Published
I was a secretary for a carpet cleaning company in my late teens, and then I went to CNA classes (and eventually got a med aide cert) and have been working in LTC for some time.
I would definately think about finding a LTC facility and applying for a CNA job. Lots of facilities offer in house CNA certification or pay for you to take it elsewhere. Often times they offer a tuition reimbursement program for nursing students, although you may have to be employed with them for a minimum amount of time to qualify. Where I work I think it is a year.. Another thing to consider when working in LTC is that they are more lienient with scheduling around your school schedule.. Something you probably wont find in a clerical/industrial type setting.
Good luck! And good for you for going back to school!
[color=mediumturquoise]i am a cna on telemetry and also med-surg at a local hospital. i work prn so i can make my own schedule so that it doesn't interfere with studying, but the pay sucks. but the way i look at it my foot is in the door with the hospital, i have a very flexible schedule, and i'm gaining experience that i have already used to help me in school. besides, rn rate of pay is waaaay better than cna pay...so i'm just dealing with being a poor nursing student because in a year and 1/2 i will be thankful i did. good-luck to you! ;-)
I was in the Army for 7 years doing basically clerical work the entire time. After my discharge I worked part-time as a receptionist while taking my pre-reqs for nursing school for about 1-1/2 years. Now I am a full-time nursing student looking forward to graduate December 2009! I get by financially by relying on scholarships, loans, and a very supportive husband! Good luck to you!
I worked as a unit clerk, I can not tell you how much this helped me understand the medical terminology and lab values and tests that are ordered, I also worked as a CNA.
I am currently working as a nurse tech in an ER, which again has helped me really get to apply all that I am learning in school on a daily basis.
If you can get into a hospital, I would highly recommend it, it has put me a step ahead each semester.
LulaNurse
44 Posts
working in before getting into nursing school? I'm turning 24 years old this month and I just applied to all the nursing programs in several local community colleges and state university. I've been doing so many odd jobs/temp jobs for the past 3 years in clerical and light industrial type jobs. Right now, I am unemployed and I hope I find a job just to get by. The only thing I have right now is volunteer work at the local hospital... which would be my only healthcare experience.