I've only just been accepted into the local community college nursing program (woo!), which I know may be looked down upon by so many. For example, when I told my cousin (who is working on her BSN via University), she abruptly ended the conversation.
Well, sorry, some of us have kids and limited income. Baby steps to the MSN for me.
Anyway. What is really getting to me is the information regarding difficulty placing positions as grads. Which tells me I need to get my foot in the door NOW, even if it's something as lowly as oh, say, toasting bread !
Here's the thing. I am a middle aged, SAHM that has only recently been given the opportunity to take on a life's dream. My GPA is currently 3.75 and I made a 146 on the NLN pre-exam. My short fall is that the only "clinical" experience I have is a few months at an optometrist's office which could not hold my position after I left to have my last child. That was over a year ago. Again, being on a limited income, it made more sense for me to stay home with the three that are under 5 years than to fork out over a thousand a month in childcare.
So what do I do???? We need the income anyway, and a part time evening/weekend gig would work- if they could work with my family's and the school's hours. I've never applied at- or made a resume for- anything greater than management within Starbucks. The optometrist hired me because they knew me as a patient. I'm not that close to any of the other doctors we know. Should I try them anyway? How do you apply at a hospital?
I sound so disgustingly naive. Any help you could give would be great. And as for right now, relocation is out of the question.
To just add to what some of the others have said to you my dear, get your foot in the door now. Something that has patient care. For me I was a CNA all the while going through nursing school as per diem. The my first job out of nursing school was at a nursing home. I worked there for a little more than a year and found the job I currently have been at for the past 11+ years. I am now back in school for me BSN online program and plan to go for my MSN. So your plans are very doable.
One suggestion is to have friends/family to help watch the little ones while you need to study, prepare for clinicals, write papers, etc. I was lucky enough to not have that extra worry on my plate when I was going thru school.
And to add to the others - Congrats and Kudos for getting into nursing school!!
. .another suggestion in the getting your foot in the door dept. .if you are unable to find a job as a CNA at your local hospital or nursing home, dialysis clinics are always looking for dialysis techs. Dialysis techs in the clinic I worked in, had no formal education at all, but were trained entirely by the dialysis company. They do needle sticks, learn lots of valuable skills and work very closely with the RNs in the clinic. If you have dialysis under your belt, this is gold also in securing a RN position later. I agree with the poster above who said to stand out in nursing school by getting involved. Let the instructors know you are taking your nursing education seriously. When you have skills day, or oral presentations, come there in classy casual dress clothes rather than jeans. Be helpful to other students, pull your weight in group projects, tutor others if you're able, organize a study group. .do things that'll gain you respect and allow your instructors to see your leadership skills.
Pre-nursing student here and from everything I have heard the advice given you by a previous poster is spot on! Get your CNA I and then get a PT job. You may not be hired into the hospital right away, but keep applying over and over until you get hired at the hospital in your CNA position. If your state has CNA II then take that class and get certified for that. In my state hospitals like CNA II for the ICU and higher acuity floors.
Another thought if you have no luck with finding something in the hospital is looking into the agencies in your area that provide care for those with developmental disabilites. They use aide type care providers and there may be hours that work with your life. Yes if you want to be in the hospital as an RN of course getting in there as a tech is your best bet but you can be in the health care area outside of the hospital if that doesn't work out. I worked with a tech on inpatient mental health and he ended up transferring within the hospital to a tech in the Floating ICU tech Pool and gets tons of experience and though he is not in nursing school being in the ICU he is taught to do and allowed to do so much more--here in the ICUs the techs do blood draws, EKGs, place urinary catheters, and in general more then the floor techs. For a nursing student that is great. Especially if you ever wanted to work ICU.
As far as ADN vs BSN who cares. I have my BSN only because I did a second degree accelerated program but on the floors in the hospital all the RNs work side by side doing the same thing and usually no one even knows who has a ADN or BSN. At the bedside at really makes no difference so not to worry.If you ever want management or to continue on then worry about it but you should be proud of yourself and shame on your cousin for not just being excited for you and proud of you and happy to see you joining the RN forces-period.
Good luck. And by the way--just because you can't put it on a resume don't underestimate what experience and skills you have under your belt from years of parenting! I think other parents would agree. Multi-tasking, staying calm, knowing how to talk to a pediatric patient, or even an adult who my be developmentally like a child.......and the list goes on!
Once you get your 1st semester of nursing school done, most hospitals will hire you as a patient care tech (a CNA, basically). It's what I did, and I made $10ish/hr and there are plenty of night/weekend or PRN (as needed- no benefits but most only require 48hrs a month) jobs. It was really easy for me to find my first job on a med surg floor and I was hired in December, right after I completed my first semester.
I worked part time as a CNA while I went to school for my RN. I got the experience and was able to see things from a Techs point of view. This gave me a great respect for how tough their job is as well. I was able to gain experience and had something medical to put on my resume. I landed a job on the same unit I did my clinicals while in school.
In Pennsylvania, you can also work as an LPN if you have an RN license. For LPN pay, of course. But, new-grad RNs are having some problems in finding jobs and the pay is generally quoted as $22 / hour base rate + benefits. But some of the nursing homes pay LPNs $18 - $20 + benefits to start, average LPN is $16 base w/ benefits, and there's no shortage of LTC work here.
So far as diploma vs. ADRN vs. BSRN: The diploma programs and the ADRN are fast becoming equivalent, since diploma programs now have expensive college course work, too. Once you get the RN, it's a comparative short hop to BSRN, and most of that is course work that you can do online, with the employer generally paying for it or subsidizing you. For over 30 years, they've been saying that BSRN is the new entry level for RN. But it still hasn't happened. Diploma RN and ADRN still find jobs.
Get your foot in a door now as a CNA or unit secretary. That way, buy the time you graduate, you will have 2-3 years hospital experience, and a chance at getting an RN job.
CNA is the only way you'll almost insure a job in a hospital as an RN. For the rest of us that thought CNA or not I will get a job here is where we are!! Nurses we are not hiring LOL
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
figure out where you'd like to work when you finish -- the hospital or system, not necessarily the specialty. and then take a job as a housekeeper, cna, dialysis tech, unit secretary or even as a volunteer. and then work as hard as you can . . . make them want to keep you on!
things may have turned around by the time you graduate, but get your foot in the door now.
!
tainted1972, ASN, RN
271 Posts
The new nurses I know mostly got jobs from their current employer by working as a CNA/STNA.
The demand for aides is high.
You will gain experience as well as having your foot in the door.