Advice on a job while in school

[EaglesWings21, ASN, RN]

I have an interview for an overnight sitter position coming up for a hospital in Indianapolis. I am curious what is the going hourly rate for this type of position. It is PRN and probably about 8 hrs per week.

I am also fervently looking for a position as a PCT since I will be finishing up my first semester of clinicals soon, so if anyone has been in a similar situation, would you hold off on any offers and keep applying as a tech or accept other interviews/ job offers and continue to apply for student nurse positions?

Thanks for any and all advice in advance!

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

The advantages of working as a sitter/tech/CNA/student nurse while you are in school are that you'll make some money, you'll get healthcare experience, you'll build the resume, you'll have a chance to network and you'll be considered an internal employee for nursing jobs while you graduate (it won't guarantee that they'll hire you but it'll improve your chances).

So if working is something you can do, go for it! Whether you should go for SN or PCT jobs, that's up to you.

However, don't let work interfere with your grades. Times have changed and the "C=RN" mentality isn't good enough anymore. With so many new grads out there, employers can afford to be as picky as they like; many of them are using GPAs to cull the applicant herd. If your academic performance starts suffering, IMO cut back on or even cut out the work hours.

Best of luck!