is this a good idea? CNA

[Kim in Appalachia]

My dd is 17 and is planning on attending college. Right now she is thinking of majoring in music education. Jobs in our area are scarce, but you can always get a job as a CNA, the hospital and nursing home never have enough. You can work any hours you want. I read that it would cost around $700 (maybe less) to have her certified.

 

I was thinking this could be a good way to always be able to find a job. It would provide her with steady work wherever she is, and she could save some money for school. It would be great if she could help with school.

 

Anyone do this? Do you think it's a good idea? I'm going to look into courses this week, but I was wondering if anyone has done this.

[kalanamak]

It is a good way to learn about life and how lucky we are, too.

[HSmomNY]

Yes there is always work, but the pay, at least in NY, is not good. The work is hard, very hard work.

In my area some employers will pay for the classes, you might look into that.

[ChristusG]

My sister was going to school to be a CNA. And I know several people who work at nursing homes, hospitals, etc. They seem to like it...no complaints from them. And the money is decent for them (it's their sole income). I don't think they can ever have enough CNA's.

[Guest momk2000]

I think it's an excellent idea.

[GWOB]

My step-sil is very musically talented. She wanted to go to college for music, but realized it wouldn't likely pay off. My fil and step-mil do not have any sort of money to help out with college, so ssil decided to get her CNA first. She worked at the local nursing home during her senior year. Her plan is to go to the local community college and get a two-year RN degree. When she saves up enough money, she plans to go to back to school for music. It is an incredibly smart plan, and I was completely surprised by her maturity. CNA work is hard, but so is waitressing. I think it is a great fall-back plan.

[ocelotmom]

Check to make sure there are *really* CNA jobs available (especially for inexperienced CNAs) right now before investing. There aren't where I am.

[Kim in Appalachia]

Check to make sure there are *really* CNA jobs available (especially for inexperienced CNAs) right now before investing. There aren't where I am.

 

I know there are where I'm at. But yes, it would be wise to make sure there are jobs available before putting any money out for the classes.

[FaithManor]

I think that on a lot of levels, this can be good. There is great life experience to be had. I will say though that in terms of applying to a music school, it will not impress anyone. They'd rather see her pursuing music with that time...accompanying music groups (if she is a pianist), playing in community orchestra or band, going to music camps such as Interlochen, and practicing three or four hours per day.

 

In our area, CNA's are paid $8.00 per hour. That's only 50 cents more than minimum wage. So, the cost of the classes may not be recouped over the pay of other minimum wage jobs very quickly. But, again, it's a valuable skill and there are other, more intrinsic factors to consider.

 

Whatever else, the time spent becoming a CNA and working as one, should not trump her musical persuits if she is seriously considering a music major. This is especially true if she will be auditioning for music scholarships.

 

Faith

[Annabel Lee]

Before paying for the training & certification see if employers are willing to cover that. Also, if the dc isn't already graduated from HS, some school districts offer the training classes free as electives. School districts up here do, but didn't used to. Pay for that line of work varies widely depending on where you are.

 

Right after HS I trained to become a CNA and went straight to work after getting certified. It's hard, hard work. Pay close attention to the type of place dc will be working at. The place I worked turned out to be kind of a sad environment since there just weren't enough of us to properly (IMO) take care of all the residents. I think more laws/rules about that have been set in place since then, though. I liked it for the exact thing I didn't get to do much because of time constraints - be a small ray of light in those people's otherwise dim existence. I worked on a geriatric wing where the patients all had Alzheimer's or other similar mental disorders. Most of their families never visited. To make them laugh, smile, or in some cases just get them to eat was a huge highlight. It will certainly make a young person value life in a new/different way, and foster compassion.

 

ETA: I was paid $7 - $9/hr depending on day, swing, or night shift. Now, up here, they pay CNAs $18/hr for night shift at the same facility.

[tex-mex]

I think it is a wonderful idea! Plus the life lessons she will learn will be far valuable than the hourly wage. Keep us posted on her progress.

[roxanne23]

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Edited January 4, 2023 by roxanne23

[Nakia]

I think it's a great idea! In fact, I worked as a CNA before I started nursing school and all the way through. It is very very hard work, but it can be very rewarding too. Around here, CNAs are paid quite well considering the short time it takes to become certified.

[Slartibartfast]

I know a TON of music educators at all levels. A lot are on my FB, they generally seem to love what they do.

 

Does she want to be a CNA??

