Why not try one of these jobs for nursing students?

Jobs for nursing students…As exciting as the big wide world of the healthcare industry is as a nursing student, it can also be daunting. Why not get some hands-on experience in the field while you’re studying? Not only do you gain exposure to the industry to ease some of the nerves and grow in confidence, but you can also build valuable skills and abilities to support your journey into nursing. Here are some ideas to get you started!

Also go check out this article. Get a job as a PCA/AIN while studying nursing and turbocharge your nursing interviews

And go here to read about nursing student experiences and what kind of jobs they did to fund themselves during studies.

Many of the following titles and roles are interchangeable and employer dependant.

AIN/PCA – Assistant in Nursing / Personal Care Assistant

• Build foundational skills in nursing that will be invaluable throughout your career. Often working in Aged Care, the role of a PCA primarily revolves around attending to personal hygiene needs and activities of daily living of clients and residents. This includes but is not limited to, showering, toileting, dressing and feeding to ensure quality care is delivered.
• In turn, this strengthens your communication skills, time-management and critical thinking abilities. Some PCA’s also become ‘medication endorsed’ (employer specific) and assist residents with medications. This would look good on your resume, right?

PSA – Patient services assistant/Orderly/Porter

• Often the backbone of the healthcare team, a PSA’s role ensures the smooth running and operating of the ward/department. They assist the healthcare team in bed making, re-stocking, patient transport, finding equipment (like the bladder scanner!), cleaning and more.
• Along with learning the layout of the hospital and gaining exposure to various wards/departments, the role is valuable in developing crucial skills in nursing such as communication and teamwork and exposure to working within a clinical environment.

Phlebotomist

• Venepuncture, a skill many nurses need practice with, or are masters at! Along with gaining valuable experience in phlebotomy, you develop skills in documentation, building rapport with patients (such as putting them at ease during the procedure), and learning about various blood tests. You’ll need to gain a qualification in pathology collection or phlebotomy/ specimen collection.

Sterilisation Services / CSSD (central sterile services department )

• Learn all about skills to sterilise, pack and wrap medical equipment and work in decontaminated areas. Learn about different instruments and tray setups and collaborate with surgeons, nurses and other healthcare workers. Contribute to the safety functions of hospitals as you work closely with operating theatres and keep up with emerging medical robotic technologies.
• Complete a course such as a Certificate III in Sterilisation Services at TAFE

RUSON – Registered Undergraduate Student of Nursing

• Not dissimilar to PCA’s or AIN’s, build confidence in providing nursing care such as activities of daily living under the supervision and delegation of the nursing team. Be the extra pair of hands on the ward/department with personal care, answering calls bells and communicating needs of patients to the healthcare team.
• The exposure to the routines and activities within the ward/department and can be pivotal in developing your nursing capabilities.

RUSOM – Registered Undergraduate Student of Midwifery

• Assist the midwifery team under direction and supervision as a pivotal team member on the ward. The role can entail advocating and supporting women on the ward with activities such as baby baths and settling babies, answering call bells, and assisting with activities of daily living with mothers. The list goes on and the role is foundational in building midwifery and also nursing skills.

Pharmacy assistant

• Learn about all thing’s medications, prescriptions and behind the scenes of the pharmacy in the role of a pharmacy assistant. The exposure to medications is invaluable, you are always learning and building further information about them.

Event Medic – First Aid

• Within your scope of practice as a trained First Aider of course, practice your skills in basic first aid while supporting qualified healthcare workers at events (festivals, motorsport, equestrian, music, community events…). The exposure to first aid, team work, leadership and communication is highly beneficial as a nursing student, and you might even get to enjoy the event you’re helping at too! Checking out St John Ambulance is a good start.

There are a variety of other jobs to consider while you’re studying too, which can complement all things nursing. These jobs are categorised below.

Transport related

• Ambulance Community Officer
• Non-Emergency Patient Transport Officer

Are animals your side thing? How about working as a…

• Vet Nurse!

Would you consider working in an interdisciplinary team role? Such as:

• Disability Support Worker
• Clinical Trials Assistant
• Operating Theatre Technician
• Social Worker
• Dental Nurse
• Drug and Alcohol Worker
• Family Support Worker
• …. the list goes on!

Keep in mind all jobs are good, including hospitality and retail jobs (even if you do need to do some further study outside of nursing for them such as a Certificate at Tafe). All jobs give you skills working with people or similar and can be worded and described in resumes to reflect this. Think outside the box, any experience counts!

DID WE MISS A JOB? EMAIL US WHAT YOU THINK WE SHOULD ADD. hello@thenursebreak.org

Your Resume and Cover Letter

When applying for a nursing graduate year or junior nursing position, you will need to relate your work history to the position and why it makes YOU the RIGHT candidate for the position. It’s a process of breaking down your career history and understanding what aspects are related to nursing and then coherently representing this in a cover letter and resume and tieing it back to the position.

If you need help with this or want a second opinion go here. Get 10% off by using this coupon at checkout: tnb10%