Did you work as a Care Partner prior to working as an RN?

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Hi there,

I am in an accelerated BSN program and will be graduating in December. I feel as if I am not getting much experience in my clinicals and can't believe that I will actually be out on a floor practicing in 10 months. It seems that my professors expect us to get jobs in the hospital as Care Partners to get more experience, however, I am completely overwhelmed as it is with 18 credits. I can't imagine taking 10 hours a week or more to work. Will I be at a total disadvantage if I don't work while I am a student?

Thanks for any input!

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

You have ten more months of school, and you probably haven't started your preceptorship yet. So I wouldn't judge the program as not giving you enough experience just yet. But no matter how much experience you get, you're still going to get an orientation and a preceptor when you graduate and learn so much more.

Don't work if you don't have to. Concentrate on school and getting through that.

I switched from working in a restaurant to a tech my last six months of nursing school. But I had to work to pay the bills. It helped tremendously to be a tech to hone up my hands on ADL skills, etc.

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Specializes in CIC, CVICU, MSICU, NeuroICU.

Hello there

Seem like you must be a student at MSMC right? and you were refering to clinical care partner position at UCLA? I am currently an ADN student at Los Angeles County College of Nursing and working as a care partner in the ICU two shifts per week (24 hours). I know that's pretty crazy considering I"m taking classes full load. I met several students from MSMC that are also working as a care partner but they were from the traditional BSN program. I can't imagine taking 18 semester credits and working at the same time. It could be done but it's hard.

I feel that working at UCLA helps me decide the type of specialty and the unit I want to apply once I graduated. As far as skills you don't get to do very much just basic ADL, EKG, vitals, and helps out the RNs. In my unit, I got to do a bit more since most of the nurses there know that I'm in the third semester of nursing school and will be done at the end of this year. I'm allow to do dressing changes, finger sticks, some NG, Foley and watch procedures. I personally feel that it definitly helps in dealing with patients, nurses and doctors to work as a care partner while going to school.

Any questions let me know will be glad to help

jake

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I worked as a Care Partner @ UCLA before graduation.

What is great is that you don't have a set # of shifts you have to work, and you schedule your own shifts. So if you have a big test coming up, don't work that week. In fact, I was still employed, yet didn't work for the last month of my nursing program!

They "require" you to work 1 shift a week (12 hours) but in all honesty, talk to the unit manager (PM me for info) and she will tell you that if you are in school, work when you can.

This is working per diem (no benefits) in the in-house registry where you get to float to all the different floors and work in basically a different area every shift, so its great for nursing students b/c you could be in peds one day, then med-surg, then ICU the next......great experience. I would definately recommend you do it if you can afford it. The pay isn't bad (I don't think) for a Care Partner.

PM me if you want more info, it's definately a very flexible position for people in school and I really recommend it.

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