10 Best Paying Hospital Jobs For Nursing Students With No Experience
Written By:
Donna Reese
Donna Reese MSN, RN, CSN
Donna Reese is a freelance nurse health content writer with 37 years nursing experience. She has worked as a Family Nurse Practitioner in her local community clinic and as an RN in home health, rehabilitation, hospital, and school nursing. She utilizes her personal experiences to write from the heart to apply to her writing for various health publications, including BLOGS, newsletters, and educational materials and videos. Read Full Bio »» MSN, RN, CSN
Working in a hospital while a nursing student can provide valuable experience. What you learn in a part-time hospital job prior to becoming an RN will definitely aid your transition to a graduate nurse. Also, having this additional medical experience may even help you to land a real nursing job!
You may be wondering if it is hard to find a hospital job as a student without any experience. I will let you in on a little secret. You have clout as a nursing student! Hospitals will be happy to employ you, knowing that you are training to be an RN.
So, your next question probably is, “what are the best paying part-time hospital jobs for nursing students with no experience?” In this article, I will delve further into this subject and provide 10 solid examples of best paying part-time hospital jobs for nursing students with no experience.
Read on to find your next summer or part-time hospital job that will pay well and help you launch your nursing career.
What are the Best Paying Part-Time Hospital Jobs for Nursing Students With No Experience?
(The following are the 10 best paying part-time hospital jobs for nursing students with no experience.)
JOB #1: CNA
About The Job:
Perhaps one of the most common best paying part-time hospital jobs for nursing students with no experience is that of a certified nursing assistant. Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) are trained and certified healthcare aides who work in a hospital.
Although nursing students many times are capable of doing the job of a CNA without this certification, many hospitals require that you hold this credential to work in this capacity. Fortunately, many hospitals offer CNA training and certification, often free of charge (if you plan to work for this employer).
Duties of a certified nursing assistant can include:
• Taking vital signs
• Feeding patients
• Assisting with bathing and grooming
• Changing sheets and bedding
• Monitoring intake and output
• Answering call bells
• Assisting with toileting
• Assist in transfers and walking
CNAs can work a variety of shifts. As a nursing student, I worked weekends and occasionally 2nd shift, especially so in the
summer. I had no trouble landing this job even though I had only completed the first year of my BSN program.
The head nurse even took a special interest in me since I was training to be an RN. She made sure to point out unusual cases and allowed me to observe some procedures and testing. This clinical experience was invaluable to me as I continued my journey to become a nurse.
Earning Potential:
According to ZipRecruiter, the average hourly salary for a certified nursing assistant is $20.
JOB #2: Nursing Intern
About The Job:
Working as a nursing intern is perhaps one of the best paying part-time hospital jobs for nursing students with no experience. I make this determination because as a nurse intern, you are assigned an RN as your mentor in a structured program designed to enhance your learning experience.
Although you may perform many of the same duties as a CNA, you also are able to practice some of your clinical skills learned as a nursing student. In this expanded role, you are under the direct supervision of an RN preceptor who teaches and guides you as you stretch your clinical expertise.
Sometimes, it can be challenging to land a nurse internship as hospitals have limited offerings for this choice opportunity. You will need to do some legwork to
get a nurse internship and sell yourself as the best applicant. However, if accepted, you can be assured that you have gained the ultimate hands-on and learning experience as a nursing student.
Most nurse internships are for the summer only and can be in a wide variety of specialty areas.
Earning Potential:
Per ZipRecruiter, nurse interns are paid $17/hour on average.
JOB #3: Dietary Aide
About The Job:
As a nursing student, you may not think that a job as a dietary aide would benefit you professionally. However, there are many
soft nursing skills that you can hone working in the dietary department of a hospital.
Practicing active listening and communication skills as a dietary aide is essential as you learn how to meet the feeding and nutritional wants and needs of each patient.
Feeding issues and dietary considerations are indeed a part of our training as a nurse. Here, you will have an excellent opportunity to put your nutrition lectures into action.
Duties of a dietary aide may include:
• Assist patients with menu choices
• Help to prepare and serve meals
• Distributing meals and snacks
• Assist with feeding patients
• Assist with meal clean-up
Earning Potential:
Hospital dietary aides make an average hourly wage of $17 (ZipRecruiter).
JOB #4: Pharm Tech
About The Job:
What better way to learn about medication than to find a job in a pharmacy? Although hospital pharmacy techs need to take an exam to work in a pharmacy, hospitals may waive this requirement for nursing students who take a part-time job in this capacity.
While training to become a
primary care nurse practitioner, I gained a new respect for pharmacists. I learned that a pharmacist is the most knowledgeable medical team member when it comes to teaching me about medication. Our pharmacist teacher taught our in-depth pharmacology course better than a professor or physician could have done, thoroughly covering disease etiology and pharmacologic intervention.
As a pharm tech, you work hand-in-hand with the pharmacists to prepare and distribute medication safely to the units and patients. If you utilize your pharm tech job as a learning opportunity, you will be glad that you chose to take the position.
A job as a pharm tech can be one of the best paying part-time hospital jobs for nursing students with no experience to really learn about pharmacology.
Earning Potential:
Pharmacy technicians make $19/hour on average per ZipRecruiter.
JOB #5: Patient Transporter
About The Job:
Hospitals are always looking for strong individuals to help transport patients. A job as a hospital patient transporter involves moving patients to other areas of the hospital via wheelchair, bed, or stretcher.
In this role, you will need to employ compassionate communication and safety skills as many patients will be attached to monitors, IVs, and other devices. They may be unconscious, frail, or confused. Your nursing school knowledge about medical devices and the human lifespan will come into play daily in this job.