 

She can earn money tutoring, performing for churches, events, restaurants, weddings and other things. The people I know were always doing random gigs when we were in school.

Edited June 26, 2011 by Sis

[Kim in Appalachia]

I know a TON of music educators at all levels. A lot are on my FB, they generally seem to love what they do.

 

Does she want to be a CNA??

 

She can earn money tutoring, performing for churches, events, restaurants, weddings and other things. The people I know were always doing random gigs when we were in school.

 

 

 

We live in a very rural area. There are no job opportunities for music, none. She is doing a music camp this summer, plays at church, and of course, is still taking lessons.

 

There are not even many minimum wage jobs available. The hospital and school are the largest employers. She is going to teach one student this year, but that is her brother. :001_smile:

 

I plan on looking into all of the details this week; find out the actual pay, the cost of classes, and if the nursing home or hospital would cover it.

 

Does she want to do it? Not really. She does need a job. She needs to help save money for school. There are not even restaurants for her to go wait tables at. The fast food places are stocked with middle aged women who are desperate for the work. A job at the hospital or nursing home would be the best paying job in the area.

 

Thanks for everyones input. I was wondering if the idea just sounded crazy. :001_smile:I think my dd thinks so. :tongue_smilie:

[kiana]

When I got my CNA, the nursing home ran the class and trained us, and we got paid minimum wage (5.15 at the time) for training. Immediately after training, they bumped us to 7.

 

I had all the shifts I wanted and they were very flexible with my scheduling. I got my bachelor's with 5k debt and all of that was from one semester of study abroad.

[katilac]

It's not a job I would "push" someone into; it's very difficult, and many people are just not cut out for it. If your dd is squeamish, I can't imagine her taking this job. What about babysitting, mowing lawns, cleaning houses?

 

Where does she intend to go to school? She might be able to get a campus job, or if it's in a different area, it might be easier to get an outside job. Does she have ideas of her own on how to come up with some money? I certainly think it's reasonable for her to contribute, and if she doesn't like your idea, she needs to start researching and coming up with her own ideas.

[Impish]

I was/am a CNA.

 

I loved my job. I was good at two areas a lot of staff avoid: the locked ward, and palliative care.

 

The pay was quite good, esp if you worked in a union place.

 

That being said, I'm now perm physically disabled with a chronic pain disability b/c a resident grabbed me. Most common injury is a back injury.

 

So, its not a 'safe' job in some ways, but then, hardly any job is. It is something to consider, though.

[mom4him]

My dd is 17 and is planning on attending college. Right now she is thinking of majoring in music education. Jobs in our area are scarce, but you can always get a job as a CNA, the hospital and nursing home never have enough. You can work any hours you want. I read that it would cost around $700 (maybe less) to have her certified.

 

I was thinking this could be a good way to always be able to find a job. It would provide her with steady work wherever she is, and she could save some money for school. It would be great if she could help with school.

 

Anyone do this? Do you think it's a good idea? I'm going to look into courses this week, but I was wondering if anyone has done this.

If she doesn't have a squeamish tummy, likes working with people and is willing to work hard it could be a very good idea. Many places will pay for most or all of the cost if you agree to work for them for a certain length of time.

[Sushi's Mom]

Maybe she can start up some homeschool music classes. Group classes would be great. She can charge $5 per student for a 45-60 minute class. I know around here people are always looking for inexpensive homeschool classes in areas they really cannot do. She can have a recorder class for younger kids, music history for older kids, even private classes, etc.

 

Are you in a homeschool group, or yahoo group for your area? If not, find one because that would be a good way for her to get the word out.

 

Is there a music school in your area? Not a college, but a school where kids and adults go to take private lessons, join a community orchestra, and have various group lessons. Perhaps there is one that you have not heard about and she could apply there, even if just as an assistant.

 

Does she sing or play an instrument? If so, she can try to get some jobs doing wedding music, or for parties. We hired some teens from our local music school to play at my brother's wedding ceremony. The teens were less expensive than a pro and we were happy with what we got; we knew they were teens and not expecting perfection. There were three of them and we paid them $100 that they split. They were only there for less than one hour. She can find little jobs like this to add to whatever other kind of job she can find. It will all add up.

 

Keep looking around, talk to people who know music (choir masters at churches, music stores, friends, etc.) and try to find something more in line with what she ultimately wants to do.

 

Good luck to you both!

[goldberry]

I had a friend get certified as a CNA, and she was disappointed. There were not very many jobs and they were all starting minimum wage or very little over, for very difficult work. She ended up becoming a para at the local elementary school.

