Can You work as an RN towards the end of Nursing school?

[LelahRN2be]

I was told when I enrolled at my college, that some of the students are already working as RNs even before there graduation day.... im assuming they were last semester.... is this true??

[AspiringNurseMW]

I know hospitals hire nurse externs but you have to be at least graduated to work as a Graduate Nurse or pass your NCLEX to work as a Registered Nurse

[Wile E Coyote, ASN, RN]

No, to work as an RN, one must be an RN ("RN, LPN, NURSE", are protected terms in many states, so it seems like a pedantic distinction, but it isn't)

Those folks are likely student externs, working extremely close with a licensed nurse in a limited capacity.

[WookieeRN, BSN, MSN, RN]

Students working as RNs before graduation only makes sense if there is only 1 graduation ceremony a year, or these students are working as nurse externs (and not nurses).

[Nonyvole, BSN, RN]

Or if your school will let people take the NCLEX-PN before the last semester/year, in which case they're LPNs, not RNs.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I was told when I enrolled at my college, that some of the students are already working as RNs even before there graduation day.... im assuming they were last semester.... is this true??

Perhaps the wording is inaccurate...

A nursing student who has not graduated from nursing school cannot possibly be an RN unless he/she is attending a BSN completion program that only enrolls associate degree RNs and diploma RNs.

Always remember that one of the conditions of attaining RN licensure is graduation from an approved school of nursing. Someone in the last semester of school has obviously not graduated, unless he/she is already an associate degree or diploma RN who is attending the final semester of an RN-to-BSN program.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

No who is not an RN can work as an RN, by definition.

Any nursing student who is working as an RN has already passed the NCLEX and is a licensed, registered nurse. They may simply be getting additional formal education.

[applesxoranges, BSN, RN]

The only way is if they were enrolled for the final half of the BSN program but had already graduated from an ADN or diploma program. I think one school kept this brand but more and more schools are moving towards online RN to BSN programs.

They may be hired as nurses but not working as a nurse under their own license. I was technically a "GN" or graduate nurse but I was supposed to be more of a glorified tech. I didn't do that because ER kept me till 1 week before I tested for NCLEX and I took that week off.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

You cannot work as an RN without an RN license. Period.

[Libby1987]

I guess they don't do this anymore but in my state university program, the way the classes were set up, you were eligible to take state boards (pre NCLEX) after the first 4 semesters. A few chose that option and did work as RNs while completing the nursing program.

[chivon101]

I was granted permission by my dean of my BSN program to take the LVN boards after my 3rd semester. I worked but not as an RN.