How important is prior clinical experience for a new RN

thekidisback · May 17, 2013

I went into nursing school without any healthcare experience what so ever. I was struggling with clinicals. So I decided to get a per diem job as a nurses aide. It made me more comfortable with clinicals and I learned a lot at work! You talk with nurses and doctors and you learn from them as well. And I liked being per diem cause it allowed me to be flexible with school work and studying.

acaixguard · May 21, 2013

Thanks for the reply. Would you say this per diem experience helped you land your first position after getting your Rn? I'm just not sure how critical it is to have this type of experience along with the degree.

llg, PhD, RN · May 21, 2013

There is no solid answer to your basic question one way or the other. A lot depends on the particular hospital, the particular student, etc. At my (children's) hospital, we look to hire new grads with some experience -- but it doesn't have to be PAID experience. For example: we would be more likely to hire a top student who had done a senior year practicum hospital (but no previous job experience) over an average student who had worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) or similar role with an adult population. Because it is pediatrics, we care more about their experience with children than we do their experience with adults. And working in our hospital as a CNA is no guarantee of an RN job: only the CNA's who have shown themselves to be good employees will be offered a job.

Is the (student) job in a place where you will want to work after graduation? Is it at least with a patient population similar to the one you will want to work with after graduation? Will you be able to maintain good grades while working? etc. These are the types of things you need to think about as you consider whether or not such a job is a good idea for you.