You Can Do It But It Wont Be Easy
In the end, you can work during nursing school. You just need to be determined and willing to put in the effort to make sure you balance your responsibilities as a nursing student with the time commitment required for your job.
I managed to pull it off, and if I can do it, so can you also. Let me know in the comment section below if you have any questions.
Dont forget to go to the job board to search for jobs once you start looking.
What Are The Best Student Nurse Jobs While In Nursing School
Here is a short list of jobs that a nursing student can do. These jobs are jobs that can be acquired in a hospital and can help a nursing student become exposed to a hospital setting:
- Certified Nursing Assistant-assists the RN and LPN with patient care
- Patient Safety Companion basically a person who is hired to sit with a patient to prevent them from harming themselves.
- Phlebotomist draws blood and collect certain specimens.
- Hospital transporter-transports patients to testing throughout the hospital
- Hospital Clerical-put doctors orders in the computer, answers phones, and other types of secretary work.
- EMT
- Telemetry Monitor Tech requires a person to watch cardiac monitors all day and report to the nurse if a patient is having a different heart rhythm.
Guide To Working While In Nursing School
Nursing school provides an avenue for aspiring nurses to grow and learn. Working while also attending school affords students options relating to their personal lives and financial needs. If you have a passion for science and medicine and you enjoy helping people, you may consider becoming a nurse. In this article, we describe the benefits and potential challenges of working while in nursing school and offer five tips for being a successful student while also employed.
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Important Study Tips To Succeed In Nursing School
When trying to manage both work and home responsibilities on top of your studies, the amount of studies required may seem overwhelming. How will you be able to read all those chapters, review notes and prepare for your nursing exam?
Your first move should be to inhale deeply and tell yourself you can do it. With just a little bit of planning, dedication, time management, and study tips, you will be able to read and prepare for your exam and retain vital information necessary for a successful career in nursing.
Follow the NCLEX study guide
One way to focus on your studies is by basing your studies around the NCLEX test. First review the study guide to determine the subject areas to focus on and how questions are presented. Although the nursing exam doesnt contain everything that you should know as a student nurse, studying towards the nursing exam will boost your confidence on testing day.
Concentrate more on materials covered in class
Your instructor will assign you many chapters to read and additional outside resources that you should review. However, instead of reading each word, take a hint during class time by considering the topics your instructor spends more time reviewing and the key points covered, and put more focus on those areas.
Study a little every day
Entry Level Nursing Jobs

Graduates with any level of college education can land entry-level nursing jobs that offer upward mobility. According to the BLS, positions like nursing assistants and orderlies should grow by 8% through 2029. The top 10% of nursing assistants make more than $44,550 a year.
Home health aides, a field increasing employment by 34% through 2029, make a median annual salary of $27,080. Medical assistants earn a median annual salary of $35,850 and are projected to see a 19% job growth rate through 2029.
Check out this page to learn more about different types of nursing degrees and the careers available to graduates.
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Nursing School And Working Full Time Can It Be Done
Nursing school and working part-time is already a challenging experience so is it possible to work full time at all?
To be honest, its probably not impossible, but it is by no means easy. At the very least, you will need to take longer to complete your programs requirements. If circumstances force you to work full time while at nursing school, you can try any of the following strategies:
- Enroll in half the course load per semester
- Talk to your academic advisor or clinical coordinator, and spread out your rotations over twice the time
- Try to work as a CNA or hospital clerk in the same hospital system or university where you attend clinicals.
Find Work That Relates To Your Education
If you decide to work during school, try to get a job that is related to your classwork, where you can learn or practice healthcare-related skills, like:
These are just a few examples of some jobs in the healthcare field that will provide invaluable training and information while you study nursing. It will also provide the income you need. Win-win!
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Whats The Best Shift To Work While In Nursing School
In this article, were answering the question whats the best shift to work while in nursing school?
So, whats the best shift to work while in nursing school? The best shift to work while in nursing school is the weekend shifts. If you can handle working nights, night shift is also a great alternative.
*Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you click and make a purchase, I may receive a commission. For more info, please see my disclaimer.
