10 Ways To Gain Professional Nursing Experience

It's the classic catch-22: you need experience to get the job, and the job is where you get experience. There are ways around it. Building experience before you apply does more than fill out a resume. It shows you what the work is really like and which specialties might suit you. Here are 10 ways to gain it.

1. Shadow a Nurse

Shadowing is one of the best ways to test the water. You see exactly what nurses do all day: the tender moments with patients, the war stories from colleagues, and the things that are hard to watch. It takes the job off the page and onto the floor, where you watch nurses handle real situations. Larger hospitals often run shadowing programs. If yours doesn't, ask the HR department at a local hospital or your own physician's office.

2. Consider an Internship

If you're in high school, college, or a nursing program, look into internships through your school. They build skills, teach you how a healthcare organization runs, and put you on the radar for a future job. Internships rarely pay, but that isn't the point. The hours help you make career decisions and get on the shortlist after graduation.

3. Find a Mentor

A mentor can shape your career before it starts. Some areas run formal programs that match students with experienced professionals. If yours doesn't, find a nurse willing to guide you. A good mentor answers your questions, offers a listening ear, and gives you honest, relatable insight. Once they know you, they may write a recommendation letter for a program or job. A mentor inside nursing will serve you better than one in another field, even if the other person is easier to reach.

4. Get Certified in Basic Life Support and First Aid

The American Heart Association and the American Red Cross offer BLS courses, the care first responders give to someone in cardiac arrest or with a blocked airway. You'll learn CPR and how to use an automated external defibrillator, and both programs stress critical thinking and problem solving. The Red Cross BLS-with-first-aid course also covers burns, sudden illness, lacerations, neck and back injuries, and heat and cold emergencies. Certification signals commitment to employers.

5. Join HOSA-Future Health Professionals

HOSA is a worldwide, student-led organization for secondary and postsecondary students preparing for healthcare careers. It works best built into a health science curriculum. Members develop leadership, motivation, and realistic career and education goals, and they can apply for tens of thousands of dollars in scholarship awards.

6. Become a Certified Nursing Assistant

CNAs are core members of the care team. They work in nursing homes, hospitals, rehab centers, and adult day care, handling bathing, grooming, and feeding, assisting with procedures, caring for wounds, and keeping rooms and linens clean. Training varies by state but usually runs no more than eight weeks, and it's paid experience. As of May 2024, nursing assistants earned a median of about $19.00 per hour, or roughly $39,530 per year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. CNA work is a strong short-term move toward a nursing program or the job you want.

7. Volunteer

Volunteering is another unpaid route in, and unlike internships it draws far less competition. Programs and employers like seeing it on a resume. Try the American Red Cross, your local hospital, or a public health department. Document your hours, have a supervisor sign off, and check in regularly. Volunteer work often turns into strong recommendation letters.

8. Think Outside the Box

If you've graduated and can't find a nursing job, widen the net. A "pro re nata" (PRN, "as needed") position fills in for staffing shortages on a temporary basis and gives you a flexible schedule, good pay, and exposure to several specialties. Other healthcare roles build skills and connections too: research, laboratory assistant, group home, hospice, and correctional facility nursing.

9. Work While You're in School

Time management is a core nursing skill, and a school job sharpens it. Look for a student nurse position at the hospital or clinic tied to your program; some schools offer part-time work for students. You earn money, gain experience, and often land a permanent job after graduation. Many programs also include a residency in the final year, which builds technical and clinical skills alongside real experience.

10. Network

Many students find it hard to step outside their comfort zone and network. Reframe it as making friends in the field and it gets easier. Networking lets you ask questions, pick up skills, and hear about openings before they're posted, sometimes with a friendly face ready to put in a good word.