Going to school this fall? Find a part time job that pays more!

So you're going to VCU, University of Richmond or another school for higher education this Fall? Paying for education has never been harder. Most students will graduate with great debts if their parents can't help them out. What's worse, student loans may not cover all your expenses while you're in school.

Yes, you could have a job on the weekends working retail or in the restaurant industry. That type of labor can be quite intense, especially if you have a full load of classes. They also don't add much to your resume and they are known for not paying particularly well.

During this summer, you could take our 5 week course and become a CNA. By the time you go back to school you can get paid anywhere between $8.00-$12.00 depending on which facility you work in. This can be much higher than minimum wage and it is a job that you can work nights, if you go to school during the day, or day if you want to go school at night. You're not giving up weekends like you'd have to do if you work retail or restaurants. Most importantly, it is a job that adds to your resume and will look good to your future employers, no matter what industry you decide to work in.

Is this the first time a college student decides to do our program to support themselves through college? Not at all, in fact, there's plenty of VCU students headed to medical careers that KNOW that this is the best place for them to start. Again, you don't have to be a medical student to take advantage of this program - you just have to be hard working, interested in making more money and willing to do our five week course.

Why Virginia School for Nurse Aides? Simple. We offer payment plans, we are an accelerated course and we are just one of the best. Just watch all of the videos our students have made on our Facebook page as testimonials. Other schools take longer, are more expensive and don't have as high of a success rate as our school.

Supporting a great cause

We had the opportunity to come out to Nacho Mama's Bar and Grill to support the Alzheimer's Association of Richmond. It was a fantastic event and we're always excited to be a part of anything that raises awareness and money for diseases like this. We are in the industry of patient care and we know the importance of this particular cause. Can't wait until the next event! 

 

What's Med Tech?

We're well known for our CNA program - a lot of our students come here, graduate, get a job and some come back to get their Med Tech certification. If you're not in the industry you may be wondering what "Med Tech" actually means. In lamest terms, it is a way for you to enhance your CNA certification quickly and also make a little bit more money in the process.

Having a Medication Aide Certification allows a CNA to administer drugs to patients that they are taking care of. The types of medications that they are allowed to administer is limited to just certain types are typically medications that must be administered daily.

We found a great description of what you can expect when working as a Medication Aide from Learn.org.

"As a medication aide, you give prescribed topically and orally administered medications under a nurse's supervision. You make sure that the six rights of medication administration - correct person, drug, dose, time, route and documentation - are followed. You will chart the medication, dosage, time and date of administration on the patient's record. Refusals to take medications will also be charted.

You may be responsible for picking up or taking delivery of medications from pharmacies. If required, you take blood pressure readings, temperatures and heart or pulse rates. Your job duties may include providing support with hygiene and grooming."

Not all CNA schools provide this training and for most of our students, it seems like a natural step after graduating. After graduation students have built their confidence as CNAs and it is easy for them to transition into Medication Aide. We never stop learning and this is a great way to get some continuing education and get paid more without requiring going back to school full time. For more information about becoming a Med Tech visit our website Virginia School for Nurse Aides.

It's All About Your Skills!

Students always ask - what does it take to be a CNA? Is it easy? and, can I do it? Honestly, a big part of it is reading and lecture. Our teachers sit down with our students in intimate settings and teach a certified course for about a week - but it doesn't really stop there. 

Practice makes perfect! And there is no other way to put what you have learned to good use other than actually practicing it. Our teachers first demonstrate, then students practice on a dummy and also on each other. They are being mentored and monitored by our teachers for a week. This is where our students get comfortable and ask many questions. What's so great about the size of our classes is that our students can feel comfortable and confident with interacting with others. They get to know each other pretty quickly and are able to not only rely on their teachers but also each other. 

Once you're done with this portion of the program, students go to clinicals. Clinicals are real life situations where they help real patients. Students travel to the site everyday and put their skills to use. Teachers are always there to supervise and ensure that if they have any questions that those are answered. This really is essential to the success of our students. In order to be successful, students must have great teachers, proper training and most importantly the drive to be successful. Having the right school is going to make all the difference to your success. So make sure that you choose wisely! The better CNA you are, the better pay you'll get! 

The National CNA Average Pay Is....

How much money do you currently make an hour? Becoming a CNA is not only something that can fulfill you as a person but it can also help you make more money per hour. On the low end, a CNA can expect to get paid $8.55 per hour, the minimum wage in Virginia currently stands at $7.25 per hour, that's over one dollar more per hour. Let's say that you work 4 weeks out of the month and you work full time - at minimum wage that's $1,160 before taxes. If you become a CNA your salary per month would be $1,368 - that's $208 MORE every month and that's assuming that you are getting paid on the low end of CNA work. If you get paid the median wage your monthly income would be $1,846.40 or $686.40 more every month!

Becoming a CNA doesn't have to take a long time, in fact it takes 5 weeks with Virginia School for Nurse Aides which is a lot shorter than a lot of other colleges that offer this program. It costs a little over a thousand dollars to become a CNA with us and we offer payment options for those who need it. When you look at the big picture though, one thousands dollars doesn't sound like a lot of money when you have the potential of making $686 more every month if you're making minimum wage. It is an intensive 5 week course - but the reason why we decided to make it 5 weeks is because we know that people have busy lives and they may need to make more money fast.

People become CNA's because yes, they want to make more money, but more importantly because they want to have a better career and better future. Sometimes being a CNA is something that people do so that they can put themselves through school or maybe they just have a family to support and need to pay their bills, whatever the reason being a CNA can put you in a totally different path in just 5 short weeks. So what are you waiting for? Give us a call and change your future today!

More info on CNA salaries and job opportunities

Day or Night - Our Students Succeed

Some of these night students have families, jobs and other responsibilities but they want a better future for themselves so they choose to go to Virginia School Nurse Aides and become the best they can be. If you've thought about a career in healthcare, make sure to visit our school and find out more.

Learning About The Human Body

Even though we all learn about the human body at some point in school, our students receive comprehensive training on how the body functions. Who says that learning can't be fun though? We teach our students in engaging ways. Check out some of the latest projects that they have come up with!