Take Charge Of Your Nursing Career
Your first year as a nurse is daunting. You need someone in your corner telling you what your managers really need from you, helping you learn to interact with your preceptor, and really just manage your life. Find all that an more with the FreshRN VIP – Membership.
You may also find that you have extra time to participate in extracurricular activities at your school or with student nursing organizations. If you can be involved with you student government or planning and organizing your pinning ceremony, go for it. These are wonderful memories as well as excellent resume boosters.
Not working while in nursing school may also work to your benefit in terms of your financial aid. If youre EFC is higher than $0, any money you earn will continue to make that number climb. This may limit the types of financial aid you receive. Because according to the fine folks in the financial aid offices, if youre EFC is $2000, then its expected that you can come up with $2000 to pay for your education. It doesnt matter if you cant. The golden EFC number says you can. But if your EFC is $0 you may qualify for a federal PELL grant and gain $5500 a year to pay for tut ion and living expenses while you are ins school.
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Work As A Freelance Writer Or Editor
As a nursing student, you might be wondering how to earn extra money while still focusing on your studiesand you’re not alone. Freelance writing is a great way to use your current skills and make some extra income at the same time.
Nursing requires excellent writing skillsand if you’ve been practicing as a nurse for a while, there’s no reason why you can’t put those skills to good use by writing articles online.
While it can take some time to build up experience and get more clients, you should be able to find opportunities through various freelance websites, whether medical companies are looking for extra help in their blogs or general websites such as Upwork that have all kinds of tasks available.
And if you need to start small and work your way up, remember: everything has to start somewhere!
Bottom line? Don’t be afraid of giving freelance writing a try. It will provide you with an opportunity both to flex your literary muscles and pay the bills!
The Downsides Of Working The Weekends
The weekends are not all just roses there are some downsides to them. For starters:
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Check Into Earning A Cpr Certification
If you’ve ever gotten CPR training, you probably got it through a local company that specializes in teaching CPR. Did you know that many of those companies offer instructor certification courses?
Now’s the time to look into it! As a nursing student, you’re already CPR-certifiedand if you take an instructor certification course, you can teach others how to do CPR and make money on the side.
Look for one of these companies in your area and check whether they offer an online option for the course so that you can take it no matter where you are .
Then, find places that need people to do regular CPR training sessions. For example, if there are office buildings around where you live or go to school, see if they have their employees get certified every year or two. That way, they’ll need someone like YOU to come in and show them how it’s done!
Personal Time May Be Impacted

Nursing students have a significant amount of hours accounted for in their day between classes and residency programs. Many students find the amount of support, organization, and planning needed to achieve strong academic performance is quite high. Finding time for one’s self, be it to spend time with family or friends or simply focus on personal interests, is important for a balanced and healthy lifestyle.
Including a full or even part-time job on top of nursing school commitments may leave you with very little time for personal matters to be attended to when needed. Be sure to be mindful of this reality when prioritizing commitments.
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How Do Nursing Students Manage Their Time
Nursing students manage their time by creating a study schedule and sticking to it.
They also make time for exercise and social activities so they don’t become too burnt out. And they use smart techniques like flashcards to help them learn large amounts of information quickly.
Finally, they stay positive and motivated through it all by reminding themselves that the hard work will pay off in the end.
Best Jobs For Nursing School Students
Staff Writer
In a perfect world, all nursing students could start their first semester only concerned with four things: comprehension of the material, studying, clinical, and passing the NCLEX. Unfortunately, life gets in the way. We have responsibilities families, bills, friends, among other obligations that dont stop just because we start school, which often entails a nursing school job.
Most people with families, and single-income earners, too, need a job during school to survive. Georgetown University researchers Anthony P. Carnevale, Nicole Smith, Michelle Melton, and Eric W. Price found that students enrolled in college work their fair share. Around 25 percent of learners held down a full-time job while also attending school as a full-time student.
The numbers may be higher for nursing students with a full-time job. For many of our students, working while in nursing school is unavoidable. We understand , so weve compiled some things you should look for in a job to ensure you graduate in one piece and live to tell tale afterward.
