Financial crunch. Need part-time job.

TLC RN · Dec 23, 2003

Here are options I have thought of since I will be going to school full time in the fall...

Can you find a roommate to split living expenses?

Are you into sports or fitness? Personal training/teaching exercise classes is an option. Work at a gym or YMCA.

Teach youth classes. My friend goes to recreation departments and teaches kids soccer classes.

Do you like kids? I live around an affluent suburb and can get 10 bucks an hour sitting for kids.

My friend makes $300 bucks selling glow sticks on ebay...but I don't know what he had to shell out in order to make a profit.

I don't know how much you make but work for a sports arena in food service...basketball/hockey games are usually at night or on weekends.

Bartending? Hard to find w/o experience...what about coat check person?

Catering companies - serving and they maybe more lenient on not having experience

Can you take out anymore loans? Maybe a private loan?

PennyLane, RN · Dec 23, 2003

I agree with Tooty's idea of babysitting. What parent wouldn't want a nursing student to babysit their kids? It's pretty easy work and it pays well for what you have to do (~$10/hour).

I just took at Student Nurse job at a local hospital. I only have to work 3 shifts for every 6 weeks, and it pays $11.85/hour. I know you said you didn't want to have to do the same work as in clinicals, but you may want to investigate hospitals in your area as some may offer very flexible scheduling. Plus it looks great on your resume.

luv4nursing · Dec 23, 2003

I know exactly how you feel. I am in a similar situation, and with the choice b/t a night LPN program that takes 1.5 years and a day RN program that takes two years, Ill probably end up in the LPN just because it leaves me more time to work. Then I can work as an LPN for a year and put back money like crazy so I can not work or work a minimal amount when I take the LPN to RN bridge. I just dont see myself having time around the RN program to work enough to pay my rent and buy food and gas! Like u said, I would be living in a shelter.

I really feel for you!! thats a rough schedule. Please dont quote me on this, but when all else fails you might just have to lie. Someone told me I needed to lie about having waitressing experience because otherwise they wont hire you. People apparantly do this all the time. I never even thought about doing that and Im not that comfortable with lying, but look at it like this. It can be a white lie. Say you waitressed for a few months. They train you anyway and u arent saying u have done it for years or something. I may have to resort to this myself! Its the only job where u can work a few hours and come out pretty good with $$.

Also, delivering pizzas is another option. I believe papa johns pays $6.00 an hr but u get to keep all of your tips plus I think they reimburse u for gas or something like that. On the weekends u would make a lot doing this. my sisters ex used to do this (he was a pre med student and is now a med student) and he made a lot of money.

a 24 hr call center taking customer service calls is also good, if u have any in your area. very flexible schedules. check with temp companies and online for these if u dont know any off the top of your head.

as the poster above mentiones, teach fitness classes if u are interested in that kind of thing. Im certified to teach through the YMCA and get $15/hr which is pretty much $15 per class. If u taught two classes a day a few days a week, that would be pretty good money. At the community center I get more like $25 to $30 a class because it depends on how many attend and I get 75% of the fees, they keep 25%.

LilRedRN1973 · Dec 23, 2003

If you want to consider waiting tables, that pays around $14-17 an hour, depending on how good of a waitress you are and how generous the diners are. I waited tables for 10 years to put food on the table (no pun intended). And as far as experience goes, most places won't mind that you don't have experience because they want to train you the way THEY run their business. When you have someone who has waited tables in other restaurants, they tend to bring a lot of the procedures to the new place and bosses don't like that. Now, if you want to work in fine dining, yes, you will need fine dining experience and I suggest you don't lie about that unless you are an expert in wine, know which side of the table to serve from, clear from, and so on. I would suggest places like Applebee's, Chilis, Outback (good money), Macaroni Grill (very good money), Friday's, etc. Applebee's will hire you with no experience and it's a pretty easy job to learn. The money is at the low end of the spectrum due to the nature of the food, prices, and the clientele. At least in my area. I'm sure there are other restaurants in your area you can look at. And the great thing about waiting tables is that you start making money within a week. Usually you will train with an experienced waiter for a few days and then be given shifts of your own. Macaroni Grill requires that you train for a whole week before getting your own shifts. But you get cash in your pocket right away. Your schedule sounds perfect for a job waiting tables. Managers LOVE people who have open weekends and nights. Shifts don't start any earlier than 3:30pm at most restaurants and most start around 4 or 5.

