Jobs in school, success on NCLEX

[Rnotyetanurse]

I'm a nursing student in my second year and i'm currently between jobs. I definitely want a job that's going to be beneficial to me further down the road, but so far the only options available to me are becoming a CNA and working at a long-term care/hospice facility and becoming a pharmacy tech. I feel like both would give me experience that would help me be a better nurse, but I'm mostly concerned with which job would give a greater benefit when taking my certifications to graduate. I'm still a relatively new student so I haven't looked into the NCLEX all that much which is why I was looking for advice. Are there any jobs I may not be considering?

[SL2014]

I'm not sure how much being a Pharm Tech will help you with nursing.

Being a CNA will help you tremendously.

[yoga pants]

CNA would be excellent experience, however, I don't feel like that is necessarily the best way to prepare for NCLEX. NCLEX is not based on real world nursing, so if you answer questions based on your experience versus best practice it might mess you up. But if you have the opportunity to work as a CNA during nursing school, do it! I was a PCT in nursing school, and while I didn't rely on that experience for NCLEX, I feel like it helped me tremendously in clinicals and as a new grad.

[THELIVINGWORST, ASN, RN]

OP, your avatar is so doge, very trend. Wow.

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

CNA would be excellent experience however, I don't feel like that is necessarily the best way to prepare for NCLEX. NCLEX is not based on real world nursing, so if you answer questions based on your experience versus best practice it might mess you up. But if you have the opportunity to work as a CNA during nursing school, do it! I was a PCT in nursing school, and while I didn't rely on that experience for NCLEX, I feel like it helped me tremendously in clinicals and as a new grad.[/quote']

This.

Pharmacy tech has no bearing on the nursing model.

If you are looking for a job a CNA/PCT job is the way to go. You will get comfortable with the fundamentals of pt care and interacting with pts.

As far as NCLEX questions, are you actually taking nursing courses? if you are, I'm sure your syllabus has some "suggested reading courses" that would have reviews, and you would be having NCLEX type of questions on your exams; otherwise if you are not in a nursing course, I would hold off on getting an NCLEX review book for now and start reading an interesting book Called Critical thinking and Nursing judgement, to get a base on how nurses think-it's available on Amazon. Then the closer you get to your nursing courses, find out what books they have and start looking through them, and get review books for the subjects-I suggest the Success Series. Your program will give you suggested NCLEX review books as well.

[Alfi_srq]

I think you are looking at the jobs the wrong way. Working is not necessary helpful on NCLEX. Because the questions are about ideal "NCLEX way of doing things" and not necessary how your place of employment does it.

I am in Florida and certain hospitals here hire ASN student after 1st semester to work as CNAs without having the actual CNA license. Several classmates of mine and I did it while in school. First, it gets you in the hospital and if they like you, you are very likely to have a position offered to you before you even take your NCLEX. I had a job lined up and they even paid for my NCLEX. Second, it allows you the chance to see if you even want to work at that place as an RN. I know several classmates that originally wanted to work at one of our hospitals but had a bad experience there as CNAs and reconsidered applying there for jobs. And then my classmates who didn't work during school in any healthcare setting who are now after graduation are applying for jobs and gettign rejections for lack of experience.

Not sure how you;d qualify to work as a pharmacy tech and it is not going to help you on NCLEX.