Working as a CNA after graduation but before NCLEX, advice?

[caringismyjob]

Hello Lovely Nurses!

A question:

I am moving from my home state (CA) to Seattle right after graduation in the spring in search of (slightly) greener pastures. I would like to start working as a CNA (Im already certified and working sub-acute now with 5 years of acute experience that is 8 y/o) as soon as I get there to pad what may be months and months of RN job searching. I do not plan to take my NCLEX until the end of summer, perhaps even the fall. So, I will be applying for CNA jobs with a BSN, no license.

How do I sell this to potential employers? I know they will be concerned that I will 1. leave right after passing NCLEX, 2. work above my CNA scope of practice 3. am a burn out because Im not taking my NCLEX asap.

I know I can legally do CNA work if I am not licensed yet, but I'd like to hear ideas on how to actually land a CNA job from new grads who may have taken the same route.

I could use a dang break from the high stress state of nursing school and don't really want to plunge right into a lengthy application process and studying for the NCLEX then a rough job search. I could use a season of mellow hospital work and decompression.

Thanks in advance for any positive thoughts or advice!

[Lev, MSN, RN, NP]

I think it's a bad idea to wait. Get the CNA job, but start studying for NCLEX right away and take it within the next 3 months. The longer you are from graduation, even if 6 months away, the harder it is to get a job.

[caringismyjob]

sure, but my question is about how to land a CNA job when you have a BSN. If anyone had done this and can offer advice, I'd appreciate it!

thanks!

[Loo17]

Why not take the NCLEX right after graduation and apply for nursing jobs? Statistics show the sooner you take the exam the better your chances overall. Plus then you could start applying before you even move for the new grad residencies that start in the fall.

In my opinion it is going to be tough to find a new CNA job. Why would an employer want to hire you, train you, for a job you wont keep? Employers are going to wonder why a fresh graduate feels like they aren't ready to test. Was the program substandard or fail to prepare graduates to be safe RN's? Is this someone we we want to be a nurse at our facility? These are things they could think.

Take the test, get the RN and take a job in a flu clinic or nursing home when you move if you don't get offered a New Grad position.

I do not think it is wise to wait months to take the NCLEX. The information is fresh right after graduation.

I took the nclex 3 weeks after finishing school in June), finished with 75 questions. I didn't want to work in a nursing home so I only applied for hospital jobs. By November I was fed up and applied at a flu clinic. Got the job. In December I applied for 1 nursing home job. Got the job. A year later I landed my hospital job. I shouldn't have been so picky to begin with.

Experience is experience, it is all how you sell yourself. I could not imagine if I was faced with passing the NCLEX months after graduation AND finding a nursing position months after all the other new graduates applied.

Have some confidence in yourself and what you learned in school. Take the test as soon as you can. Wouldn't it be horrible if you waited months, forgot a ton, and failed? At least if your nerves get the best of you in June, you would have tried and you can regroup and try again in September. I know this isn't the advice you asked for but it is my honest opinion and really meant as a pep talk. Good luck!