The best way to stay ahead of your peers is to get real-life working experience in the field. As a result, you will be given a higher preference due to your work experience. You will start with a higher income when you get licensed.

Also, working a part-time job will give you some much-needed extra spending money for yourself.

But which job will be the best for you? To answer that question, let us discuss the best jobs you can get as a nursing student. You should review them all and apply for the one that seems right.

Why Is Having A Job While Studying Nursing A Good Idea?

Working while in nursing school will help you earn extra money and give you valuable experience that will help you in the future.

Job recruiters always want someone who has experience in doing the job. Hence when you graduate nursing school with experience in working in the healthcare setting, you will be given a higher preference for the job.

You will also get first-hand practical insights from healthcare professionals, which other students in your class will miss.

List Of Jobs For Nursing Students:

1. Phlebotomist:
   
   Phlebotomists draw blood for tests and transfusions, explain the process to patients, label blood samples, maintain patient information, and maintain sterility.
   
   This job will help you gain the vital experience of interacting with patients and teach you about various medical diagnostic procedures. To become a Phlebotomist, you may need to get certified. But some jobs require you just to have a high school diploma and will train you when you join.
   
   According to salary.com, you can earn between $17 to $21/ hour as a phlebotomist.
   
2. Medical scribe or transcriptionist:
   
   
   
   Now that healthcare is digital, doctors can enter a medical history number and receive an in-depth summary of information. But for this to be possible, someone needs to record the finding of each examination, log each patient interaction and upload the results in the hospital's central database. Unfortunately, doctors don't have the time to do this.
   
   Hence doctors send the recordings of their main summaries to a medical transcriptionist who will do the actual transcribing. If you have good typing speed and computer skills, this might be an excellent job for you. During this job, you will encounter many clinical cases that will expand your knowledge and give you an advantage over your peers.
   
   The hourly wages for medical scribe ranges between $15 to $20.
   
3. Home health aides:
   
   Many patients are confined to their homes due to being physically or mentally ill, disabled, or injured. Therefore, they require someone to take good care of them at home.
   
   Home health aides provide much-needed support to these patients under the supervision of an in-charge nurse. You can expect to get paid between $12 to $15 per hour as a home health aide.
   
4. Psychiatric aide:
   
   If you intend to become a nurse in a mental health facility, a part-time job as a psychiatric aide may be one of your best options. These facilities are always on the lookout for aides that can help take care of mentally ill patients.
   
   Your responsibilities may include keeping an eye on the patient and healing them, bathing, eating, dressing up, cleaning, participating in activities, and restricting them if necessary. On average, you can get paid between $11 to $14 an hour as a psychiatric aide.
   
5. Hospital clerk:
   
   Though the job might not seem lucrative, it is a high-demand job as the hospital needs help handling the immense amount of paperwork it regularly processes. Duties include:
   • Tracking test results.
   • Contacting insurance companies.
   • Finding records for emergency patients.
   • Providing general administrative support to outpatient clinics.
     
     Depending upon the hospital, you may get rotated between various specialties and come across specialty-specific information. In addition, you will earn between $12 to $21 per hour.
     
6. Orderly:
   
   Typically, orderlies sanitize various rooms in a hospital or healthcare facility, determine patient needs, and sanitize equipment. Additionally, you may transport patients to treatment rooms to receive x-rays or treatment. Orderlies gain experience with hospital operations and interact with patients from various backgrounds before they graduate.
   
   An orderly can make between $11 to $20 per hour.
   
7. Summer camp nurse assistant:
   
   You will assist the camp nurse as their right-hand man. If you're considering pursuing a pediatrics specialty in the future, this is a great choice. Under the guidance of the camp nurse, you may assist in distributing medications to campers or dressing wounds. According to the camp setting, you may also engage in public health and health education activities with campers and staff.
   
   You can expect to get paid between $14 to $18 an hour.
   
8. Certified Nursing Assistants
   
   
   
   A certified nursing assistant assists nurses with many essential tasks in patient care. This care includes checking their vital signs, grooming, feeding and even helping bed-bound patients move or bathe.
   
   There is a good chance that if they need a nurse, they will also need a nurse assistant. It is because nursing assistants work hand in hand with nurses to help them in any way that might be necessary. As a Certified Nursing Assistant, you can count on getting paid $15 to $18 per hour.
   
9. Occupational therapy aide:
   
   As part of the occupational therapy team, occupational therapy aides work closely with occupational therapists and assistants.
   
   The occupational therapy aide prepares patients for treatment and assembles equipment as needed. A wide variety of clerical duties may also occasionally fall to occupational therapy aides. You may get paid between $14 to $17 per hour.

Takeaway:

Now that you understand each job's requirements, duties, and pay, you should take your time and decide the job that best suits your needs. Though we suggest you give higher preference to jobs in which you will learn skills that align with your future goals.