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Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
To my fellow nurses (and nursing students)
I am currently working as a LPN (for just over a year) in long term care and going back to school for my RN (done this December). I have been thinking about applying for a CNA position with the hospital since then I would have my foot in the proverbial door and it would be a union position.
It seems that our RNs working in long term cannot find a hospital job at all, but I have a couple RNs that had to take a long term job, since the hospital they worked at as an aid didn't have any openings.
Question: would quitting my LPN job in long term care (not where I want
to be) to work as a CNA (in the hospital, yeah!) be a step backwards?
Or make sense to move from long term into the hospital setting?
Re: To my fellow nurses (and nursing students)
Unless you are able to get a position at the hospital as an LPN I believe going to work there as a CNA would be a step backwards. If you were an employer would you rather hire some one who has had experience as a nurse-utilizing nursing skills, charting and critical thinking or a CNA who has limited experience in these areas.
I agree with PP- stay working as an LPN. I worked with an RN who continued to work as a Nursing Assistant at the new North Memorial Hospital (I'm in MN too) but she at least had one foot in the RN world (even though it's home care). She eventually got accepted as an RN there. I see where you're coming from because it's all about who you know or having your foot in the door, but the LPN experience will be far more valuable in the long run. Otherwise I'd suggest writing to some recruiters of the hospitals you're looking into and ask them this same question.
ETA: I just thought of another idea. If you have the extra time (which I know is so hard while in school), volunteer a little at the hospital. One of my friends volunteered about 6 months at Children's before being considered.
My advice woudl be to stay working as an LPN. New grad RN jobs are VERY hard to come by, even if you worked as a CNA. My suggestion would be to volunteer or look for an externship program. ( at least that's what they have in NJ). It was a summer position also offered during winter break that allowed you to shadow an RN. We did get paid, but I hear now due to the economy, it was a volunteer type of thing, just structured the same.
Also don't wait until after you graduated to start looking for jobs- start a few months before. I know you still have to take the NCLEX but showing you are thinking ahead and trying to beat the rush of new grads helps out alot.
I work in healthcare, I have several accounts that I visit on the east coast but I go to the professional conferences around the country.
KEEP your LPN position. Volunteer at the local hospitals. I can tell you on average our LTC accounts receive 15 - 20 RN resumes a week looking positions and our hospitals receive in excess of 40 a week.
I do not know how or when it happened but there is an over-abundance of RN's out there. BS RN get top priority. On-line program grad. are not considered.
Do not forget to try home-health nursing or hospice nurse positions.
Find your passion and specialize in that area, you will be more valuable.
Good luck and congrat.