Work as a student nurse?

kukukajoo, LPN · Mar 30, 2006

In the program I am attending, after first semester you can get lic as a LNA/CNA and after first year completion of program can take LPN exam and work as one. This I am banking on and planning to work more during second year to pay for my schooling!

MMARN, BSN, RN · Mar 30, 2006

In my program, after you have completed a year of nursing school, they will hire you as a PCT or CNA. You can do assessments, chart vitals, and give AM care (this includes bed baths, and basic patient care. BTW, I consider "wiping butts" as something that needs compassion and it should not be beneath anyone. The patients need us and we are supposed to be there for them.) The last little rant was aimed at no one in particular, except that I have seen very little compassion toward--especially--elderly patients. Some of the nurses see them as a burden instead of people who really need the help. It just struck me how little compassion my nurse showed my elderly, and very sick patient. Just my :twocents: .

smilin_gp · Mar 30, 2006

I now work as an SNT-student nurse technician. Basically, this is the CNA role with the addition of nursing-specific duties if an RN is willing to cosign this.

RN2BLAL · Mar 30, 2006

After the first year of fund., most hospitals will hire you on as a PCT or CNA. A CNA is a certifified nurse assistant and a PCT is a Patient Care Technician. Some programs (not mine) are set up to let you sit for the LPN exam half-way through. That is awesome. But not all programs are set up that way. In my area, there is no such position as a student nurse. But I would imagine that you would get compensated for it. Let me know what you come up with.

This is what the hospitals in my area are doing. We just had a job fair at school and I figured they would be talking to the fundamental students but they were totally trying to get us to work for them, part time/full time whatever. I guess they figure if you get in to a hospital and like it they could most likely keep you once you become a certified RN. They really pushed that we will get you certified as an LPN program.

Anyway, most of my classmates jumped on these jobs. My friend is totally excited because she got on with full benefits working 3 12's at $13 an hour, she was only making $8 at her old office assistant job. We are in Pensacola so $13 is pretty good for this area. Oh, and they are going to help pay for some of her school and and she isn't bound to a contract. Some of the hospitals have intern programs that are good but bind you to a contract.

I am still active duty Navy so I can't do anything until January 07 when I start my terminal leave, 3 months prior to my retirement. I get a bit jealous because they are getting so much experience. :uhoh3:

LilRedRN1973 · Mar 30, 2006

After my first semester of nursing school, I was hired in the ICU as an Apprentice Nurse I/Critical Care Tech. I basically helped the RN's with baths, stocked all the carts, ensured all equipment was available, helped transport patients to CT scan, MRI, ER, etc. and anything else the nurses needed help with. I also sat in for the Unit Clerk while they were on break or if they needed to leave early. I was paid $12/hour for this position and worked 20 hours a week.

After my second semester of school, I was "promoted" to Apprentice Nurse II and was paired up with an experienced nurse who was my preceptor/mentor. I took one patient for the first few months and was responsible for all care, including assessments, baths, charting, calling docs, etc. After a few months, I started caring for 2 ICU patients. The pay was $17/hr and the experience was invaluable. I worked as an ANII from June 2004 to April 2005 and it helped me feel a bit more comfortable in the ICU environment (although I still have a healthy fear of "what could" happen in my unit). I'm very happy I took the job through nursing school because it paid as much as my cocktailing job but provided me with much more useful experience.

Melanie = )

Sheri257 · Mar 30, 2006

By "aide work" I assume you mean bed baths and wiping butts, those are very much used and basic "RN skills".

Yeah .. I know. I've wiped more butts than I can count. But I don't need to do anymore of that to learn how to become an RN. (And yes ... I know the RN is responsible for it even though aides usually do that work.)

Sorry but I don't want to waste my time ... which is very limited during school ... wiping butts. I need to practice other, more advanced RN skills or ... it's simply not worth taking the time away from studying.

The point is .... aide work and only aide work is what a lot of hospitals give students to do with some "externships." Students may need to be aware of this if they're trying to get more skills practice for things like IV's. You may have to shop around for the better programs that will give you more advanced skills practice.

To be honest ... I'll never work as a aide again. I was treated so horribly by the RN's and LVN's at this particular facility. They always gave me too many patients ... especially too many total cares ... and then they'd complain when I couldn't get everything done. This was, of course, is the reason they couldn't keep aides in the first place and ... I wasn't going to stick around to take their abuse either.

Although, I must say ... at this other hospital I'm working at now ... they treat their aides very well. They actually have ratios for aides, which is the first time I've ever heard of a facility doing that. They typically give the aides six to eight patients tops. That would have made a big difference at my last externship.

:typing

Sheri257 · Mar 30, 2006

I guess they figure if you get in to a hospital and like it they could most likely keep you once you become a certified RN.

The flip side is when they don't treat the students well, and it ends up biting them in the end. One hospital treated us so badly that a lot of us quit. Naturally students talk and, a lot of us spread the word that this facility was not the greatest to work for. Needless to say ... only one new grad in a class of 40 went to work for them after graduation.

:typing

indigo girl · Mar 30, 2006

Many moons ago (I'm feeling kind of ancient today), when I was in my BSN program, they called us nursing technicians, the student nurses who worked at our small town hospital. We did part of our training at that hospital also. We had to have had a year of nursing school under our belts to do this. It was a great experience, and I needed the income. I was able to work on nearly every unit, and every shift. I was also allowed to perform some nursing procedures such as foley catheter insertions as long as I was supervised by a licensed nurse. It did wonders for my self confidence since I had none at all at the time. Do it, if you can.

nursesaideBen · Mar 30, 2006

Sorry but I don't want to waste my time ... which is very limited during school ... wiping butts. I need to practice other, more advanced RN skills or ... it's simply not worth taking the time away from studying.

I don't see how basic nursing care is a "waste of time". Trust me, I understand how you feel about wanting to polish the new skills you're learning, I'm in LPN school and feel the same way. Unfortunately in my area they don't believe in nurse externs so I have to stay as a nursing assistant but buddy the experience I'm recieving is truly invaluable not only with the patient care but also dealing with the crazy patient loads and psychotic nurses that think you're their slave. I do feel sometimes like I'm going stir crazy because I want to finally be a nurse and be able to take complete care of my patients whether it be a bed bath or giving meds. So I do understand your wanting to do more for your patients but just because you're learning the more advanced skills that don't view the more basic ones as a "waste of time".

-Ben

Sheri257 · Mar 31, 2006

So I do understand your wanting to do more for your patients but just because you're learning the more advanced skills that don't view the more basic ones as a "waste of time".
-Ben

Of course basic care is important. But as a student who has a ton of school work and clinical skills to learn, wiping butts is a waste of my time. I've already learned how to do that. It doesn't take much skill.

I've got to focus on what an RN needs to know to do the job. Learning emergency cardiac drugs, just as an example, is much more important. Learning how to manage intracranial pressure, how to do difficult IV sticks on patients whose veins are shot, managing dopamine and heparin drips, reading EKG strips ... the list goes on and on ... is much more important.

And learning how to effectively manage codes is extremely important.

With everything I've got to learn right now ... wiping butts is the last thing on my list. Wiping more butts is not going to make me a better RN, and it only takes time away from the stuff I do need to learn as an RN.

:typing