Should I volunteer while in school?

U.S.A. New Jersey

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I'm about to start taking my prereqs toward the Ocean County College nursing program. Do you think volunteering at a hospital a few hours a month is a good idea while I am attending school? I want to do that not only to see what the hospital setting is like, but also so I can have hospital volunteer work on my resume--would that help me get a job once I become a RN in a few years????

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

I think it is a good idea- I'm hoping others will answer and if not, try posting in the General Nursing Student Section - good luck to you.

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Thanks! this is only my 2nd posting, I have to figure out how to post the right way :)

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Specializes in Pedi Rehab,Pediatrics, PICU.

While I won't knock volunteering, I'd much rather be paid for my efforts. In addition, you'll gain more working experience than a volunteer would as far as patient care goes. Most employers will let you work as a PCT/PCA/CNA, student nurse/nurse tech etc... after your first semester of clinicals if you don't have any prior healthcare experience. If there is a hospital you know you want to work at after graduation, apply to work there as an aide, and try to work on that floor; you'll have a better chance of working there as a nurse. Sometimes you can find great experiences at some of the smaller institutions that specialize in diff things and they work out better.

For instance, while in school I worked at a small pedi rehab hospital as a "health care worker". The diff btwn here and a reg hospital is that we actually had our own 5pt assignment and provided almost complete care for our pt load including charting, verbal report (sometimes to the RN/LPN taking our pt load the next shift), and we also learned new skills that most CNA's don't do including prep/administration of tube feeds, bladderscanning/catheterization, dressing changes, ostomies, following PT/OT/SLT plans, etc... I got to practice almost all my nursing skills at this facility and it was awesome. I don't think the exp would of been as such at a larger hospital.

To answer your other question, yes, it absolutely makes you more marketable for an RN position, because you have more experience than a new grad who didn't work. Some places even count 3-4 yrs as a tech as 1 yr RN, so you may even recieve a starting pay higher than that of a new grad.

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
Thanks! this is only my 2nd posting, I have to figure out how to post the right way :)

You posted the right way! Sometimes the state specific areas aren't seen by very many people and I hate it when someone gets no replies before their post drops off the radar screen of page 20.:)

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hehe. thanks nursel56! and thanks alizae06...very informative!!!! so thank you! :yeah:

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I think volunteering is a great way to get a little bit of insight into how a hospital is run. I'm about to go into my last semester of nursing school (ADN) and I have been a volunteer at our local hospital for 4 years. I started volunteering when I was doing my pre-reqs; I knew I wanted to be a nurse, I just wanted to feel more prepared when the time came to start nursing school. A lot of students going into the nursing program had never stepped foot inside a hospital, so it took a while for many of them to get used to it. I had been volunteering for 2 years before I started nursing school, so I felt really comfortable talking to patients and being in the general environment of the hospital. Also, it's hard to get a job as a tech (at least out here, in California) unless you know someone, and I didn't, so volunteering was my next best option. I volunteered a few hours each week, but once school got a little too rigorous, I had to cut back to a few hours every couple of months or so. I'm so glad I started volunteering, because it taught me so many different things. If a procedure was being done, I was invited to watch (with the patient's and nurse's permission of course) because they knew I was planning on being a nurse and encouraged me every step of the way. I felt comfortable talking to patients and just spending some time with them to help in any way I could. I volunteered in Peds, and I even did and internship there. Now the director knows me by name and the nurses have all spoken highly of me, so hopefully it will give me an edge when it comes time to apply; we'll see :) Good luck with whatever you choose to do!

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Absolutely volunteer while doing your pre-reqs! Sure, it's nice to get paid but if you don't have any medical training, you don't qualify for any positions. I volunteer on the CCU floor of my local hospital and have learned a lot just keeping my eyes and ears open. This experience may even help you get into nursing school (depending on the application process). After acceptance into NS, the CCU DON was very enthusiastic about accommodating my schedule if necessary, and said that they valued my time on the floor.

Check the hospital you are thinking about volunteering at. Ours has on-going training classes for CNA/PCT's that they pay for/put you through in exchange for a time commitment to work for them. This may or may not be compatible with your school schedule, but it may be an option if your facility offers it and you find that it's something you'd like to do.

I start nursing school in 12 days. About a month ago, just after being accepted into the nursing program, we had the opportunity to interview for a hospital internship (they help pay for school, give you a paying job while in school and when you graduate, you work for them for set amount of time). (This is at a different hospital from where I volunteer.) The interview went exceptionally well, due in part to my having the knowledge and experience of what actually happens on a hospital floor. Knowing what the job entails, etc. They also told us that any medical experience, including volunteering, will count towards determining salary when we start our student nurse externships after first semester. And that will certainly all help and make you more valuable at the RN level.

Good luck!

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Thank you guys. I am already working full time (in business field) since they will cover some of my tuition and will be pursuing school part time, but I do also want to squeeze in my volunteer work--I think the hospital I'm looking at requires 12 hours a month. Def glad I asked. Thanks!!! :yeah:

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hi!since you have experience,do you know if international students are offered internships/externships as well as citizens??

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I was asking scrapworking,sorry I m new to the forum!:)

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@ wannaben... I don't see why not. As long as you are in a legitimate nursing school program, are able to perform the skills required, and are allowed to work in the US, you should be able to. Maybe call around. I know these opportunities are not advertised much and you usually learn about them through your nursing school, so try there too. Good luck!

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