I am starting my job as a Critical Care Tech in the ICU at the hospital here in town next week. It pays $14.63 an hour! I'm in disbelief they are going to pay me, a first year nursing student, that much, but I'm sure I won't be saying that after a few weeks there. I'm sure the job will keep me quite busy!

I also delivered pizzas and made a decent wage. I would get anywhere from $2 to $6 in tips for each pizza and .25 for each pizza I delivered to help pay for gas. I really enjoyed that job. I lived in Houston at the time and had a convertible. The job was at night in the summer so you can imagine how nice it was to be able to drive around with the top down, music blaring!! I also delivered in a really nice area so I didn't have to worry about being robbed, shot, etc. as I delivered my pizzas.

If there is a Costco in your area, they start at $10 an hour, you get benefits at 20 or 25 hours a week and they guarantee you a set number of hours per week. That would have been my next route had I not gotten the job at the hospital. You do have to start out as low man on the totem pole....rounding up carts in the parking lot, bagging, etc. But it's a great company to work for and most of the people I know who work for them really like their jobs.

EmeraldNYL, BSN, RN · Dec 23, 2003

Caroline,

I know you don't want to do any more nursing crap (I don't blame you!!) but nurse externs at my hospital get paid $16/hr. Not too shabby....

ShelleyERgirl, LPN · Dec 24, 2003

Originally posted by Mel D
I agree with Tooty's idea of babysitting. What parent wouldn't want a nursing student to babysit their kids? It's pretty easy work and it pays well for what you have to do (~$10/hour).

I just took at Student Nurse job at a local hospital. I only have to work 3 shifts for every 6 weeks, and it pays $11.85/hour. I know you said you didn't want to have to do the same work as in clinicals, but you may want to investigate hospitals in your area as some may offer very flexible scheduling. Plus it looks great on your resume.

Hey Mel, what kind of job do you do as a Student Nurse? Is it like a nursing assistant position?

ShelleyERgirl, LPN · Dec 24, 2003

Originally posted by EmeraldNYL
Caroline,
I know you don't want to do any more nursing crap (I don't blame you!!) but nurse externs at my hospital get paid $16/hr. Not too shabby....

:eek: $16/hr!! Man, I gotta move! I worked briefly as a nurse extern on an OB floor and I had to fight to get $9.60/hr and that was with shift diff!

Dixen81 · Dec 24, 2003

I agree with Melanie on the waitressing. You don't need experience, and with friendly service and a smile, you can make good money at a decent restaurant. Good luck!

career seeker · Dec 24, 2003

One of my jobs is as a part time CPR instructor. The company that I work for did not require training. They trained me and arrange all of my classes. I tell them each month when I am willing to work and they will schedule accordingly. MY company teaches evening, weekend and weekdays. I make $150 per class (class is up to eight hours long).

Th eprogram that we use incorperated video segments with the hands on so I bring my books and study or do homework through the 15 minute videos.

I hear that CPR instructors can make up to $25/hr.

Heather

PlanetCaroline · Dec 24, 2003

Nursing type jobs paying 14-16 per hour. I would definitely work in a hospital for that kind of pay. :)

My top choice for work was catering. I called a company that said they were always hiring... well, right now they aren't. Catering work has slowed down. I think nursing training is transferable to the restaurant world & I might bend the truth a little. I do have waitressing experience if you consider a nursing home kitchen a restaurant.

I can be a tutor. I was a whiz in statistics and got an A in chem. However, I can't teach math. Bombed calculus, go figure.

Babysitting is a good because I am childless and only know child development from textbooks. That would be like paid training in Peds.

Anyway, I'll keep you guys posted on what happens. I imagine there are other student nurses out there wanting to make ends meet.

Keep the ideas coming. You guys are great. Thank you.

:kiss

Caroline

PennyLane, RN · Dec 24, 2003

NavyNurse,

I'll be a "clinical nurse intern" in a Medical/surgical ICU. Basically it's the same as the patient care techs, but I'll also be able to suction, insert foleys, do dressing changes, etc. The nurse manager said she doesn't hire new grads in her ICU unless they've worked as a tech in an ICU while in school, so I'm hoping it will help my chances (although I'd really like to work in the ED, I think).

I'm jealous that all these people are getting paid so much as student nurses! Hospitals around here definitely don't pay that much, from what I've found.

And I have to admit that to get my first waitressing job, I lied and said I had experience. It was a dinky hotel restaurant that got almost no business, and my supposed experience was in a state 600 miles away, so I figured they wouldn't call my "references".

BTW I was ~18 at the time and I'm not proud that I lied. But it did open the door to many waitressing jobs down the road, where I made a lot of $$.