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If your goal is to practice nursing immediately after earning your degree, passing the NCLEX, and getting your license, it helps to have some medical-related experience under your belt. Working full-time while attending nursing school can be a challenge, but fortunately, you can get many medical-related jobs as a nursing student that can provide you with the experience you need to excel in your career after graduating.
Feeling curious about your potential job options? Check out these 10 medical-related jobs that are ideal for nursing students.
1. Summer Camp Nurse Assistant
If you enjoy working around kids in an upbeat, vacation-like setting, consider working as a summer camp nurse assistant. In this part-time position, you assist the camp’s resident nurse with patching up wounds and caring for sick children. You may also be responsible for keeping medical supplies well stocked, contacting parents of injured or ill children, and educating young campers on basic safety procedures.
2. Orderly
An orderly is responsible for helping patients in a hospital or healthcare facility with their daily needs. In this position, you may be responsible for bathing and feeding patients and moving them in and out of bed or mobility equipment. Some orderlies are also in charge of keeping their wards clean and presentable.
3. Phlebotomist
A phlebotomist is primarily responsible for drawing blood from patients. In this role, you talk to patients about what to expect during a blood-draw procedure and help those who are scared of needles feel more at ease. Your main goals are to make patients feel relaxed and comfortable, and to draw blood efficiently while causing as little pain as possible.
4. Hospital Transporter
The primary role of a hospital transporter is to move patients from one location to another in a hospital. For instance, you may wait for patients to get dropped off in the hospital parking lot, then help them into wheelchairs and take them to their rooms or appointments. You may also be responsible for making sure pieces of equipment like wheelchairs and beds are available and placed in locations where they’re needed.
5. Research Assistant
As a research assistant, you spend most of your time in a lab performing various duties related to clinical studies and research projects. You may prepare questions for participants, collect and organize data, and assist scientists and doctors with carrying out medical trials and studies. You may also be responsible for keeping the lab clean and tracking lab equipment.
6. Caregiver
Caregivers work in a variety of settings to care for patients who need help performing daily activities. You may work in a home or hospice setting to care for those who are terminally ill, or at long-term residential care facilities where many residents have chronic conditions or disabilities. Bathing and grooming patients, preparing their meals, overseeing their medications, and driving them around to perform errands are some of the many tasks you may perform as a caregiver.
7. Nursing Assistant
Nursing assistants help registered nurses and nursing staff with performing routine nursing duties. Your responsibilities depend mainly on the nursing specialty of the nurses you assist. Some of your duties may include collecting urine samples, taking blood pressure readings, and making sure exam rooms are cleaned between patients. You may also be in charge of delivering meals to patients, providing them with medications, and answering phones at nursing stations.
8. Dietary Aide
If you plan on specializing in nutrition to become a nutrition nurse or health coach, consider working part-time as a dietary aide. In this position, you work alongside dietitians to prepare meals for patients and to accommodate specific nutrition and dietary needs, such as those required by patients with diabetes or heart disease. You may also be responsible for educating patients about healthy food choices.
9. Emergency Medical Technician
As an emergency medical technician (EMT), you respond to calls for emergency medical assistance and ride in ambulances to and from patients’ locations and hospitals. Common duties of EMTs include monitoring vitals, performing first aid, and helping patients stay comfortable until they reach the medical facility. You may also be responsible for making sure ambulances are fully stocked with necessary emergency medical supplies.
10. Monitor Technician
If you prefer the tech and analysis aspects of nursing, consider working as a monitor technician. In this position, you’re in charge of setting up, configuring, and using all the machines and equipment that monitor patients’ vitals, such as cardiac monitors. You may also be responsible for analyzing results and patterns produced by these machines and sharing your findings with doctors. In some instances, monitor technicians are also responsible for cleaning and servicing these machines.
You can get many other part-time medical-related jobs while attending nursing school. The sky’s the limit, especially given how nurses remain in high demand in the workforce. If you need help finding the right part-time job, ask your instructors or fellow nursing students for referrals. You may even discover a new nursing specialty that sets you on the path to landing your full-time dream job.
Resource Links
- “Nursing Assistants and Orderlies” via U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- “Caregivers” via MedlinePlus
- “Dietary Aide (SBUMC)” via Stony Brook University
- “21 Reasons Why You Should Be a Cardiac Monitor Technician” via AIMS Education