I am still in my pre-req's phase, having completed Chemistry and am now taking A&P. I would be applying for the January 2005 RN program. Presently I am not working within the health care field, I am making a total career change. However, years ago I was an aide (not certified) at a Nursing Home (and loved it!)... at what point will it be best to take on a job to compliment my schooling. Before my clinicals start? And what type of position? Would I be better off back at a nursing home - or maybe as a nurse's assistant in a hospital setting?

Any advice would be great!!!

Hi-

There are several schools of thought on this subject (if you do a search you will surely find other threads on the topic) but I will try to summarize the ones that make the most sense to me:

The PRO camp:

Working as a tech familiarizes you with the environment and procedures specific to a particular specialty. Working as a tech allows you to make judgements as to which specialty you may prefer earlier than the non-healthcare worker. Working brings in extra income and creates networks of allies that can help you later. Working as a non-nurse allows you to get a more global perspective on nursing and how they function in the workplace. Working as a non-nurse opens other avenues in case you decide nursing is not for you.

The ANTI camp:

Working distracts you from your studies and takes precious time that could be spent with your family away. Thinking like a tech and thinking like an RN are 2 different (yet related) processes and learning both at the same time may confuse one or the other.

I would have worked during nursing school if I could have made more than I had to pay for daycare, but the opportunity did not arise. I've found that nursing students who go into their preceptorship (in ER at least) seem to have an advantage cuz they know the flow and procedures better than I do.

Good luck to you whatever your choice is, you stand to gain either way.

Thank you so much for the great thoughts to think about! Makes me feel good about a decision, either way I go.

THANKS!

Hello,

I saw your post and just wanted to add that if you are looking for a good support system during nursing school, to help with tough decisions, etc....think about joining your school student nurses association and also the state student nurses association, MaSNA. I am a member of both and have found them extremely valuable to get information, talk to other students, develop relationships and mentorships and just generally to get involved in the profession. Just thought I would pass it along. The MaSNA website is www.mastudentnurses.org

good luck!

THANK YOU so much for that great resource! What a great site for a student nurse in Massachusetts. Thanks for passing that along!

I think you will have difficulty finding a position as an aid or tech. I do not know what state you are in, but in Pennsylvania you need to either be a certified CNA or have completed a full semester of clinical to work as an aid. My husband is currently in nursing school in you same situation. He is having a very difficult time finding any hospital based position. It is a complete career change for him as well. I don't know what your background was prior to nursing, but it is also dificult to find just any part time position because it may not coincide with your past experiences. My advice is to wait until you can work as an aid (if your family can do without the extra cash) and concentrate on your studies.

I think that is what I'm learning and finding out... although I was an aide at one point, it was many years ago, and I was never certified. For now, I will study, study, study and get some clinicals under my belt. What a learning experience!

Best of luck to your husband, and to you for being a great support in his conquest!

thanks!

I worked as a CNA in a nursing home until I became an LPN. Then, I worked as an LPN until I was an RN. From there, I worked as an RN while in my RN-BSN program. It is a tough road to take to work and school at the same time. But, I believe it provides you practical experience as well as money. You can challenge the CNA test if you are not yet certified but have worked as an aide..instead of doing the classes to be certified. If you plan to get an edge on others in this profession, I think it is good to work as a CNA. You can relate that experience to what you are learning in nursing school. You can meet nurses that you are working with and they can mentor you. Some might take you under their wing and show you something along the way.

Devil's advocate: If you stay at your current non-nursing job, you'll have that much less to learn (as in, learning a new job AND learning school stuff at the same time) and can therefore maintain stability in your home life and devote yourself more fully to your school work. If I could have talked my inflexible employer into 'working with me' on my work hours, I would have gladly kept working through school... but on the other hand, it's been DIVINE not working (except for the lack of paychecks). Best of luck to you with your decisions.

Just my .02.

You already have had some patient contact previously. I may be wrong here but I think school should be number one. If you don't have to work while going to school then don't, you're stress levels will be SOOOOOO reduced and your concentration more focused on what you need to be doing. Or if you have the opportunity to work during the summer while not in school, then do that.

I was a CNA part time while in school during the summer and I also was a part time teaching assistant in the anatomy and physiology lab at my college the whole time I was in school. Working in the lab was much more beneficial ultimately to becoming a nurse than was the CNA job, I'm a major wiz with the stuff I taught 6 years ago and it's been so beneficial vs the nursing assistant job. Again, I seem to be in the minority here but I think working as a CNA or PTC or whatever you want to call it, is way over valued by students in thinking that it's going to prepare them to be a nurse. I think it may be valuable to teaching you how to physically touch and handle patients, but it really has little to do with actually performing "nursing" duties.

My family did without a lot during school because I wanted to be focused on classes. It was a sacrifice that was well worth it.

Again, just my 50th of a dollar opinion.

I am still in my pre-req's phase, having completed Chemistry and am now taking A&P. I would be applying for the January 2005 RN program. Presently I am not working within the health care field, I am making a total career change. However, years ago I was an aide (not certified) at a Nursing Home (and loved it!)... at what point will it be best to take on a job to compliment my schooling. Before my clinicals start? And what type of position? Would I be better off back at a nursing home - or maybe as a nurse's assistant in a hospital setting?

Any advice would be great!!!

Hi,

My two cents: do as little as you can afford while in school. I had the luxury of not working and it was still tough to juggle school, family...I just graduated and started cooking/cleaning again, lol...

Your focus has to be school for you to be successful...but it is possible to manage everything. Although it won't feel that way in the beginning!

Kristin

[email protected]

As for me, I have to work part time while in school, as I am paying my own way. I've done the same questioning re: whether I should try to get some health care experience while in nursing school. I applied for a phlebotomy job, and I had seriously considered attending a CNA course this summer at a local long term care facility. At this point, I have decided to keep a part time job with my current employer (human services/youth agency). I am also going through orientation this week for another youth facility, so that I can pick up on-call hours during school breaks. These two places will allow me the flexibility I need, a half way decent pay rate (not getting rich but better than minimum!), and the advantage of knowing what I am doing already on the job.

I figure I can always change my mind later, and after the first semester of nursing school I can challenge the CNA test anyway. I've asked the advice of 4 nurses that I know (a nice mix of 2 LPNs and 2 RNs - one of whom is my mom :) ) They all say that having some sense of how to care for a patient would be nice but that it will come with experience. They also advised me that after the first 6 months of clinical experience I will have already progressed beyond the CNA's scope of practice and knowledge. So...that's my path. Not to say that you can't choose differently.