Take summer classes or find CNA program & job during the summer?

[dndandrea]

I'm not entirely sure what to do. I'm very behind since I started out at a community college as a part time student and it took me about 3 years to get my associates. Now I have to decide whether to transfer to the university I plan to go to this summer or in the fall.

 

Summer courses are only 6 weeks and I was going to take 9 credit hours. One of the courses I planned to take was general chemistry 1 (have to retake it since I got a C in it at the community college i go to). It should be a very easy class for me now so it made sense to get it over with in only 6 weeks. I have 0 hours of clinical experience and my associate is just general science so it will not land me any medical field jobs.

 

I live an hour away from the school so I don't feel comfortable enrolling in a CNA program AND taking 9 credit hours.

 

Also, any advice on where to find a CNA program? The only programs I can find local are medical assisting or STNA. Or any better advice on what I should do instead of CNA?

 

Thanks!

[frenchy]

http://www.pelhamtraining.com/course_calendar.htm

 

Consider the accelerated EMT course. It is only 14 days long. Then you would be able to work as an EMT and take your summer courses.

[dndandrea]

It sounds like it's in Indiana, but I live in Ohio. I'm not sure if i'd be able to handle an accelerated EMT course if I have no EMT background. Granted I have done well in all my A&Ps, biology, chemistry courses. Thanks for the suggestion though!

[Timon]

You'll be fine. You have the foundation behind you with your PA prerequisites. There's also a 2 week class in CA at a place called Unitek in Fremont. I had initially signed up for a 2 week class but then found a 4 week one for way cheaper and did that one instead. The only challenge you're going to have are just the basic skills not knowledge of material. Meaning how to put someone in spinal with a collar or using the supplies in your trauma / med kit and etc.

[frenchy]

I went through the 2 week class in Indiana. The majority of the class were college students with no medical experience. They did fine. There was plenty of practice time for the skills. Quite a few of the students were pre-med, pre-pa wanting hands on experience.

[dndandrea]

What do these accelerated EMT courses award you once you finish? A EMT-B certificate? If there's one in Ohio i'd probably be more interested. Would EMT-B be better than CNA?

[Timon]

You'll get a certification to take the National Registry exam. Upon passing the national registry and applying to your Local Emergency Medical Services Association (LEMSA) you'll be certified as an EMT-B.

 

Between CNA and EMT-B it really doesn't matter on the cert rather where and what you do for clinical experience. CNAs can apply for PCT (patient care tech) experience and can get great experience if working in the ICU, ER, CCU, PCU, or L&D. As an EMT-B you can work doing 911 response calls or work as an ER Tech. These experiences between the two are good.

 

Now if you were a CNA at a skilled nursing facility (SNF), Telemetry, DOU, Med Surg, a hospice, or caretaker you're not going to get exposed to a good clinical experience IMO. If you're an EMT-B running IFT (inter-facility transport) I don't think you're getting a good clinical background as well.

 

So in summary it just depends where you end up working with your certification. IMO the best experience you can get with either of these certifications is to work in the ER. Also one big difference between the two is as an EMT-B you learn some of the more common diseases, treatments, very basic medications, pre-hospital care, and how to deal with acuity. Versus CNA training you're going to learn more about nursing theory, bedside manner, how to properly make a bed and act as a care taker for people with chronic illnesses (such as how to properly clean a geriatric patient or body mechanics to assist patients to get out of bed and walk) and etc.

[dndandrea]

You'll get a certification to take the National Registry exam. Upon passing the national registry and applying to your Local Emergency Medical Services Association (LEMSA) you'll be certified as an EMT-B.

 

Between CNA and EMT-B it really doesn't matter on the cert rather where and what you do for clinical experience. CNAs can apply for PCT (patient care tech) experience and can get great experience if working in the ICU, ER, CCU, PCU, or L&D. As an EMT-B you can work doing 911 response calls or work as an ER Tech. These experiences between the two are good.

 

Thanks for the great reply! These were the types of fields I was looking into for HCE. However, would they hire someone for these positions without any experience? I'd assume they'd want someone who's worked as EMT-B for a while before they could work as ER Tech. I'd also assume that they'd want someone who's worked as a CNA in a nursing home or a less difficult setting before they could work in the ICE, ER, etc... Is this right or am I wrong?

 

I've been in school for 3.5 years now and just received my associate in applied science last semester. I'm pretty behind and i feel like I need to get experience ASAP so I can build on that for the next couple of years. However, i don't want to be stuck doing something that won't benefit me unless I work for several years before being "promoted" to a worthy HCE position.

[Timon]

Like all jobs, it's all about who you know. There's a variety of ways to get in like volunteering at a hospital, or going through a temp agency, or family / friends who work at the establishment. I didn't have experience but I know a lot of physicians (through family) and got offered a job at 3 different hospitals fresh out of getting my EMT-B cert. You just need access to the hiring managers.

[alster]

I completely agree with Timon. I was able to get a job as a PCA in a hospital with no experience. It helped a lot that I had a connection that took me right to the nurse manager who did the hiring. I don't think HR paid any notice to my application since I had no prior experience, but the nurse manager appreciated having someone smart and driven to take on the role. While I've been able to learn tons on my unit, it's not an ICU, so they might have other requirements there that I'm not familiar with. It takes some looking and trying to get connected, but it's certainly possible to start gaining quality experience with just the certification.

[dndandrea]

I found out the hospital near me has PCT job openings but it doesn't give any specifics on what i'd be doing. Most of the openings for PCT also say it's part of a resource pool (im assuming that means i'd be all over the place). I tried searching this forum but didn't come to a good conclusion, would this be considered good experience for someone who has 0 HCE? The job posting says nursing and nonnursing duties. Requirements are HS diploma, medical terminology proficiency/class, BLS/CPR certification.