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Responsibilities Of Medical Unit Receptionist Include:
- Greeting new arrivals and checking them in
- Verifying insurance coverage before beginning services
- Helping patients check out when all procedures are completed
- Organizing relevant records to be sent to the patients primary care facility or doctor after treatment
- Answering any questions the patient may have during his or her time at the medical facility
Not Working While In Nursing School
If you decide to not work in nursing school you will have the added benefit of extra time to study. You may also actually be able to squeeze in some time for relaxation and fun. Not working may allow you to maintain a higher GPA overall and stay qualified for any scholarships or grants you have. This higher GPA may also help you get qualified for new scholarships or grants.
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Reddit Discussion: How Nursing Students Are Making Money
A few weeks earlier, we asked all the users of Reddit how to make money while in nursing school? And we got some pretty unique ideas about what nursing students are doing to earn some extra cash to handle their expenses. Let’s have a look at what students are doing:
One of the nursing students said:
“I deliver food for doordash and uber-eats! I can go online whenever I have the time, and I can cash out instantly. I make about $20-$30 per hour, so it’s fast money in a short period of time.”
Well, it seems an excellent pay to us too, and the guys seem pretty happy with this side hustle.
Let’s see what this girl has to say:
“I’m a phlebotomist! It’s super fun I get patient care but also a really technical skill and knowledge that I can carry into nursing:).”
We already told you in our blog, 12 Most Rewarding Jobs For Pre Nursing Students in 2022, that phlebotomist is worth it. If you are the one who wants to get some skills while studying, then you should consider a phlebotomist job.
You need to read this this guy is earning a really good amount:
“I do Grubhub and UberEats, which is nice because you work whenever you want. I probably make about $700/week even when I don’t work more than 30 hours.”
So you see, there are many side hustles that any nursing student can have. They are easy and will build your skills while giving you some extra cash.
Create Your Designated Study Space And Set Aside Time To Study
Designating space in your home and allocating time each day from your schedule for studying will help you be a more successful student. If you dont study, you risk failing, which can be a waste of time and money. Make sure your study area is suitable for extended periods of concentration. Ensure there is ample lighting and no loud noises. Also, try to invest in quality office equipment, it is important to be comfortable when studying for long hours. Utilize plants or decor to make the space cozy. Think of hanging pictures of your loved ones for inspiration. Also, it is important to ensure that your support system knows about your designated study times so they do not interrupt or distract you. Be sure to set boundaries.
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Working While In Nursing School
There are many benefits to working while you are in school. First of all, working while in nursing school can help reduce the amount of student loans you will accumulate overall. This will lessen the amount of time you have to repay loans and allow you to attain a better quality of life in the long run.
Considering that many forms of financial aid are decreasing in their payment amounts, its very difficult to have your education entirely paid for without the need for loans. Unless of course you are a rock star student and meet the poverty requirements. There are many benefits you can get that others cant. But the debt of student loans can be smothering at times and its beneficial to avoid as much of it as you can.
A big part of whether you choose to work during nursing school will depend on whether you already have stable employment. If you have a good job, that will be flexible with your schedule, and you enjoy enough to continue working, the decision will be a little easier for you. Rather than quitting your job altogether, you may want to reduce your hours and work some while you are in school. Also, if you work in the healthcare setting, there are often opportunities to work limited amounts while receiving an increased wage in exchange for an agreement to work on staff as a nurse after you graduate. Since many nurses have a difficult time finding their first job, this is doubly beneficial.
Medical Scribe Or Transcriptionist

The migration to electronic health records means that most doctors now expect to input a medical history number and receive an in-depth summary of information. Yet, someone still needs to record the main findings of each examination, upload results, and log each patient interaction in the hospitals central database.
Doctors rarely have the time to do this. Instead, they will send recordings with their main summaries to a medical transcriptionist who will do the actual transcribing.
Why is it great for nursing students?
You will get access to a lot of healthcare information. If you take the time to research the key terms you come across, you can have a valuable leg up when its time to study Pathophysiology or Health Assessment. Plus, many positions allow you to work from home.
Requirements: Fast typing and familiarity with computers. Some hospitals specifically like to recruit nursing and medical students for these positions.
The downside: It doesnt pay much more than a regular on-campus job. A work from home position may save you time, and it may be more comfortable, but you will miss the opportunity to connect with healthcare professionals.
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