nds1111 Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 Hi! I'm a career changer and having a ton of confusion about how to go about getting experience in the medical field while trying to fit in prerequisites. I am drawn toward EMT work, but I've not seen many EMT job opportunities (I live in NYC) and I'm wondering if it is at all worth it. CNA is a quicker option, and there seems to be tons of work out there, seemingly "scut" work but nonetheless work - however, does this get looked well upon by schools? It's not very appealing to me but I need something. Do CNAs just work in hospice and nursing homes? Any advice on this? Phlebotomists don't seem to have jobs listed either. Is there somewhere I should be looking? Thoughts? Advice? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiggySRNA Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 Having worked as a hospital based nursing assistant I can confirm that majority of my time was spent keeping patients clean and not hungry. However, I always tell the floor nurses (whether I have their patients or not) to call me if they needed EKGs, telemetry, glucometry, urine collection...etc That said, I truly enjoyed the opportunity because I have met some great patients who weren't afraid to share their life experiences. I ended up leaving for a MA position shortly after because I got bored and needed a larger scope of practice. Beggars can't be choosers. So get the experience and move on. I'm a licensed EMT but I have no interest in working on an ambulance so I cannot speak on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nds1111 Posted March 18, 2016 Author Share Posted March 18, 2016 Honest advice. Yes...that's why I am not so keen on CNA. But becoming a Medical Assistant takes a full year and is a $10K investment that seems pointless... I will put up with CNA work if it's acceptable to schools but I'm just unclear as to how admissions feel about it.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiggySRNA Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 An EMT license/certification is quite versatile. I used it to get my former nursing assistant job and my current MA job in an urgent care. You just have to know how to sell yourself at the interview and show them that your current skills matches the job description. If you do CNA certification you are able to apply to ER Tech jobs, hospital based CNA, Patient Care Technician, etc. With an EMT license you can apply to EMT, ER Tech, PCT, Nursing Assistant, MA etc. YMMV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dabba Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 Hi! I'm a career changer and having a ton of confusion about how to go about getting experience in the medical field while trying to fit in prerequisites. I am drawn toward EMT work, but I've not seen many EMT job opportunities (I live in NYC) and I'm wondering if it is at all worth it. CNA is a quicker option, and there seems to be tons of work out there, seemingly "scut" work but nonetheless work - however, does this get looked well upon by schools? It's not very appealing to me but I need something. Do CNAs just work in hospice and nursing homes? Any advice on this? Phlebotomists don't seem to have jobs listed either. Is there somewhere I should be looking? Thoughts? Advice? Thanks! Where in the city are you? There are definitely opportunities. I know for a fact FDNY EMS is hiring right now, so I would apply now, though it helps to already have your EMT. People leave the job all the time or become Medics so. There are also the voluntary run units out of a lot of city hospitals. You may not start on a 911 bus, but you can certainly get there. 911 experience as an EMT in NYC is great. If you're close to the nassau border, you might be able to get into a volly house there, but still, nassau PD is the primary responder for ems calls. I also know my friend worked as a MA in an ER using her EMT license, not sure of the details but if you get the EMT you can also look into that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PALois Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 ---- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maynard Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 Honest advice. Yes...that's why I am not so keen on CNA. But becoming a Medical Assistant takes a full year and is a $10K investment that seems pointless... I will put up with CNA work if it's acceptable to schools but I'm just unclear as to how admissions feel about it.. I have never heard of an adcom not taking CNA experience. Some view it more favorable than others, but it's generally at least acceptable. I also second DrHouse's thoughts. I dropped out of an EMT course the third day in when I got a closer look at the job market and I went for CNA instead. I lived in a heavily populated area and had extraordinary trouble even finding a CNA job at a nursing home, if you can believe that, and I had a pretty impressive resume (other than my lack of CNA experience). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rrodriguez Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 If you're worried about how schools will feel about CNA experience, don't. Many schools count that experience. That said I'd start there and look for other clinical opportunities as time goes on, that way you are more well rounded. I was a CNA and worked in several nursing homes. Hospital jobs were hard to come by. You mentioned you heard it is "scut work" and you're not keen on it. The work can be challenging. Keep in mind many schools will require at least a year or 2 of full time work so if you decide at some point to bail at least you're only out 1k (cost of CNA training) instead of 10k as you mentioned. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidccs Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 Not sure about where you live but I know that some hospital will hire CNAs and EMTs to work in their ERs. You perform a lot more procedures than long-term care regardless of which license you have since the position is the same. Working in a hospital in-patient unit just flat out sucks for techs (but some hospital will hire both CNAs and EMTs for these positions) YMMV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAGuy55 Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 I found a job pretty quickly as a tech (CNA) in a level 1 trauma center. All schools should count teching as experience. There is sooo much contact albeit too much sometimes with patients. Some of my friends did OTJ training as MAs. CNA licensing exams can usually be challenged in leu of taking a course. See if your state does that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAGuy55 Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 To add. Try and work out patient or ER. In patient is much more intense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nds1111 Posted March 28, 2016 Author Share Posted March 28, 2016 To add. Try and work out patient or ER. In patient is much more intense I found a job pretty quickly as a tech (CNA) in a level 1 trauma center. All schools should count teching as experience. There is sooo much contact albeit too much sometimes with patients. Some of my friends did OTJ training as MAs. CNA licensing exams can usually be challenged in leu of taking a course. See if your state does that. This is helpful. What state are you in? I also am trying to figure out if there are scribes in NYC but all the jobs through the placement companies (scribeamerica.com etc) are in other states. But a trauma 1 center is a good idea, likely needs more assistance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.