Home Heath Aid, Nurse Assistant..

[Mel6197]

Hi all

Im thinking of going to work.. Okay, I need to get a job! Little Background. No history of any work for me, got married young, had my kids..Etc..
So My son is about to go to Kindergarten and we need the money. So while looking into jobs, I need something with EXTREMELY flexible hours. (I need summers, holidays, etc., to be able to switch hours around) Plus my Hubby works 2 jobs. So like I said Really flexible hours!
I started looking into training for Home Health Aids are Maybe taking classes for Certified Nurse Assistant. I figure they need help 24 hours a day, so they should be flexible in hours.
Just wondering if any of you do it, or know someone who does it. And what kind of training, cost, etc., is involved. And do you like it?

Thanks for any input!

Have a Good day!

 

[disneyaggie]

Good for you!

I work for a company that hires CNA's, HHA's and caregivers. The training you will receive will be invaluable! It will give you a leg up with that nice certificate you will earn, and put you on a path to becoming an LVN or RN, should you so desire.

A school here in Dallas even gives suggestions on how to have the state pay for the schooling. I am not sure how it works, but apparently it is like a scholarship. The only cost out of pocket for the student would be a stethescope, scrubs and the appropriate tennis shoes (maybe a few other items, but nothing that seemed "out there").

We have many happy employees. We offer very flexible hours and you can work for several companies at the same time. If you work in a hospital, you may be locked in to certain hours (not totally sure about that one, but still check that out). We have one of our former staff members who was a teacher by the day, and one of our aids on the weekend!

Our service provides the non-skilled portion of home health care. Home health care provides the skilled portion (LVN's, RN's). You can actually work for both types of agencies! You can also work for hospitals, assisted living faciliites, nursing homes and private duty (like our company). Wow! So many options!

With the elderly population growing my leaps and bounds, you certainly are getting in at a very critical time. Good for you!

I wish you much success!

 

[golfgal]

A lot of hospitals will cover the training costs for you because these jobs, around here anyway, are hard to fill. The work isn't that great and the hours are horrible. Chances are you won't get to pick your hours and you will, at first anyway, probably be stuck with the worst shifts. Most of the shifts around here run like nurses shifts, 7-3, 3-11, 11-7. They occasionally hire "casual" positions, but those are like substitute teachers where you fill in for someone that is sick or whatever. You don't get to pick your days, usually and if you say no too many times they won't call you.

You might want to look into something in your school district. That might be the best option. There are a lot of aide positions in most schools that don't require a college degree. The lunch room is another option, usually those positions are from say 9-2 or so with holidays and summers off.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

I'm an RN and nursing assistants work very hard.

In the hospitals, its alot of bending, lifting and such. And if the hours are anything like an RN which I'm sure they are, they aren't very flexible. It includes, weekends, holidays and summers.

Homecare agencies hire nursing assistants also. The one I worked for, the assistants, primarily bathed the patient, washed hair and tidied up the home. The hours are a little more flexible, but not a whole lot.

How about a teachers aid? not sure on the schooling, but I would think those hours would pretty much be around your DS's.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

So like I said Really flexible hours!

I am an RN in a hospital. There are a variety of hours available but the hours themselves are not flexible. So if you have a child that gets off the schoolbus at 2:30pm and your shift doesn't end until 3pm you would have to make other arrangements as you could not leave on a regular basis (in fact, that is the case for me). Not showing up for work without cause on a regular basis is a serious problem, as the whole care team is dependent upon having the right number of people present, and sick calls can not always be replaced. Where I am we are all required to work two out of the three major winter and summer holidays, less as you gain seniority. Working conditions can be very stressful and strenuous, you are exposed to a variety of illnesses and communicable diseases, combative patients and a plethora of people that aren't always nice to you.

Now, if you're still with me, LOL, I'd like to say that being a nurse's aide can also be rewarding and lead to a career in professional nursing as was the case with myself. I enjoyed visiting patients and worked as an aide in a nursing home since I was a kid. Yes, the work could sometimes be what others would consider gross, but if you look past that and realize that you are helping people who cannot do for themselves then it puts it in a different perspective (it's not unlike being a mother). Patients are just like anyone else who happen to be sick or invalid, and they are all someone's family.

I work with many aides who take pride in their positions and continue to enjoy thier work despite the difficulties of it. There are many opportunities for laughter, joy, caring, helping and going above the call of duty when you find a patient and/or family you really connect with. You can often make a big difference to someone in their hospital stay just by showing you care and taking the time to listen. We recently had a young patient we knew well pass away, and one of our aides began a collection for her children and organized a group to go to the funeral, etc. That's caring.

Within the aide group itself there is opportunity to become a leader and recognition for excellence. The truth is that the pay for aides is not so hot, so to do the job without really liking what you do most likely would not be worth it, however if overtime is desired it is almost always available, sometimes just sitting with a confused patient. As someone else said, there can be scholarship monies available and support through a higher education progam if you want to advance your training, and almost all of our aides get nursing positions when they finish school. Hope I didn't scare you off, but I wanted to present a realistic picture of life as a hospital aide. You could always give it a try and see if it's right for you. Good luck!

 

[minkydog]

I started out at a nurse assistant about 100 years ago(well, it seems like it...) and used the skills to pay my way through nursing school. NAs work very hard and they are generally quite good at what they do. You have to really like being around sick people all the time--they're cranky, they don't smell good, they're demanding and not at their best. Can you see past all that and help them feel better?

The "hard hours" really depends on your perspective--I love working all those "awful" shifts that nobody wants. I love being able to work at night when my family is all asleep.It's true the work is hard. But I loved giving care to scared, hurting, and dying people in the middle of the night.

Flexibility means different things to different people. For me, it means being able to work weekends and nights instead of a traditional 9-5. It means I can work holidays and take time off when it is better for me. It does not mean that I work when i want to--my schedule is set and they expect me to show up. Hospitals operate 24/7 so you will be working holidays, weekends, summers and everything in between.

Cathy, RN 28 yrs--"Night shift--where the stress is less and the money's best"

 

[TinkInPink]

After reading this thread if you are still interested in being a Cer.Nursing assistant I would suggest calling your local "Nursing Homes" all called something different now, and checking if they run their own training program. I taught the CNA program at a facility like this. After completeing the program they would be offered a job and the training was free. They are also a good source of where to get the training if they don't offer it. Community Colleges or Technical schools usually offer it.

The Hours like others say aren't really flexible but they are available at all different times and amounts. After training and some experience you could look for an in home aid position these are much more flexible. The job outlook is good,but you have to be reliable if you think you would have to call off a lot with kids I'd hold off this job for a awhile.

Now don't get insulted but have you considered McDonalds for very flexible hours ? I know someone who works at ours and they love she is older than high school and she works the lunch rush something like 10-2pm. She gets the kids to school then works and is home by the time they are !

Again I posted quick without checking if my daughter logged out so this is not a teenager posting.