sc715 Posted August 30, 2017 Share Posted August 30, 2017 I'm currently working as a scribe in the ER. I know many schools accept this but I've read that it's best to have some more hands on patient care experience as well. I've looked into CNA but have heard many negative things about it. What are the best ways to get hands on patient care experience without having to complete a long training program? I have my bachelor's degree and am currently drowning in student loans, so I can't afford any training programs. I'm looking for something with training programs similar in length to that of a CNA that are either free or low in cost, so not any technical schools or anything with tuition. I want to make sure I get as much as I can to make me a competitive applicant so any and all advice is greatly appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScubaBubble Posted August 30, 2017 Share Posted August 30, 2017 I used to scribe as well in a family medicine clinic. To get more hands on experience I took a CNA course through my community college that was almost 2 months long. I recently was hired as a patient care assistant. You should look for that title in your area (glassdoor, indeed). I work in the emergency room in a hospital and I get to do all the fun stuff. I'm first on the scene, take vitals, do EKG's, help with procedures. Best part is that patients go home within a few hours. I also am not responsible for ALD's since the patients are only here for a short period, as compared to working at a retirement home. Personally, I enjoy the fast paced atmosphere of the ER and prefer it over long term care facility. There are many opportunities and all kinds of job positions with a CNA degree!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hustleforthePAC Posted August 30, 2017 Share Posted August 30, 2017 Pt aide, emt course from a community college Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boli Posted August 30, 2017 Share Posted August 30, 2017 I would recommend EMT. It's a one semester certification and you can use it pre-hospital or in hospital as an ER tech. It's also a stepping stone to paramedic if you would choose to go that route prior to PA school Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beattie228 Posted August 30, 2017 Share Posted August 30, 2017 I agree with the EMT route. Sets you up nicely for PA, you can moonlight for some extra shifts while in PA school if you feel you can handle the course load and your patient contact hours will be high caliber (no concern of some schools not accepting the hours). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sc715 Posted August 30, 2017 Author Share Posted August 30, 2017 1 hour ago, ScubaBubble said: I used to scribe as well in a family medicine clinic. To get more hands on experience I took a CNA course through my community college that was almost 2 months long. I recently was hired as a patient care assistant. You should look for that title in your area (glassdoor, indeed). I work in the emergency room in a hospital and I get to do all the fun stuff. I'm first on the scene, take vitals, do EKG's, help with procedures. Best part is that patients go home within a few hours. I also am not responsible for ALD's since the patients are only here for a short period, as compared to working at a retirement home. Personally, I enjoy the fast paced atmosphere of the ER and prefer it over long term care facility. There are many opportunities and all kinds of job positions with a CNA degree!! This sounds like something I'd enjoy. I scribe in the ER now and love how fast paced it is. I have to look more into CNA certification, I was planning on getting it through one of the long term care facilities since it's free but many of them require you to work for them for a certain amount of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sc715 Posted August 30, 2017 Author Share Posted August 30, 2017 In response to EMT: I was discussing this yesterday with my boyfriend who used to be a paramedic but it sounds like I wouldn't be able to commit to the training program. He was saying some places will do your EMT basic training for free but it's 6-8 weeks of 5 days a week and unfortunately right now I have to work 6 days a week to pay my bills/student loans. I could manage a training program where I'm not making money that's a few weeks but 6-8 would be difficult. I really wanted to do ER technician so I was thinking about doing EMT basic training to get into that but I don't think it'll be feasible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pastudentw Posted August 30, 2017 Share Posted August 30, 2017 My main patient care before PA school was as an EKG tech. I did not have any sort of certification such as CNA, EMT, or MA. Once hired I took two different EKG courses through the hospital but it wasn't a formal certification process and I was on the clock for the time I went to the class which was nice. Although I feel I got off lucky getting this position without any certifications or prior direct patient care experiences. I say this because the vast majority of my coworkers had one of the certifications listed above or took the EKG courses at the hospital on their own time and dollar in order to increase their chances of getting hired. I think I was at a slight advantage since I was already employed with the hospital system as an urgent care receptionist and was able to apply as an inside position. It was a great patient care experience for me since it gave a variety of 12 leads, stress test hook ups and holter monitors in all areas of the hospital and cardiac clinic. I eventually moved up and was able to read holter monitors and do preliminary reports that would go to the physician for review. I got pretty good raises for this and probably got paid