night jobs for potential nurse student

[nr92, CNA]

what kind of job do I get at night while doing a full time (day time) nursing program?

I was thinking of spending $450 for a accredited ekg tech course. Do those guys have night shifts?

[Double Dunker]

My hospital is always short on patient care techs at night. My hospital also has unit secretaries at night, but I don't know how common that is.

[RNperdiem, RN]

A lot of CNA jobs are at night. I am not so sure about EKG techs; a hospital needs only a handful of them, but there is always more CNA job openings.

One thing to look at is what time you are supposed to leave work and how much of a window of time you have to get to school on time.

My sister ran into this problem when she worked nights as an aide in a mental health hospital. The day shift always came in late, and my sister wansn't able to leave work until the day shift showed up. She came very close to being late for clinicals many days, and schools do not tolerate lateness.

[Buckeye.nurse]

Working as a patient care tech (or an equivalent type position...there's more than a few names for nursing assistants) is a GREAT job while you are in nursing school. You have the chance to build basic patient care skills and time management. You will also get the chance to observe nurses at work. Generally, as long as you are competent at your job, you will be offered an RN position upon graduation.

Many students at the hospital I work at chose the float pool. They get to see numerous units, and it gave them a better idea of the sort of floor they want to apply to once they graduate. The ones that work hard are usually offered jobs in the float pool itself, as well as several units they have floated to. Often float pools also have more flexible schedules, or allow you to make your own. Look for an employer that is friendly to employees in school, and allows you to work around your school schedule.

Best of luck. Nursing is a great field! :)

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

I want to caution you about working all night and then going to school all day. Our school has a policy specifically against this as it is a HUGE patient and nurse safety risk.

[nr92, CNA]

What's a float pool?

[inthecosmos, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN]

What's a float pool?

Float pool is where you do not have a specific unit and you go where you are needed. Pay is good, but stability is different.

[emily34812]

I work part time nights as a tech on pediatrics. I love it and get paid more than if I worked days