As a patient transporter, you will have the opportunity to work with nurses, ask plenty of questions, and perhaps help you determine if becoming a nurse is really
worth it.
Earning Potential:
Patient transporter jobs pay $19 on average (ZipRecruiter).
JOB #6: Therapy Assistant
About The Job:
There are many types of therapy offered in a hospital. Physical, occupational, speech, and recreational therapy are prime examples of this essential hospital specialty. Nursing students can find part-time work in these departments as aides or assistants to the professional staff.
In this role, you will work directly with a therapist to assist patients in meeting the goals outlined in their therapy plan.
Although you will not have an opportunity to practice specific nursing clinical skills as a therapy assistant, you will still be in a hospital environment which will be of benefit to your future career.
For example, if you are interested in becoming a pediatric nurse, having the opportunity to perform some play therapy on the peds unit will benefit the children and allow you to practice pediatric communication.
Earning Potential:
Occupational therapy assistants make $30/hour on average (ZipRecruiter). Other types of therapy assistants can expect to make a similar wage.
JOB #7: Nurse Extern
About The Job:
If you are wondering if
becoming a nurse is a good career choice, consider applying for a nurse externship. As a nurse extern, you will have the opportunity to shadow nurses in different departments to get a feel for various nursing specialties.
As an extern, you may perform some CNA and supervised nursing duties. But you also are an observer as you float from department to department to gain a better feel for the hospital and the role of an RN.
Nurse externships differ from that of a nurse internship program. Nurse externships can be very short-term or last for a few weeks and have fewer hands-on care opportunities. Internships typically need a 2-3 month commitment over the summer and you get to fully jump into the role of a “junior” nurse.
However, some hospitals offer externships that are very similar to that of an intern. It appears that the name for this opportunity can be interchangeable at times.
In this role, you will have a chance to work with many
types of nurses to gain a better understanding of our profession. Nurse externships are one of the best paying part-time hospital jobs for nursing students with no experience to learn if you really want to become a nurse.
Earning Potential:
Student nurse externs earn an average hourly pay of $17 (ZipRecruiter).
JOB #8: Hospital Clerk
About The Job:
Hospital clerk jobs may vary from hospital to hospital. Many times, you will serve as a receptionist. However, other clerk positions may be more behind the scenes, filing papers, tearing apart charts, and shredding unwanted items. As a clerk, you may be a jack of all trades, go-to person, and errand-runner.
Due to the nature of the job, this role may be one of the best paying part-time hospital jobs for nursing students with no experience at all. Hospitals may be willing to hire “would be” nursing students who have not even started their programs since clinical expertise is unnecessary.
Once you have proven to be a dependable employee, you can move up the ladder to clinical roles such as a CNA and nurse intern as you progress in your nursing program.
Earning Potential:
Per ZipRecruiter, a hospital clerk averages an hourly wage of $21.
JOB #9: Transcriptionist
About The Job:
A transcriptionist is a clerical job that involves taking dictated medical notes from a provider and typing them into a readable document. Sometimes called a medical scribe, transcriptionists need to be knowledgeable about medical terminology and the healthcare environment. Without this skill, a provider’s dictation may end up sounding like mumbo-jumbo.
Nursing students with their familiarity with medical terminology and computer and typing savvy are actually ideal candidates for this role. A bonus with this position is that you may even be able to
work from home at times.
Earning Potential:
ZipRecruiter reveals that the average wage for a medical transcriptionist is $21/hour.
JOB #10: Interpreter
About The Job:
You may not be aware that working as a hospital interpreter can be one of the best paying part-time hospital jobs for nursing students with no experience. If you are bilingual in Spanish, you are especially needed to help translate in hospitals.
If you have excellent listening and communication skills, you can use your medical expertise to be a liaison between non-English speaking patients and hospital staff. You will use your language expertise in all aspects of the hospital stay- from start to finish. In any scenario during a visit where there is a communication disconnect, you can be of assistance.
While training to become a nurse practitioner, I had the opportunity to work in a clinic that catered to the Hispanic community. Although I had studied basic medical Spanish, I still was challenged to communicate effectively with the patients.
I had one important learning moment at this clinic while talking with a mother of a 10-year-old boy. He was helping with the translation between me and his parent. In this instance, I explained to the mother that the boy needed several immunizations. The boy then was to relay this information to his mother in Spanish.
Unfortunately, with this translation method, the boy had the upper hand. As you can guess, he tipped the conversation his way by telling me that his mom said he did not need the shots at this visit. Fortunately, I caught on to his shenanigans as I could see through his attempt to thwart a potentially uncomfortable injection. I learned an important lesson about communication through this experience; use a reliable interpreter for all aspects of a patient visit to avoid miscommunication!
Earning Potential:
Medical interpreters earn $34 per hour per ZipRecruiter.
My Final Thoughts
As you can see, hospitals are happy to employ nursing students even without experience for the summer or on a part-time basis. Our reputation as compassionate and hard workers precedes our actual RN degree. Some of the most reliable qualities of an RN are embedded in our basic makeup. As nursing students, we bring these stellar attributes to our jobs, right from the start.
Now that I have shared the answer to the question “What are the best paying part-time hospital jobs for nursing students with no experience?”, you should have plenty of ideas for employment while in school. Any of these 10 solid best paying part-time hospital jobs for nursing students with no experience will enrich your nursing experience and add value to your nursing toolbox for the future.
Donna Reese MSN, RN, CSN
Donna Reese is a freelance nurse health content writer with 37 years nursing experience. She has worked as a Family Nurse Practitioner in her local community clinic and as an RN in home health, rehabilitation, hospital, and school nursing.