Question For Ya!!!

I have a question. I am a RN student, I wont be done until August 2013. I'm looking for a job to gain some kind of healthcare experience that will help me in the long run. I recently interviewed and got an offer to be can RNT at a rehab hospital. I got a call the other day to interview for an ER registration specialist but will cross train me in he trauma bay? This is at our local hospital where I hope to work when I'm an RN. If they offer me the ER job should I take it??? Rehab hospital is 4 night 11-730 and ER is two nights 11-7. I don't really have to work b/c my husband does just fine but I want the experience. Which do all you wonderful people think would be better? Thanks!!!!
Take the hospital job, not only is it professionally advantageous but you may receive tuition reimbursement. Sometimes the coveted jobs such as externships are only available to hospital employees.

Thanks I was leaning that way :-)

I think after some careful thought the hospital is the way to go. Any healthcare exp will help you at this point and since you already think you want to be an RN there that sounds like a great foot in the door. ER might train you with more skills like IV's and such, but IMHO you will learn more RN type skills at the hospital. Good luck, either way, any job you take now will give you a huge advantage when job hunting time comes around!

Hello there SoonToBeRN2013,Both positions are wonderful assets but check how likely you are to be hired as a new grad into the nursing side of things. ER and trauma are typically not areas for new graduate nurses so you may not land a position even if you are an excellent employee. What is a RNT?

Quote from CuddleswithpuddlesHello there SoonToBeRN2013,Both positions are wonderful assets but check how likely you are to be hired as a new grad into the nursing side of things. ER and trauma are typically not areas for new graduate nurses so you may not land a position even if you are an excellent employee. What is a RNT?

RNT sounds like more patient contact and time management with getting tasks done... that could go farther even in a hospital since it's direct care. JMO

isn't 4 nights too much while you're still in school??

ED will hire new grads. ED is a great opportunity to get your foot in the door. Considering the times now, I recommend ED...it will be difficult to find another opportunity once u turn them down once. Good luck.

HI,Back in the day when I was in nursing school, I worked 3 nights a week in a rehab center. It taught me so much. It was affiliated with a hospital. It lead to a job in that hospital. I was 20 and single. Three nights was alot. But, I needed to work. Consider that amount of time with each. I feel the pt care is better for experience and future job.

Wow all your replies are absolutely wonderful....that's why I'm addicted to this site...lol. Well I was thinking to as many of u have said that if I take the ED job at least my foot is in the door at the hospital. I don't have to be an RN in the ED when I graduate but just working in that hospital will hopefully give me some kind of advantage. Slot of their jobs on their website say for internal candidates only. This is why I was leaning towards the ED job as well. And I too think that 4 nights a week is slot with school...plus I volunteer and my kids school two days a week. I don't know what to do!!!!!!

I work 5 nights a week and am in school. While it is definitely hard it is very doable. I think you should try it out and then if it becomes too much you can always quit. I would try to work nights where you don't have to be at school in the morning. It VERY difficult to adjust to sleeping during the day and being awake at night. I have been working nights for 2 years and my schedule easily gets messed up and my sleep cycle gets completely thrown off. If you could find opportunities for during the day or evening that would be better.

The RNT position sounds like you will be doing more direct patient care and working on your skills. They may be just nurse aide type skills (basic patient care including feeding, bathing, toileting, skin care, I&O, checking blood sugars) or they may let you do a little more (some facilities allow their techs to insert foleys or start IVs...it just depends on the facility); however, I find any type of job that gives you patient experience prior to graduating from nursing school is INVALUABLE. I worked as a PCNA (patient care nursing assistant) for awhile and then I landed a job as a NT (nurse tech) at another hospital. Not only did I learn a lot from working both jobs (I worked with a bunch of wonderful nurses who loved to teach!) it gave me the opportunity to work on my skills. As a NT, I could start IV's, draw blood, insert foleys, administer enemas, do dressing changes and perform trach care/suctioning on top of basic duties. I did more of those "skills" working as a NT than I did in nursing school! And working those jobs made me feel more comfortable in a hospital setting and with talking to patients. When I first started nursing school, I was so awkward when it came to communicating with my patients and I was sooooooo shy - a wallflower, if you will - but working as a PCNA/NT prior to my RN really made a difference.As for the ER registration specialist, that is another good way to get your foot in the door, but it seems like potential employers like actual clinical experience (working as a tech or aide or whatever).Back to the RNT position...you mentioned 4 nights...are they flexible with that? The two jobs I worked were very flexible - I worked PRN for both of them. The PCNA job was a minimum of 2 shifts/month and the NT job was a minimum of 4 shifts/month with at least 1 weekend shift (friday, saturday or sunday) and we were allowed to come in for 4 or 6 hours, and at "odd" times (there were times where I would come in at 4 or 5pm and work until 11pm because of my school schedule). I made sure that I put school first but at the same time maintained my work commitment. It wasn't that difficult to juggle both. Being a PCNA/NT also meant that I sometimes had to do 1:1's which were nice. Some patients were a handful but others were okay, and that gave me extra time to get some studying/homework done.