For those who do not have experience!

Question,

is it legal to volunteer as an RN on the floor and passing meds, giving nursing treatments, just like a regular hired RN does?

I think that is prohibited by state labor law.

Volunteering in the hopital like a high school student does will not give you any real experience at all.

I volunteered at ER for a short-time after I graduate from school and before taking NCLEX, I basically only allowed to take vitals. I don't think that give me any ER nurse experience at all.

Actually thought of that as well. It would be a great question to answer. I will post as soon as I get the answer. Sadly, one recruiter told me volunteer exp doesn't count because its not paid RN work. Maybe it will count if I was performing duties as an RN with an evaluation from a supervisor.

I think one of the best reasons to volunteer is so you can meet nurses and nurse managers. Networking is invaluable. However, I found that many times it is difficult even to volunteer at some facilities.