[BatmansWife]

I haven't read through all the replies. My dd just graduated. In August she will start her nursing classes at a tech school. There are different levels and I'm not sure how far she wants to go up (I don't think she knows either). The first level (I believe) is CNA. A friend of ours at church also just graduated. He already is CNA certified (did it during his senior year)....hasn't got a job yet. My mom recently told me that my brother (who is 45) is taking CNA classes. Apparently there is demand for men to do this too.

[Mama Geek]

Your dd might not want to hear this but I wouldn't pay for my dd to go college for a music major. I wouldn't have problems with it being a minor, but a major would have to be something that would allow her to support herself in the future. It just costs too much money to go to college. If she doesn't want to do a CNA is there anything else that she would be interested in?

 

Does she want to stay in her hometown in the future? If she is willing to move it would open up doors for other careers.

[bettyandbob]

OK my answer is maybe. CNAs in my area have a pay range that is truly terrible to maybe OK. One of my part time jobs is teaching swimming at a local rec center. I have a WSI and I get 19.50/hr for group lessons and 30/half hour for private. Lifeguards start at over 10/hr, many make more and our rec center is always hiring. I'm passionate about teaching swimming and think it's an important skill for everyone, but should be valued more than the CNA work, I dunno. My point is there may be avenues that require less training, but still decent pay for a college student if you can set up consistent work.

 

I would only push the CNA for someone who is truly interested in the field. It is truly hard work and often for low pay. What CNAs do is extremely important, in general the work is not valued.

[Impish]

I would only push the CNA for someone who is truly interested in the field. It is truly hard work and often for low pay. What CNAs do is extremely important, in general the work is not valued.

Bingo. In the ladder of health care, CNAs are often viewed as pond scum. Its depressing to discover that you can get better pay, hrs, and benefits at a factory than taking care of the elderly, ill, and dying. Not to mention the, "You change adult diapers?! EEEEEWWWWWWWW!" comments :glare:

[WishboneDawn]

My only concern would be that she's the kind of person that would enjoy this kind of work and would enjoy being with the residents. It's not a job where you can only what it can do for your daughter but one where she has to ask what she can give to the residents.

[WishboneDawn]

Bingo. In the ladder of health care, CNAs are often viewed as pond scum. Its depressing to discover that you can get better pay, hrs, and benefits at a factory than taking care of the elderly, ill, and dying. Not to mention the, "You change adult diapers?! EEEEEWWWWWWWW!" comments :glare:

 

My sister is a daycare worker.

 

Same thing.

 

The people who look after the most vunerable members of our society are the least valued. Pretty sad,

[EmmaNZ]

I did this to pay my way through college. I hated it (and I'm in the health care profession). BUT, the pay was good and it was extremely flexible so I continued whilst I needed to. It is not something everybody can do though.

[Impish]

My sister is a daycare worker.

 

Same thing.

 

The people who look after the most vunerable members of our society are the least valued. Pretty sad,

I got far less of a hard time running a dayhome than working in an LTC. I totally agree about the value issue. I remember being completely stunned when I discovered that factory work would pay better, I'd have wknds and holidays off...

[roxanne23]

.

Edited January 4, 2023 by roxanne23

[Wheres Toto]

I worked as a CNA for about 6 months when I was first divorced. One of the larger nursing homes in our area ran free training classes and allowed you to work shifts during training (only certain duties allowed - helping feed patients, delivery meals). That meant working 16 hour days for 3 weeks but the pay was decent - over $11.00/hour for 11pm to 7am shifts - and the hours allowed me to continue going to school. There is always a demand for CNA's around here.

 

I HATED it. It was not a good job choice for me. I am NOT a people person, I was threatened by other CNA's for reporting patient abuse, I was always tired, it was exhausting, physically hard work. I worked in the psychiatric wards so many of the patients were younger and could get violent.

 

I made the same money doing stock work at Sam's Club from 3am to 11am, I didn't have to deal with people and I lost 40 pounds from the physical work (which was easier dealing with inanimate objects rather than uncooperative people).

[texasmama]

When I was taking a break from my college studies, I worked for a time as a CNA. The nursing home I worked at hired people and then trained and certified them. It was a simple process and free to the employees. I can't personally imagine paying $700 to be certified for a hard, low-paying job and would be looking for free or cheaper ways to get this accomplished, but I am not familiar with what the norm is in your area. Just be aware that sometimes you can get this certification free.

