How far in advance do i need to apply for a summer job?

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I will be starting my first semester of nursing school in january. I really want to get a job at a healthcare facility for the summer. So when should I start applying for jobs?

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

The sooner the better. Usually summer student nursing positions get posted in March or April, but they may be out as early as January or February. Keep your eyes open. It may take a month or two for them to get back to you. Do you have your CNA certification?

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No I do not have my CNA certification.

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Specializes in Neuro, Telemetry.

Another thought is to look into volunteering while in school. Its usually just one shift of 4 hours or less a week. Then when summer jobs post, you already have your foot in the door and a better standing during the interview process. There are usually limited summer jobs available and a ton of applicants. Get an edge any way you can. Also agreed that the jobs usually post pretty early so start checking the job boards for your hospitals in Jan. New listings go up weekly at most places.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

You generally need to have your CNA certification to work as a student nurse. In many states, after the first semester of nursing school, you can send in your transcripts and fill out a CNA application and you will be given a license. I agree with mrsboots87 that volunteering is a good choice until you pick up that summer job.

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Do hospitals hire for summer only? I know my hospital wouldn't hire you for a summer position. It takes at least a month to go through the hiring process and then several shifts of orientation. I can't imagine a NM wanting to go through all of that only to have you leave after a few weeks.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

I've seen some nursing student positions that were only for the summer.

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Specializes in Neuro, Telemetry.
Do hospitals hire for summer only? I know my hospital wouldn't hire you for a summer position. It takes at least a month to go through the hiring process and then several shifts of orientation. I can't imagine a NM wanting to go through all of that only to have you leave after a few weeks.

Some hospitals have student nurse positions. They will usually run the application and interview process a couple months before the semester ends. Then the students start orientation the week after semester end. They generally do CNA/PCT tasks with opportunities to shadow specialty nurses and depending on the facility, may even get to practice skills up to their current education level.

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