Tips on CNA Employment

A job as a CNA is a rewarding career and it is also in high demand as it offers many challenges and opportunities in the medical field. A career as a CNA is filled with lot of pride and self satisfaction as you are helping patients, who are suffering with various kinds of diseases, to recover. Once you become a CNA, you can take your career to the next step by becoming a Registered Nurse (RN) or a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN).

CNAs have a choice with regard to the type of health care centers they want to work with, as well as the age group they are willing to serve – some CNAs may want to help adults and senior citizens while others may opt to take care of small children. There is a lot of scope for personal growth in your career as a CNA. There is a huge demand for CNAs in hospitals, clinics and health-care centers and you will never be out of employment after becoming a CNA.

The job of a CNA is easier said than actually done. There are many hardships involved here and you need to be really passionate and devoted as far as your duties as a CNA are concerned. Following are some tips to help you in your employment as a CNA:

• The first tip on CNA employment is to opt for a CNA training course that has placement facility after the training is completed. Such courses with placements are offered in community colleges, medical training schools as well as in vocational schools. Mostly the training programs that offer placements tend to cost a little higher as compared to other courses, but the investment is worth it as it takes care of your career.
• Generally, placements are offered in institutions that have difficulty in employing the candidates because of problems such as low salary offered, location problems or unusual working hours. However, it is worth to go in for these training programs that offer placements as it will help you avoid the job hunting process post the CNA certification. Also, if you are unhappy with the job offered, you can always look for a better opportunity while still on the job.
• The next tip for CNA employment is to try and get trained in a local hospital. You can volunteer for this training program or enroll for the CNA training class at the hospital. Attending the training may not assure you of a job at the local hospital, but it will definitely put you in a better position when the local hospital is hiring for CNAs, besides helping in enhancing your practical skills and experience. Also, the experience will count when you mention it in your CV.
• You can also consider applying to a temporary agency. This will help you earn salary and gain experience while you are on the lookout for a bigger and better job opportunity. It's best to take help of various temporary agencies while you are still preparing for the CNA course. Chances are that you might already get a job offer once you complete the course. You can then inform the temporary agencies that you have secured a job and are ready to start work.

To stay ahead of the CNA employment curve, following steps will guide you for your CNA employment: 

• Contact local nursing agencies: Local nursing agencies have a huge demand for qualified nursing assistant. You can always track the local nursing agencies in your area, get their phone numbers and contact them to check if there are any vacancies and if they are hiring CNAs. You can also go there to fill out the application form for employment as a CNA along with submitting your resume to them. Even if they are not hiring CNAs at that moment, you will be on their priority list when they start hiring.
• Connect with private health care providers: If you wish to work with a private home health care agency, you can make a list of such agencies and contact them to check for vacancies. Again, you can fill out the employment application form along with submitting your CV so that they can contact you when they are hiring CNAs. You can also look for an appointment with the agency's hiring manager to increase your chances of being hired.
• Try visiting nursing homes: You can always pay a visit to long term facilities as well as nursing homes to check if they are hiring CNAs. Follow the same procedure of filling the employment application form and leaving your CV along with all your contact details, so that these facilities can call you when they are in need of CNAs.
• Utilize online CNA job services: Finding a dream job is made simple now by various websites that offer job postings for CNAs. You can log on to medical and health care job search websites to find a relevant job. It's a simple and quick way to access various CNA jobs available, and making an application to the same by simply posting your resume on the relevant websites.