[Orthodox6]

My d-i-l works as a CNA while she waits to get into nursing school. (I don't know about the rest of the country, but where we live, competition is cutthroat. Her GPA of higher than 3.8 from a good local university sufficed only to place her on the waiting list.) D-i-l works at a major children's hospital, and LOVES her work.

 

Let your DD complete her music studies in peace. People who study what they love because they are motivated to do so, generally land on their feet throughout the rest of life because they are "wired" to work hard.

Edited June 27, 2011 by Orthodox6
clarify a pronoun

[scubamama]

I am an RN. I worked at a nursing home (the most "upscale" one in my area) my last 2 years of college.

It was awful.

I am not talking about the hard work part - I had a completely disabled mother that I bathed, dressed, fed, and toileted since I was a child. I was used to working hard.

It was the insanely hectic pace, lack of staff, abusive CNA's, nasty LPN/RN's. And the violent residents - throwing feces, hitting, spitting, etc. Worst of all was being groped by elderly men. I reported EVERYTHING. I was a thorn in their side. I understood the pathology of aging.

I was depressed when LPN/RN's would laugh it off. Where was the dignity these residents deserved? What about their safety - one older man deliberatly s*xually abused confused female residents. His family was actually proud of him!

I was injured on the job - inguinal hernia - a direct result of lifting/transferring people without enough staff to help.

The day I resigned (I graduated top of my RN program and got an RN job) the Director of Nursing yelled at me for leabing them "short". I told her I had just graduated and was taking an RN position. Her attitude changed instantly...she offered me a job on the spot. I said I would never work there. The CNA's that were on internal prbation for abusing the residents, the LPN who failed her RN exam 4x and was constantly on the phone to her bf, the violent residents, it was all too much.

 

I also worked as a waitress and unloaded trucks in a warehouse - also hard jobs. There were no bodily fluids thrown at me, no injuries were taken lightly, and no daily dose of being treated as a lesser person b/c you change diapers for minimum wage.

I'd encourage her mow lawns instead.

 

Michele

[LauraGB]

Dh was a CNA for several years before the kids were born. It was only a 3 month course then. Rather than working directly for the facilities, he worked for a staffing agency - he made substantially more per hour (around $12-$14 pr/hr and as many hours as he could handle, but that was about 15 years ago, so no idea if it's the same now or not). Eventually we went on to open our own adult family home and have been doing it for nearly a dozen years.

 

So, yes, I would think it is a good starter job. Lots of hard work though. And emotionally tough.

[scubamama]

If dd can get a CNA post in a hospital it might be better.

I practically kissed the CNA's feet whenever we could get her on our unit.

I was charge in MICU/SICU and we rarely got a CNA.

I worked to make her want to come back to us! Coffee, snacks, you want to go have a extra smoke break? Sure! See you in 10.

I was ever so grateful for extra hands - I knew how hard it was and I didn't want anyone to be treated like I was.

Patient care isn't glamorous, it can be done with true caring though.

Caring for the caregiver is the first step.

Inquire at the hospital.

[ocelotmom]

My d-i-l works as a CNA while she waits to get into nursing school. (I don't know about the rest of the country, but where we live, competition is cutthroat. Her GPA of higher than 3.8 from a good local university sufficed only to place her on the waiting list.) D-i-l works at a major children's hospital, and LOVES her work.

 

That's how it was where I went through RN school. And then jobs after graduation were similarly cutthroat for those who made it into and through a program. Hence my previous post here (I see what is available for CNAs/techs when searching for RN jobs, and it's a similar situation - there are jobs available, but they all require experience.)

[sewingmama]

I worked as a CNA for 5 years when I was very young (22). It is not a job I would recommend for young people. It's back-breaking work - I'm 36 now and I feel like I'm almost a cripple from the damage it did to my body. For hours and hours a day you are lifting very heavy people who are deadweight. There is a huge stress factor -never enough staff, never enough time to do the things you really want to do (chat with the residents, sit with the dying, take more then 3 minutes to feed someone lunch).

 

You are basically on your feet from the moment you start till you finish - so many days I could barely drag myself out to the car when the shift finished.

 

Also you are working weekends, holidays etc. It wreaks havoc on your social life which is important to young people. I missed 5 years of birthdays, christmas's and special events because I was always working.

 

If your daughter can find any other job - then let her do that instead. A CNA would be the last thing on my list I would recommend. You really have to love the job. Lack of patience in a stressful enviroment in a job you hate -this is how elderly abuse happens.

