Nurse Internship / PCA work

Hi everyone,

I am half way through my first semester of nursing school and really digging class, lab, my instructor and clinical.

I currently work full time, M-F, 8:30AM-5PM in a sales assistant position (not related to medicine in any way) and attend an Evening/Weekend Program with my local CC.

My goal has been that by the end of my second semester I will find a job as a Patient Care Assistant/Tech. or Nursing Student Intern where I will 1) gain much experience 2) be paid and 3) be able to work full-time in the summer and 4) keep the job when my second year starts but have a more flexible schedule like not work 40 hrs. a week if school schedule dictates.

I think this will be an excellent opportunity for me to gain more experience and even though it's a pay cut, make money, which I must.

I have heard of other students in my area finding positions such as I described.

I spoke with my clinical instructor this past weekend about my goal and she said that hospitals would start looking for summer nursing students soon. Unfortunately, we have been in an LTC thus far but start at a hospital next week, so I have yet to see if this is the case.

I am interested in hearing about your experiences with similar situations and how you applied/ found out about your job. Also, what are some good things to keep an eye for when you are looking around, ie. Nurse to pt. ratio, how many nurses you would be reporting too, etc. When did hospitals in your areas start recruiting students.

Thanks for your input and experiences.

Col