 summer and fall quater this year. My plan was to try to get a job in a hospital, be it STNA or clerical. That way I can get a feel for how things operate and such. I currently have a very well paying job with wonderful benefits. I cannot quit working all together to attend school because I have two children and my fiance has health issues and cannot work. I dont think we could handle a 50% pay cut.

OhioHealth starts out at $9.98/hr with a $1.55 shift differential for weekends and nights ($3.10 differential if you work nights and weekends). Children's Hospital doesn't accept anyone without experience. At Mt Carmel, you will be looking for a MST position once you finish both courses - the job includes foleys and blood draws. That pays a bit higher due to the added responsibility.

I'm not sure what nursing homes pay, but after doing my NURC 101 clinical, I'd take a major paycut to work in the hospital environment. A lot of PSA type positions are part time and hospitals are open 24/7 so it is quite possible you could keep your job and add in the PSA position. The full time positions though do have pretty good benefits for you and your family if you could do the pay cut.

I'm assuming you want the added work experience while going through nursing school? I have a full time day job and I work per diem at the hospital as a PSA and I'm taking a full course load. I don't have a family on top of it, but I think it is definitely worth it.

achiever · Mar 17, 2010

Once you are in nursing school, OSUMC has a position called an SNA (student nurse assistant) which is a part time temporary position (you can only stay in the job while in school, and will not get benefits). You have to work a minimum of 32 hours a month and two weekend shifts a month, and you have to have finished at least one quarter of med-surg clinical. You can work full time hours if you want, but cannot get benefits if you do. Pay starts at about $14/hr. You get shift diff and weekend premium on top of the base pay too.

I do it now and I work nights so it fits great with my schedule. Just something to think about. If you want to work as a PCA at OSUMC you have to work full time, they don't really hire anyone for a part time PCA job. They're hiring but it is competitive. Submit your resume online and then follow up with a call to the recruiter in HR, it does help.

Good Luck

Michelle

foreverLaur · Mar 18, 2010

How do you know which recruiter to contact at OSUMC? Every time I apply to a position, I follow up a few business days later when a call to HR and they basically just tell me to be patient and that someone will contact me if they want to continue with the hiring process.

b0rea1is · Mar 30, 2010

PCA jobs are basically impossible to get around Columbus. I've been applying for about a year now and still no luck. I was able to get a phone interview, but it was at a time when I had practically no healthcare experience. The only way I was able to get the interview in the first place was because I knew several people who worked there. According to my NURC 102 instructor, who works for OhioHealth, there are over 400 applicants for every PCA job that becomes available. I've been working as an STNA for about eight months now and they still will not even consider me. If you're really serious about getting a PCA job, I would consider getting an EMT-Basic certificate to boost your resume.