Do You Need to Work As Nurses's Aid During School To Get a Job After Grad?

[HappyMeNow]

I'm starting my RN program in the fall. I just wanted to know if we have to work in hospitals aside from our clinicals in order to make sure we can get jobs after graduation?

My husband works in Europe and I was planning on taking our daughter to see him whenever we have a break from school, and even that will be hard enough. If I have to work in the hospital during that time it'll be even more difficult.

[DLS_PMHNP, MSN, RN, NP]

Definitely not a requirement of most programs.

It would give you great experience though...

Best to you,

Diane

[TexasPediRN]

I highly recommend it.

It gives you a foot in the door at that hospital after graduation (remember, many new GNS will be applying for not so many GN spots), and, it makes you more confident in clinicals.

I went to school in Pennsylvania, and there you could work as a student nurse aide after one semester of clinicals.

It helped me immensely.

As far as having other commitments, you get hired on supplimental, or PRN. You only work as needed, based around your schedule. I worked usually, 2 8 hour and 1 6hour shift a week. And, I did that 6 after shift after an 8 hour shift of clinicals, so it can be done!

Best of luck to you!

[HappyMeNow]

Definitely not a requirement of most programs.

It would give you great experience though...

Best to you,

Diane

Thanks for answering my question! I agree it must be a great experience. If it wasn't for my husband being so far away I wouldn't hesitate to do it!

I highly recommend it.

It gives you a foot in the door at that hospital after graduation (remember, many new GNS will be applying for not so many GN spots), and, it makes you more confident in clinicals.

I went to school in Pennsylvania, and there you could work as a student nurse aide after one semester of clinicals.

It helped me immensely.

As far as having other commitments, you get hired on supplimental, or PRN. You only work as needed, based around your schedule. I worked usually, 2 8 hour and 1 6hour shift a week. And, I did that 6 after shift after an 8 hour shift of clinicals, so it can be done!

Best of luck to you!

That's great to hear!! I thought that working as an Aide meant I would be tied down from all free time. So it's possible that they can work around my schedule a bit so that I can see my husband every few months?

Also, while I know it's easier to get jobs and to do better jobs when you've had the aide experience, do you know of anyone who is having trouble finding work at all because they didn't have the aide experience?

With the job market today I'm already getting worried about finding work after my program. :chuckle

[DLS_PMHNP, MSN, RN, NP]

With the job market today I'm already getting worried about finding work after my program. :chuckle

Me too!

By the time you graduate, hopefully our economy will be much better.

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

in addition to being a staff rn for many years i was also a supervisor and manager which meant i interviewed and hired nurses including new grads. i was part of a new grad hiring program in a large teaching hospital for awhile. working while you are a student to get experience is not always going to help you land a job after graduation and here is why. when we were hiring new grads we were hiring them to be rns, not nursing assistants which is usually the only job you can get as a student before graduation. part of the job evaluation process involved determining whether or not each new grad was going to be able to "cut the mustard" as an rn. the only people who are in any kind of position to give future employers that kind of information are your clinical nursing instructors who have been watching and evaluating how you performed as rns during your school clinicals. when you are working at paid jobs you are not allowed to do any kind of rn work--no injections, ivs, giving medications of other types, dressing changes, a whole bunch of other procedures, assessments, and documentation of assessments. instructors are also guiding you on how to handle and manage all manner of situations that can come up. that is not happening in a predicted and specified way on a job where you are being paid to provide your labor for someone. when we looked at the school careers of new grads and what the local nursing schools were capable of providing, we were aware of what kind of training was still needed by the new graduates upon being hired. this is why they were placed in a new grad program that allowed them to be in orientation for a longer time so they could focus on learning and practicing skills they had not been able to do while in school.

when you look for your first job you want to be aware that you will need recommendations from one or more of your nursing instructors. your instructors already know this. still, it is polite to ask them for a recommendation. and, you should work for a hospital that offers you a new grad orientation of at least 10 weeks. you should start calling and talking to the nurse recruiters at the hospitals you think you would like to work for and find out what they offer to new grads before you apply for jobs. these recruiters will tell you everything you need to know to nail your first dream job.

[Jules A, MSN]

I think it depends on your area. In my area jobs are plentiful and most of us had our picks of positions as new grads. I do think the experience can be somewhat helpful but I know great nurses that didn't work as CNAs and not so great nurses that did. Personally I wasn't interested in working for the low wages they pay CNAs for the tremendously difficult job they do.

[locolorenzo22, BSN, RN]

while it's true that only another RN instructor can give feedback about your role as a RN, your manager in the hospital or other nurses can state how you are a team player/seek out opportunity to learn/etc...

I would recommend it, though, as it gives you a leg on how to do the most basic nursing care. Also, it helps with time management, not to take your aides for granted, etc....

just my .02

[ohwerehalfwaythere]

Anyone in clinical can teach you how to pass out a pill, program an IV start pump, or clean a wound. Working as an aid in school will give you invaluable experience with nursing culture, prioritizing patient's needs, customer service, picking up on how nurses handle situations, including charge nurse with staffing, admission assessments, and a million other little things you don't get to see during a clinical.