Will this affect my future career as an RN?

[Alexxoxox]

So I am in my last semester of Nursing School. I currently work as a CNA at a hospital about 40 minutes away. I have been thinking about quitting, due to this being my last semester, and that the drive is really getting tiring. I have been a CNA for 3 years. I have been offered a job at a factory (5 minutes away from where I live). Do you think quitting my CNA job and working at a factory for the last 4 months of nursing school will affect my future as an RN? Will a hospital decide not to hire me because I did not work as a CNA through all of school?

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

A prospective healthcare employer will get more valuable information speaking to a prior healthcare supervisor than a factory floor supervisor.

She can still give the current employer as a reference even if she leaves. I can say my new grad position did not seek a reference from the hospital that I was employed at for 3 months as an aide during nursing school in any way. My references were clinical instructors and the Mom of a child I had worked with in a volunteer capacity who had a brain tumor (I was applying for pedi neuro). Also the floor knew me since I had done 2 clinicals with them.

If the OP doesn't want to continue to make this commute but wants to work at a factory closer to home for some money while in school, I don't see the issue. If she gets a clinical placement on a floor she would like to work on, she can make connections there and use that as her in.

[wondern, ASN]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kpLF4efBXo:whistling:

[hmvassar, ASN, RN]

No it won't affect your future as a Nurse. Just ensure that you put in 2 weeks notice and tell them you are leaving due to finishing Nursing school and want to take time to focus on finishing and taking your NCLEX before you start your first Nursing job. Also, don't put the factory work on your resume as a new nursing job will not need to know about this. Just tell them that you left your last job to transition into the Nursing role and finish school.

[RockinNurse2018]

You already have 3 years of experience as a CNA, so I don't really think the last four months will be such a big deal. You'll still get to practice some of your CNA skills in your RN skills. Not having the commute would most likely significantly reduce a stressor, which may help you to perform better in your last semester, where your main focus should be passing your last classes and possibly finding people who can serve as references for you, be it nursing instructors, or staff members on the floors you are doing your clinicals at. If you had planned on working for this hospital after graduation, that may have been incentive enough to stay, but since you do not, I don't see any reason why you would be penalized for trying to make your last semester of nursing school more bearable. As long as you put in 2 weeks notice, I don't think that hospital would use it against you either. Also, many new nurses land jobs without having any CNA experience, myself included.

[FullGlass, BSN, MSN, NP]

I don't see why this would be an issue. A lot of my classmates did not work their last two semesters of nursing school because they had to focus on school. You don't have to say that you worked at a factory for a few months. You have ample healthcare experience.

[Kallie3006, ADN]

I did not work in the medical field at all during nursing school, in fact I bartended. Coming in as a new grad there are some key words; New Grad. You need to think about what will be the most benificial to you and your situation. If you do decide to leave, I would do it on good terms, they may be a reference for you later on. Best wishes and good luck!

[Workitinurfava, BSN, RN]

Put your notice in and go for the other job if it will help you pass school. Just imagine having to repeat school. Find the strength to do what you need to do.

[Accolay]

I dunno. It probably wont affect you if you already have another job lined up. A 40 min commute would get old the first time I drove it.

As for me, I'm the safe type and would keep the CNA hospital job just in case I wasn't able to line up a position somewhere else. It is only four months.As someone already mentioned, having your foot in the door can be a big deal. But it probably wont matter that much.

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

Just leave very gracefully......"I need to concentrate fully on my last semester of school". They do not need to know anything else.

[1sttime]

Stay on as on call or per diem, your future employers won't know that you quit-

[Ambersmom, BSN, RN]

I don't think it will matter, I worked as a pizza delivery driver and deli clerk. It shouldnt matter just remember to explain on apps that the commute was tiring.

[brap740, BSN, MSN]

Nope. I worked at UPS through nursing school. Had zero hospital experience when I took my first nursing job. It won't affect you. Just win the interview! Let them know you really want to be a nurse.