to CNA or not to CNA that is the question

So...I have finished my phlebotomy training, but it will be a while before I get my certification all ironed out with the state, and it could even longer before I'm able to nail down a job in that field, if at all.

The local college did not need me to teach any classes this term. They go to the faculty first, the graduate students next and *then* the part time pool by seniority, and between the low course offerings during winter and being the newest of the newbies, no luck for me.

I've still got my retirement home receptionist job, but that is only 19 hours per week, and at $10.50 an hour and no benefits, you do the math. No es bueno. Not getting by. So...

At the end of last week I saw that a caregiving facility I applied to almost a year ago for their in house CNA training program was starting a new training round at the end of January. I managed to get an application in the day after the announcement went out, and I put a lot of energy into my resume, references and cover letter, so I'm hoping I have a good chance there.

Secondly, I also put in an application to be a "medication technician" at a care facility across town from, but owned by the same company that I currently work for. The CEO at my current job found out pretty much immediately, asked me about it, and I explained the situation. It turns out they won't hire a non-CNA for meds passing, not really, but several days later he told me that I should apply to be a caregiver at yet another facility owned by the company. I put that application in tonight. It would be full time, so I would get benefits after 90 days. However, they do not have an in-house CNA program; I would not graduate to certified nursing assistant over time or have the job portability and pay raise that comes with it.

My inclination is that doing the CNA program at the un-related-to-my-current-job place may be the best opportunity long-term. I would have to find out pay rates, etc to be more confident in that statement, but even if I just stayed there 6 months, got my license, and then moved over to the hospital where they make twice as much, it would be totally worth it.

However, if I tell my current employer that I need more hours, they say, alright, here's an opportunity, and then I don't take it, that's a little awkward. Or what if it becomes a timing issue...what if my current employer says, okay, sure, let's start training you in the new job, and then *days* later I get word that I got into the on the job CNA training program?

I should call the on-the-job-CNA place tomorrow and ask if they have had a chance to review my application, and make sure there isn't any contract that mandates 1 year of FT work following training (as some places do), or anything like that. How can I carefully bring that one up, huh?

On-the-job-paid-CNA-training-thingy:
$8.70 per hour (lame)
3 months-ish to get CNA license
benefits, probably after 90 days
my friend who used to work there said the new company cut down on overtime possibilities
the last time I applied, when I met the teacher, I had a positive impression of her
After establishing my CNA license I could move somewhere that pays way more

Caregiver position with my current company
Pay unknown (maybe more than the other since I already have a history with the company?)
Benefits, but after 90 days
they are not set up to train someone who has little experience in caregiving, to my knowledge
No idea what hours they'd want me to work


When it comes down to it, I really don't need the CNA training if I'm going to be an RN in a couple of years anyway, but it might help me stay better afloat financially while in school...maybe....

Well that was sh*t timing.

One of the assisted living places I put in an application for a month ago, to do their paid CNA training program, called me for an interview just now. They said they had finally gotten around to checking my references and everything, and that they'd like to schedule an interview with their head nurse, CEO and someone else.

It would be for full time work, 4 hours training and 4 hours on the floor per day until training was over. Agh! Such a better opportunity than the one I just accepted, I think. But I felt responsible to the people that just hired me. So told the guy on the phone that I had just accepted another position last week. He said they'd keep my application on file, in the inactive section, and to please keep them in mind for the future.

Shoot!!! So frustrating. I found out I'm going to be making $10.50 an hour at the place I just accepted work, the receptionist position, while I'm pretty sure the CNA training program would have been minimum wage of 8. But full time work comes with health benefits. Geez.

All I could do was make the best decision I could at the time.

Then there's the other issue of the 2nd nursing home I applied for a CNA training position at -- that one said their summer class was full, but they were interested in me and would definitely call this fall when another class was starting. By then I will have worked at the receptionist job for what, 2 months maybe? Would I feel comfortable leaving then? Probably not.

I will just have to wait and see how it goes, I guess. But I am frustrated, can you tell?!

Within Nursing Home CNA Training Program Applications

I haven't been keeping up to date on this blog as things happen as much as I'd like. Part of that reason is that I keep applying for jobs and not getting them, and it's a drag to write about those experiences. But this one has sort of a hopeful ending, so I'll share.

One of my classmates in physiology had told me that she interviewed at an elder care facility in a nearby town that had an in-house CNA training program. I hadn't been aware that these existed; I thought that you had to either just work for such places as a non-certified "caregiver" or else do the CNA education at the local community college and then go interview.

In these programs, if you can get in, they train you for the first 2-3 months (while paying you minimum wage) and then bump up your pay a dollar or so after you've been certified. I thought this would be a good way to get a foot in the door of the medical industry, as I haven't had much luck so far.

I looked online for every local program like that I could find, and called them all. Several of the programs that were listed online as having CNA training programs actually didn't, but I found a few that did. One of them had an application to fill out online; I did that right away and still haven't heard back about 2 months later. Two others required that you come pick up and fill out an application in person.

So I did that. One of the CNA teachers that called me back said in her message that I should ask for her once I was done filling out the application and she would come out and talk to me (ie informal interview). I felt like it went well; she seemed very kind and caring, and I had a good feeling about the whole thing. I still hadn't heard anything about 3 weeks later, so I sent a follow-up note, and an updated resume, just reiterating that I was still interested and expressing that I really appreciated her taking the time to show me around and it felt like a great atmosphere to work in.

She called me a couple days later and left a message on my phone that sounded really appreciative of the note; she said that I was exactly the kind of person that they were looking for, that my application looked great, but unfortunately all the spots had already been filled for the summer. She said they had over 70 applicants and they could only take 12. She told me that she would keep my follow-up letter with my application and indicated that I would be one of her first couple of choices for their fall class, and that she'd call me again then.

So that doesn't solve my immediate concerns about finding a good job and supporting myself, but it is good news. If I can make it through the summer financially, and get into that program, at least for the fall, I could have a year of full time income before nursing school starts, and a basic certification to fall back on. I could also probably continue to take side classes like phlebotomy in my time off if I wanted to.

The other application that I needed to fill out in person, I really put extreme care into filling it out thoroughly and precisely, and writing a nice cover letter to go with it. It feels like it's been longer, but I just checked my calendar and it has only been a couple of weeks since I turned that one in. The person who returned my call about that program said that they were going through the re-certification process for their teaching program and they hoped to be able to start another class in July. Here's hoping.