...best jobs while in nursing school.

[brotherbear]

...just wondering with the students out there. what are, or where the best jobs that you or people you know have kept as nursing students. It would be cool to put up an article to inform.

[Sarah010101]

I work at starbucks :) on the weekends.... freee caffeine!!!!!!!!!!!

[cheesewhiz, LPN]

I think that any job in a health care setting is great while in nursing school. You gain experience, network with nurses/doctors/employers/etc. I am still taking my pre-req's before applying to nursing school, but I already work at the hospital. I applied to work there specifically to get my foot in the door, knowing I wanted to be a nurse. I know that I am gaining invaluable experience, interacting with pt's, docs, nurses, medical equipment, etc. Who knows, some medical facilities will actually pay for you to get your nursing degree (my job does)!

[Lizzie21]

I was a nanny. It was great, because the family was really flexible with my clinical and class schedule. plus you get paid under the table, which isn't bad.

[maiday]

It depends on what you need to do. Moneywise, serving/waitress is pretty good because it's flexible hours and you can make pretty good money with tips. However if you can afford to do per diem in a hospital environment that is better for experience and like others have said contacts and being an internal candidate for new grad positions. Per diem is usually no benefits though so many people may not be able to do that. And part-time could be okay depending on the hospital but my friend is a CNA working 4 days, 8 hour shifts. That's a lot while in nursing school!

So yeah, depends on what you can afford!

[luvinRN]

Nurse Intern! most hospitals have the position, most require you to be done with first year of nursing school, at my hospital i get to make my own schedule at anytime 24hrs a day...they know your a student, you practice what you learn and work on your rn competencies while you work. It is by far the best nursing student job ever, basically get paid to be a student when your not doing clinicals for school. I am allowed to do everything except meds, i can pull them prepare them but not hand it to them, nurse will do that while you learned the whole process right before its inserted into their body.

[sunnycalifRN]

I worked as a respiratory therapist and worked every Sat/Sun . . . it got me my job in ICU because all the RN's and MD's knew me and (I hope) put in a good word with the nurse manager.

[livelikegold]

I agree with the previous post saying working in the Hospital is the best job for learning while earning. Networking is always an edge over an unknown person so remember to always be @ your best!

[demsboy007]

CNA/PCA; flexible schedule, gain experience while getting paid.

[MisterSimba, BSN]

I have always worked with children, both in the daycare setting and as a nanny. I did an accelerated 15 month second-degree BSN program, and had no idea that the job market was going to be as horrible as it is. Had I known, I would have made sure to get a job as a CNA or unit secretary at a hospital that I want to work at. This then allows you to click "Internal Employee" when applying for an RN position, which then puts you ahead of all of the lowly external employees! ;-)

If you happen to be a paramedic or EMT, I would think that puts you right up there with the internal employees. Why wouldn't they want to hire someone that is already a pro at saving lives, starting IV's, airway management, etc...?

[vhern246]

-Flexible hours.

-Little real responsibility.

-Everyone needs to shop... so you can build your network there.

-You interact with a wide variety of people.

Why wouldn't you believe me?

Lol, i'm glad it worked (is working?) for you, but when I did retail, I didn't last that long. Some people just aren't meant to be dealt with.

[badphish]

As a paramedic you get pretty good at codes. Which comes in handy.

[cmw6v8]

Right now I work as a diet clerk in the dietary office at a hospital. I like the job because I'm interested in nutrition, and it has pretty good hours. I work the dinner shift (4-7 p.m.) two nights a week and do 2 10s on Sat & Sun every other weekend. So I still get two weekends off a month, and the weekends I work are fairly laid back and slow paced. There is a good four-hour chunk of time where I can get some studying and homework done, which is great. This was my "foot in the door" position with this hospital so I'm hoping in a year I can transfer into a patient tech job.

I've worked retail, and especially if you can find a good company to work for and can get some leadership responsibility, it is good experience just learning how to deliver good customer service while juggling a thousand other things at once (like nursing right?!). And the discounts can be helpful :)