Is CNA the most sure fire way to get good health care experience?

[place123]

I am looking for certifications that are quick to complete and have good job prospects in southern California.  I was really set on an emt cert and then getting an ER-tech position.  But I am uncertain on the avaibility on er-tech positions.  I have heard mixed reviews.  I have heard that some places are always hiring but some people have told me it took them over a year to land an ER-tech position.

 

 

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/nursing-assistants.htm

 

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/emts-and-paramedics.htm

 

 

It seems CNA's have A LOT more job opportunities according to the bureau of labor statistics.  I am also assuming that the majority(if not all?) of jobs for CNA's are going to be hands on patient care while emt may not.

 

 

Im conflicted though because my friend said I would enjoy being an ER-tech much more and would learn more relevant information than I would being a CNA.  But I want to get experience and be qualified for PA school sooner rather than later.  I aint getting any younger.

[britrae]

It depends on the hospital! Some hospitals give their nurse technicians more autonomy than others. I'd say look into that. Also, some places let you work as a CNA with an EMT or without anything at all.

 

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[rev ronin]

CNA isn't "good" healthcare experience in anyone's estimation. It's cheap, fast, and readily available.  It's also very menial in most cases, involving feeding and toileting patients who cannot handle ADLs on their own.

 

Worries about timing for PA school entrance are overblown.  You can't just decide to go to MD or DO school and get in the next year without prep, nor can you go to PA school like that either.  The older you are when you get out of PA school, the better you will be respected by patients and treated by other medical professionals--they don't see your diploma date, just the wrinkles and gray hair.

[Aware]

To answer your question in the title, yes. CNA's are always in demand and there's a reason why. It's a shitty job (literally and figuratively) with shitty pay. You will learn next to nothing that will be relevant later on. This is coming from a CNA.

 

I will say that it can be really rewarding at times. You learn how to interact with different personalities, work as a collective unit and develop a deep sense of humility. If you're lucky, your charge nurse will also teach you a few things that will be relevant to you later on. I've never been an ER tech, but you can probably get all this and much more if you decide to become one.

[Febrifuge]

I'm biased toward what I did, which was a deliberate and gradual thing. I was a career-changer, and started getting serious about a medical career at about age 31 or 32. I graduated PA school the day before my 39th birthday. Here's what I did, and it worked really well:

 

- Kept my "day job" while volunteering at the county hospital (they sent me to the ED and I loved it)

- Got EMT-B certified over a summer semester at the local community college (still working 40 hours a week at my office job)

- Started working in the ED a few evenings a week, and some weekends. There was poop, sure, but also EKGs and phlebotomy, assisting residents with conscious sedation fracture reductions, LPs, codes, etc.

 

By the time I quit my old job to go back to school and get pre-reqs done, I had already been a part-time ER tech for a year or so. What was good about that experience is that I wasn't focused on getting as much experience as possible, as quickly as I could, I was focused on actually learning everything I could, and making absolutely sure I wanted to make this huge change. It was easy, because the County is a teaching hospital, and staff are good teachers, but I never thought of it as a matter of "this will make for great HCE on my application." I feel that's really short-sighted. That probably sounds weird, because from your POV all this seems like it stretches out in front of you forever, but think about it. This is temporary, and it's supposed to be a stepping stone. If you change your focus to getting the best experience and not just the fastest one, you'll be way better off. 

 

I did my pre-req year and came back, working full-time now, while CASPA and the GRE and everything got set up, set in motion, and things started to come together. All told, I had like 3000-some hours, my GRE score was surprisingly good, and I got into a top-15 PA program. 

 

Here's why I think that happened: it wasn't because of how many hours (although it helped) and it wasn't because I could name-drop a big important EM residency training center (although it helped). It was because I could sit there, and spontaneously explain why I was sure this was the right decision for me, because of a whole list of specific things I had seen and done and learned from. And also because I had taken some time to be sure about my decision to leave behind the cubicle life, I made a plan, and then I followed the plan. That's the kind of person they're looking for. 

 

Good for you, for wanting decent patient-contact experience. It's great that you're paying attention to what's realistic about your local job prospects. But don't stress too much about what you can do in the next 6 months, or even the next year. Sure, use your time well, and don't waste time if you can help it. But settle in, because this is a long process, and the whole idea is to change course to a career you're going to have for the rest of your working life... right? 

 

You've got some time. 

[Asclepius]

I'm biased toward what I did, which was a deliberate and gradual thing. I was a career-changer, and started getting serious about a medical career at about age 31 or 32. I graduated PA school the day before my 39th birthday. Here's what I did, and it worked really well:

 

- Kept my "day job" while volunteering at the county hospital (they sent me to the ED and I loved it)

- Got EMT-B certified over a summer semester at the local community college (still working 40 hours a week at my office job)

- Started working in the ED a few evenings a week, and some weekends. There was poop, sure, but also EKGs and phlebotomy, assisting residents with conscious sedation fracture reductions, LPs, codes, etc.

 

By the time I quit my old job to go back to school and get pre-reqs done, I had already been a part-time ER tech for a year or so. What was good about that experience is that I wasn't focused on getting as much experience as possible, as quickly as I could, I was focused on actually learning everything I could, and making absolutely sure I wanted to make this huge change. It was easy, because the County is a teaching hospital, and staff are good teachers, but I never thought of it as a matter of "this will make for great HCE on my application." I feel that's really short-sighted. That probably sounds weird, because from your POV all this seems like it stretches out in front of you forever, but think about it. This is temporary, and it's supposed to be a stepping stone. If you change your focus to getting the best experience and not just the fastest one, you'll be way better off. 

 

I did my pre-req year and came back, working full-time now, while CASPA and the GRE and everything got set up, set in motion, and things started to come together. All told, I had like 3000-some hours, my GRE score was surprisingly good, and I got into a top-15 PA program. 

 

Here's why I think that happened: it wasn't because of how many hours (although it helped) and it wasn't because I could name-drop a big important EM residency training center (although it helped). It was because I could sit there, and spontaneously explain why I was sure this was the right decision for me, because of a whole list of specific things I had seen and done and learned from. And also because I had taken some time to be sure about my decision to leave behind the cubicle life, I made a plan, and then I followed the plan. That's the kind of person they're looking for. 

 

Good for you, for wanting decent patient-contact experience. It's great that you're paying attention to what's realistic about your local job prospects. But don't stress too much about what you can do in the next 6 months, or even the next year. Sure, use your time well, and don't waste time if you can help it. But settle in, because this is a long process, and the whole idea is to change course to a career you're going to have for the rest of your working life... right? 

 

You've got some time. 

Very insightful. Thanks for sharing your story