What Experience is More Valuable? CNA, EMT or EKG Tech

[claudianyc]

After reading about the hardships of finding a job as a New Grad, i was wondering if anyone can give any suggestions on how to be proactive and gain experience beforehand.

Does working in medical field beforehand make a Really Big difference?

If so, what would be a better course of action if you have time before getting into a nursing program -- getting a CNA certification or an EKG Tech or EMT?

NOTE: I will have 6 months from when i apply to when i start ABSN program, but can earn more money doing my current non-medical job so i'm torn.

I'm a 'career switcher' and have hospital volunteer experience. However i feel like i need to do everything possible to make the job hunt smoother. Ideally want to be an ED or ICU nurse.

Please share your experience and which course of action you would take (CNA, EMT, EKG Tech certification)

THANKS!!

[akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P]

EMT training is about 160 hours long now. That's not a whole lot of time, really. If you really wanted to become an ER Nurse, it would be a good idea to take that course. The knowledge you'll get won't be directly applicable to nursing, however, it'll give you a good understanding of the differences between the types of field personnel. It'll also start conditioning you to the idea that your job is to make order from chaos. If that's not possible, to throw a saddle on it and ride it!

Now then, about the only thing that EMT's have in common with Nurses is that they take vital signs... and the patient. The thought process is different and you should leave your EMT stuff at the door when you become a nursing student. Paramedics share many similar tasks, but again, the thought process is different and the goal is different. Since you're starting an ABSN program in the next 6 months, I would highly recommend NOT doing EMS stuff.

I would highly recommend taking a CNA class because that'll teach you the very basics of nursing. They may not teach you the why behind those skills, but you'll learn them and won't have to think about them as much when you're in nursing school. You'll spend your first semester-ish concentrating more on the classroom stuff than the clinical stuff because you'll already know most of the clinical stuff.

What's my perspective? I'm 1/2 way through nursing school now and I was in EMS as both an EMT and Paramedic for 7 years.

[One1, BSN, RN]

Emergency Departments are different throughout the country, but the Emergency Deps in our area do not hire CNAs, only IV certified EMTs. Also, our ICUs do not hire CNAs. Find out what the requirements for the hospitals in your area are. If you want to go emergency care, I would definitely recommend EMT. If your hospitals take CNAs then you might want to go that route as you can work in more than one specialty as a CNA. Either way, the experience can help you get a foot in the door, especially if you continue to work throughout school, and will always look good on your resume.