Advice to accelerated students from a current student near graduation...

[saymo82]

I am graduating from May from a 1 year accelerated program, and am scared I will be left behind when it comes to finding a job... get a tech job! Grades are important, but if you can manage to keep up decent grades and work as a tech (even if just 12 hours a week) then do it! They told us not to get jobs, they said it would be impossible to work and make it through this program, but you can do it! I know plenty of people who instead of focusing solely on perfect grades decided to get a tech job, and a lot of those people have jobs lined up already for after graduation. I chose to focus on grades, and am now worried that it's going to bite me in the *** in the end. Get that experience, we get such limited time in clinicals that you are going to be so far ahead of the curve with that extra time as a tech.

Just a word of advice from a near grad with good grades, but little confidence in my skills or ability to compete for jobs... especially ones I might really, really want.

[Libra_8]

Thanks for the advice! I really do appreciate it! I start in May @ UMSL.

[Noelani]

Thanks! I start an ABSN in May, too. They really scared me with the whole "you will fail if you work" thing. I was a tech for a year (just quit last Oct to move to STL for school). Do you think it will make a difference if I don't get a tech job while I'm in school? I know it's always good to make contacts while you're in school, and being a tech can definitely help you get an RN job where you work, but if you think it helps mainly to get experience, do you think I can skip it without hurting my job prospects too much? I'm planning to work as a childbirth educator while I'm in school, because I can work a few hours at a time.

[saymo82]

Having any experience as a tech should be helpful, so if you don't end up working while in the program then you at least have that going for you. Having said that I would still recommend trying to get a tech job while in the program. Like I said before even if it's just one shift a week, or PRN it's good to get your name out there, especially if you can get on a floor that you're really interested in. I know a guy who worked as a tech on the floor he really wanted for like a month and was offered a job as an RN on that floor, and this was before we even started the 3rd semester. So it's definitely worth it to make those important contacts while you're in school!

[ladybugbaby161]

I feel like nurses who were techs while in nursing school are a lot more comfortable working the floor. They get the basic skills down pat. Looking back, I wish I had been a tech while in nursing school - I learn so much from my techs!