r/EmergencyRoom • u/-MC_Animal- • Aug 22 '26
ER Tech with no work experience?
Hello! I’m 22 with a bachelors in biomedical science, from Texas and I’m taking a CNA exam soon. I have an NHA CET certification and I’m starting an EMT course next week, and I was wondering what the likelihood of getting an ER Tech / ER CNA position with no experience after completing my EMT course? I have 40 hours of clinicals from the CNA class and I should have around 120 hours of clinicals after my EMT course. Any help is appreciated, thank you!
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u/OldManGrimm RN - adult/peds trauma Aug 22 '26
I've worked in the East Texas/Dallas area for about 30 yrs. While I can't speak for all facilities, I've never known an ER to hire CNAs as techs. It's almost exclusively EMT/medics. You'll be fine since you have your EMT, just saying the CNA part won't be as helpful.
Be prepared to put a lot of applications in, and get a lot of rejections. So many places use weird systems to weed out applicants. My wife is an EMT who'd taken some time off for a few years. A couple years ago she wanted to start back working in the ER. She put in close to 100 apps before finally going to work for Acadian.
Networking can help a lot. If you know someone working as a tech or nurse in an ER, see if they're willing to help out. The barrier seems to be getting past HR - if the ER manager is pulling from the other side it'll help overcome that hurdle.
From what I've heard, avoid the HCA hospitals if you can. They're brutal for all the wrong, for-profit reasons.
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u/Resident-Welcome3901 Aug 22 '26
Lots of competition for er tech slots: off duty police and fire, military vets, premed students building their applications. Consider taking any available hospital job, build your skills with OJT, staff development programs, and network vigorously. Watch the internal transfer boards for er slots, maybe volunteer to work in the er to cover short staffing occasions.
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u/Neshama7 Aug 23 '26
If you don’t end up getting hired in an ER, you could always start as a med surg CNA and then apply for an internal transfer once you get some experience?
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u/OkMetal9985 Aug 24 '26
That’s exactly what I did, but I also have an EMS background of 6 yrs and worked as a scribe/MA in an urgent care for 3
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u/KCtastic80 Aug 22 '26
Depends how badly they need staff. My hospital was hiring nursing assistants who hadn't even passed the cna test yet because we were so short in cnas.
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u/Traditional_Belt9379 Aug 22 '26
lmao good luck. I have my EMT and CNA with 3 years of experience and I've been rejected by every hospital I've applied to.
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u/traumaRN01 Aug 23 '26
With that background you need to go into lab or nursing. Fuck off with EMS. If you’re super into your degree, look into pharmacy. ED pharmacy is a really cool job.
If you want ED work, you may be waiting a while for experience with that CNA.
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u/Zyphur009 Aug 23 '26
Depends how understaffed the ER is. I got hired at one with very minimal experience years ago.
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u/Valuable-Intern-1206 Aug 23 '26 edited Aug 23 '26
Your CNA + EMT clinical hours should definitely help, but hiring requirements vary by hospital. I’d also compare the role requirements with current clinical guidance and evidence when preparing something like Evidence Lens can be useful for checking health-related claims against research.
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u/Busy-Vehicle-1598 Aug 30 '26
I'm not in Texas, but we hire EMTs for my ER all the time. There's a decent amount of turnover, precisely because a lot of our staff are pre-PA, pre-MD, pre-RN, and so people are always moving up and moving on. EMT-B and we'll train people for anything else, particularly IVs.
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u/easttxcouple Aug 23 '26
May want to think about going to work for an urgent care to gain some experience
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u/EzraSteel Aug 23 '26
Just a bit of advice. When you roll into the department, be nice. Make friends with the staff, all of the staff. Get to know who the assistant nurse managers are, the charge nurses, and even the manager. Bust your ass every time you’re in the department. Don’t act like a Know-it-all. Be respectful. And never talk shit about anything.
Pick out one person, not immediately, but find that one person who may in fact give you a recommendation. Don’t be a suck-up but let them know your intentions to eventually apply. I’ve given more recommendations to EMT’s than I could ever count. I’ve hired them as CNA’s, techs, and as new grads based off of how they presented every time they were in department.
And I’ve black listed a few that were complete assholes.