Should I disclose nursing school application for gap year jobs?

[Nekrom]

Hello everyone!

So I'm graduating with my first bachelor's degree in Biology next week and I'm very lost... I screwed on my accelerated nursing program application and my seat ended up being given to others (school emailed me for materials but it went into the spam folder so I missed the deadline to reply). Now I am almost certain that I will get accepted by the same program if I just apply again next year, but I have no idea what to do now.

I'm thinking about working as a medical assistant/receptionist in clinics, but I don't know if disclosing my situation would help or impair me finding a job? I have no experience in human medical settings (I've worked as a vet assistant), so maybe this can at lease demonstrate my interest in the field? However, I think employers would like a longer commitment.

Or would anyone like to share their experiences taking a gap year/ recommend other things I can do? Would really appreciate any advice ?

[Rionoir, ADN, RN]

In my experience it's the CNAs that do really well in clinicals, since in school we pretty much do meds and cares, especially before you've had advanced skills. I think if you went that route you'd be glad you did. Also, tons of CNAs are in nursing school.. I can't imagine they wouldn't be thrilled, especially if you would still be working some hours once you started school.

[CoeurCommeHepburn, ASN, RN]

11 hours ago, Rionoir said:

In my experience it's the CNAs that do really well in clinicals, since in school we pretty much do meds and cares, especially before you've had advanced skills. I think if you went that route you'd be glad you did. Also, tons of CNAs are in nursing school.. I can't imagine they wouldn't be thrilled, especially if you would still be working some hours once you started school.

I was looking at volunteer opportunities at Red Cross and saw that they offer CNA training. Would you think it's something I could work part time if I were to get into nursing school?

[Rionoir, ADN, RN]

Absolutely, most CNAs I know are part time and their job understands that they are in classes and clinicals that have varying schedules.

[panurse9999]

My advice is to leave off any mention of nursing school on your resume, and I say this because of personal experience. I was a second career RN, whose first career was eliminated through automation, and like so many other people, was steered (and duped) into nursing school. This was in the late 1990s, when the "nursing shortage" hoax was really starting to percolate , take root, and spread itself national wide.

It brainwashed so many thousands of people into believing the falsity, that whenever I go to a non-nursing industry looking for a job, I get this deer-in the headlight-, furrowed eyebrow look on their face stating "WHAT DO YOU MEAN? I HEARD THERE WAS A MASSIVE NURSING SHORTAGE"

Consequently, because this disinformation spread like wild fire, people are reluctant to hire me into another industry, because they assume I will leave quickly when a nursing job becomes available. As a result, I keep 2 different industry specific resume's on hand. I explain the gap in employment by a notation "personal circumstances caused a period of displacement from the workforce"...and leave it at that. No more/ no less.