more than other entry level patient care jobs especially from the weekend and night differential pay I would rack up. During grave shifts and if we had an emergent MI I would go hang out in the cath lab and observe and ask questions when I didn't have any pages. Another option is a medical assistant position where the clinic is willing to train you on the job and does not require a cert. I think your best bet for this would be through a private practice clinic rather than large hospital systems where your resume would get immediately filtered out for not having an MA cert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sc715 Posted August 30, 2017 Author Share Posted August 30, 2017 1 hour ago, ChristineQLe said: Pt aide, emt course from a community college How long is the training for pt aide? I was looking into pt assistant but it looked like a 2 year training course Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hustleforthePAC Posted August 30, 2017 Share Posted August 30, 2017 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyNichiavelli Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 5 hours ago, sc715 said: How long is the training for pt aide? I was looking into pt assistant but it looked like a 2 year training course I got on-the-job training when I started working as a PT aide/technician. PT assistant is a different animal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted August 31, 2017 Moderator Share Posted August 31, 2017 6 hours ago, sc715 said: In response to EMT: I was discussing this yesterday with my boyfriend who used to be a paramedic but it sounds like I wouldn't be able to commit to the training program. He was saying some places will do your EMT basic training for free but it's 6-8 weeks of 5 days a week and unfortunately right now I have to work 6 days a week to pay my bills/student loans. I could manage a training program where I'm not making money that's a few weeks but 6-8 would be difficult. I really wanted to do ER technician so I was thinking about doing EMT basic training to get into that but I don't think it'll be feasible emt certification takes 120 hrs. many places do it as a weekend course over a few months or weeknights. definitely doable while a full time student or while working a full time job. your boyfriend may be talking about emt+ basic firefighter training which is longer. my emt course was mwf 6-9pm for 1 semester of high school plus an ambulance ride along and an ER shift. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzraCr Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 I took the phlebotomy course over the summer and while I did my clinical at the hospital, I was offered a job positions. Along the course and during my clinical rotation a met other students who were trying to get their patient care hours. This course was 2 months long- 2x/week during evening hours. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajames Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 I took my CNA over the summer which was fast-paced at my local community college, but if you have that option available to you through the facility for free with an agreement that you will work there for a while, that may be beneficial. Perhaps you can ask if they will agree to a weekend position or per diem where you can choose your own days so you can keep your other job until you are able to transfer to a place most suitable for your financial needs. I currently work in the hospital as a patient care assistant and only have a CNA certificate but my CNA also opens me up to applying to other hospital positions such as emergency department tech (EDT) and a variety of other units as a PCA. Whether you chose to go CNA or EMT, you will have a lot of options but one thing I would consider is the demand in your area for these positions. For me, there is a demand for CNA work but I'm from AZ and our geriatric population is high. But overall, I am very happy with my job and the experiences it has provided. I would definitely consider it quality PCE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kettle Posted September 5, 2017 Share Posted September 5, 2017 I believe EMT is now stretched out to 160 hours for the new national registry standard. In rural areas often times the ambulance is solely staffed with EMT's no medics around or low call volume unable to support ALS. I worked as an EMT for three years prior to getting my paramedic which I have been doing for seven years now, I thoroughly enjoy it and it has great autonomy, however I would not recommend paramedic school to anyone as another option, rough work environments and significantly less pay than a nurse. However the experience and knowledge I have gained is priceless. EMT to become an ER tech is a great option, typically higher pay than an ambulance EMT and this would put you working along side Pa's and more in hospital medicine versus prehospital medicine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted September 5, 2017 Moderator Share Posted September 5, 2017 one of my rural jobs uses paramedics as ER techs. I agree paramedic pay is lower than it should be(should be RN level), but I think there is no better experience out there to prepare one for PA school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kettle Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 Emedpa Thanks for your response! It's great experience, when I'm not on ambulance calls I function in the same capacity as an ER nurse. We don't have doctor's in the ER only PA's so the knowledge I have gained from actually working alongside them is fantastic. I love what I do, definitely why I want to become a PA and return to the rural areas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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