[Ottakee]

You said she wasn't really interested in doing CNA work. If that is the case then, NO, don't have her do it.

 

As other has mentioned it is VERY hard work, emotionally draining and can be a huge eye opener for a homeschooled 18 year old girl.

 

Have you prepared her to toilet, bathe, and clean up GROWN MEN? Can she handle the cleaning of lots of bodily fluids? How about elderly residents that are confused and swearing or combative? How about working with other staff that do not lead a sheltered life style (to put it mildly)? Even in a hospital setting you are dealing with a lot--including patients that pass away on your shift.

 

CNAs should be near the TOP of the pay scale---if I was running the show as they are the ones that do the daily care of very vulnerable people.

 

If you had said that she REALLY wanted to do this type of work, then YES, I would say go for it and make sure to have some very open communication with her about the above issues.

[emzhengjiu]

In our area, it is very difficult to find a CNA job without experience unless you are willing to work in a nursing home on the night shift. It's almost impossible to get a CNA position in a hospital without considerable experience. The pay isn't very good either. A friend of mine recently completed a CNA course through a community college. She can't find any day or evening jobs. I don't think many places offer free training anymore, at least not where I live.

 

Has your daughter considered medical assisting? I don't know how the job market is but she would likely be working in a doctor's office and the work would not be backbreaking. Dental assisting might be another possiblity. Also, she might consider working as a home health aid with a staffing agency. No experience or specific training is required but agencies usually hire aids who are comfortable with the elderly or have helped out with elderly family members.

 

ETA: My younger daughter wants to study art. I'm encouraging her but I'm also insisting she have a marketable skill of some sort. She's much younger than your daughter, but I'm starting early. Follow your passion and develop skills that allow you to earn a living.

 

Ann

Edited June 27, 2011 by emzhengjiu

[Kim in Appalachia]

Your dd might not want to hear this but I wouldn't pay for my dd to go college for a music major. I wouldn't have problems with it being a minor, but a major would have to be something that would allow her to support herself in the future. It just costs too much money to go to college. If she doesn't want to do a CNA is there anything else that she would be interested in?

 

Does she want to stay in her hometown in the future? If she is willing to move it would open up doors for other careers.

 

 

She is a senior in HS this year. She is looking at music and education. She has also started to think about music therapy. I know neither is a career choice with huge demand, but I do think she will enjoy it, both studying it and the work. There is not a whole lot else she wants to do. Plus, she is flexible. I could see her teaching elementary school and doing school plays and performances. She is great with kids.

 

There is little to no possibility of her being able to work or live here when she is done school (unless she wanted to be an RN, and she does not). This is not our hometown (my dh or myself), so that is not a big deal.

[Kim in Appalachia]

I was/am a CNA.

 

I loved my job. I was good at two areas a lot of staff avoid: the locked ward, and palliative care.

 

The pay was quite good, esp if you worked in a union place.

 

That being said, I'm now perm physically disabled with a chronic pain disability b/c a resident grabbed me. Most common injury is a back injury.

 

So, its not a 'safe' job in some ways, but then, hardly any job is. It is something to consider, though.

 

 

I do understand what you're saying. I know what the job is like (even if my dd does not). We are going to take our time at looking into it, make sure she could do it. We have a bit of an advantage. We know the people at the nursing home and at the hospital. If she worked there she would be treated well, and others would look out for her. There is always a risk with the residents, but I don't believe the nursing home here has had any problems. But I will be sure to ask about that. The pay here is barely above min wage, no unions. But there are no other jobs, so they can do that.

[Kim in Appalachia]

OK my answer is maybe. CNAs in my area have a pay range that is truly terrible to maybe OK. One of my part time jobs is teaching swimming at a local rec center. I have a WSI and I get 19.50/hr for group lessons and 30/half hour for private. Lifeguards start at over 10/hr, many make more and our rec center is always hiring. I'm passionate about teaching swimming and think it's an important skill for everyone, but should be valued more than the CNA work, I dunno. My point is there may be avenues that require less training, but still decent pay for a college student if you can set up consistent work.

 

I would only push the CNA for someone who is truly interested in the field. It is truly hard work and often for low pay. What CNAs do is extremely important, in general the work is not valued.

 

She would LOVE to lifeguard! She would do it for min wage, but there are no jobs available. The water park takes the college kids first.

 

She does babysit, a lot, but it's not enough. She really needs to earn more. I guess it's one of those life lessons. If you want something, you have to work hard for it. Be willing to do whatever it takes to reach your goal.