Are you enrolled in nursing school and interested in making money while studying? These nursing student related jobs listed below will help you pay off student debt faster and will give you more experience in the workforce compared to non-working students. Your new grad resume and bank account will save you in the long run 🙂
Related Topic to check out:
5 tips on how to balance work and school
Below I have listed well paid jobs with their main duties, qualifications and average hourly salary. Just a quick search on Indeed or your local hospital will give you detailed results.
I have also listed job positions for nursing students with little to no experience that want to start early!
Keep in note: the pay per hour and qualifications vary on location. I have listed a general guideline from job listing in Ontario, Canada.
1. Staff and Patient Assistant
This is a beginner-friendly position for pre-nursing students and beginning students. The role of the staff and patient assistant is to provide customer-friendly support to inpatients and their family members. With this job position, you are part of the circle of care, interacting with patients and nurses. This job will give you first-hand experience working in healthcare.
Main Duties include: Assist with admission/discharge, Coordinate patient activities, Assist with restocking supplies, Acting as a first line of inquiry to patients and their family.
Main Qualifications: High school diploma, computer skills and proficiency, interpersonal communication skills.
Pay per hour: Starts at $18 CAD
2. Personal Support Worker/Certified Nursing Assistant/Nurse Aide
To get hired as a Nurses Aide, the experience of 1 year in the nursing program is often a requirement. I applied for a PSW position after I completed my first clinical placement. My experience in a long term care floor helped me get the job. In Canada, enrolled nursing students are often allowed to work as personal support workers without the official certificate. Working as a PSW is similar to clinical placement but without the meds, vitals, assessments, and skills. You get to work as an unregulated health care provider and work under the supervision of nurses.
Main Duties: Assisting patients with all activities of daily living including, toileting, bathing, dressing, mobility and feeding.
Main Qualifications: Enrolled in nursing program and completed at least 1 year and 1 placement minimum. Any long term care experience is an asset.
Pay per hour: Starts from $20 up to $30. This pay is quite similar to a new entry nurse and is one of the jobs worth applying.
3. Program Assistant
This job is also perfect for new nursing students wanting to gain more experience.
Main Duties: Assist in feeding residents, participate in the Quality Management Program through data collection and analysis, conduct research on various current health topics and provide educational presentations, and administrative support.
Main Qualifications: Current enrolment in a nursing program, experience working with seniors is an asset (any volunteer experience).
Pay per hour: $15-$20/hr
4. Patient Observer
As the name states, “observer”. As an unregulated health care provider, you are responsible for the close monitoring of patient(s) whose behaviour poses a risk to his/her safety or the safety of others. This job involves close interaction with the patients that may be suffering from dementia or suffering from a traumatic injury.
Main Duties: Observe your assigned patient(s) and provide a safe environment, notify a registered healthcare professional on your unit if the patient is in any danger, any significant change in behaviour and/or condition, or gone missing.
Main Qualifications vary: High school diploma, any patient care related experience, minimum 1 year completion of a nursing program or PSW program.
Pay per hour: Around $15-$19/hr
5. Home Caregiver
This position is similar to a Nurse Aide/PSW position. A home caregiver is a very flexible job where you get assigned to one patient at a time. You can truly get to know your patient and build that “nurse-client relationship” early on. The hiring agencies provide enough training so not a lot of clinical experience is required.
Main Duties: Meal plan and preparation, Light house keeping, General assistance with activities of daily living, Personal care assistance (bathing, dressing, and grooming).
Main Qualifications: High school diploma, any previous work experience with seniors, interpersonal communication skills.
Pay per hour: $17 to $22/hr
All of these jobs are very flexible when it comes to working hours because hiring agencies know from the start you are a nursing student. So, if you work any of these jobs listed above, it will definitely help make your resume stand out amongst other applicants once you’re a licensed nurse!
Let me know in the comments what other nursing student jobs are available in your country/area!