20 Part-Time Health Care Jobs for Nursing Students

As a nursing student, there are many part-time health care jobs you can do to improve your resume and prepare for your career. These part-time jobs help you gain work experience in the medical field and allow you to earn money as a student. Understanding the various available part-time health care jobs can help you find a role that suits your interests while you complete your diploma or degree.

In this article, we explore 20 of the best part-time health care jobs for nursing students, highlight their hourly earnings, discuss their primary duties, and provide skills you may require to perform these jobs.

20 best part-time health care jobs for nursing students

The best part-time health care jobs for nursing students offer work experience with flexible hours to allow students to focus on their studies. Below are 20 part-time health care jobs for student nurses:

1. Medical scribe

National average salary: $16.15 per hour

Primary duties: Medical scribes attend physicians' patient examinations and document important aspects of these encounters on a computer for future reference. They assist physicians by allowing them to concentrate solely on the patient without the requirement to take notes during their interactions. These professionals may also assist with electronic medicine prescriptions and help provide primary patient care.

Read more: 16 High-Paying Health Care Jobs (With Duties and Salaries)

2. Sanitation technician

National average salary: $17.06 per hour

Primary duties: Health sanitation technicians, or sanitary technicians, clean, maintain, operate, or empty the tools, health facilities, and surroundings in the health facility. They also ensure that the washrooms, convenience rooms, and wards are clean and tidy. They manage all kinds of waste and help dispose of them.

3. Transporter

National average salary: $17.84 per hour

Primary duties: A transporter, also called a hospital patient transporter, is a professional who assists patients by moving them from one room to another or from a room to a vehicle upon discharge from a medical facility. They use various medical devices, such as stretchers, movable beds, and wheelchairs. This role requires professionals to lift patients off and onto beds and move them from treatment areas to their rooms within a hospital or medical clinic.

4. Order administrator

National average salary: $36,128 per year

Primary duties: Order administrators in the healthcare industry manage the order cycle of operations in a healthcare facility. They process the order cycle swiftly, make modifications to orders, and ensure quick implementation of those orders. They also communicate issues to suppliers, monitor deliveries, issue accurate invoices, and liaise with internal supplies.

5. Nursing assistant

National average salary: $18.51 per hour

Primary duties: A nursing assistant works with a licensed nurse and administers care to patients in a hospital or other medical facility. They address individuals' basic requirements and ensure that they're comfortable for the duration of their stay. These professionals might take responsibility for various duties, including monitoring patients' vital signs, changing their bedding, and guiding them through stretches or exercises. They may also assist them with personal care tasks, including dressing, bathing, and teeth cleaning.

Related: Guide on How to Become a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant)

6. Dietary aide

National average salary: $18.57 per hour

Primary duties: A dietary aide cooks food for patients that meets their unique dietary requirements. They prepare meals, deliver them to designated wards, and tidy the work area at designated times. They may also organize dining areas outside of a health care facility so patients can dine with friends or family members.

7. Home health aide

National average salary: $18.65 per hour

Primary duties: A home health care aide caters to elderly, ill, or injured patients by visiting them in their homes to administer medications, assist them with personal tasks, such as bathing, and perform routine checks of their vital signs and overall condition. These professionals may also perform minor housekeeping tasks, including laundry, dishwashing, and cooking. In addition to medical care, home health aides offer patients emotional and social support.

Related: Health Care Aide Resume (With Example and Tips)

8. Health screener

National average salary: $20.62 per hour

Primary duties: A health screener collects and organizes information on behalf of a medical provider. They check patients' vital signs, blood pressure, height, and weight and collect samples to analyze the patient's health condition. They run these tests with the use of biometric tools.

9. Research assistant

National average salary: $20.88 per hour

Primary duties: Medical research assistants support other health care professionals by gathering and analyzing data and information. They may also prepare laboratory space and ensure that all the necessary equipment and tools are available. Advised by a primary researcher, their tasks can vary depending on the experiment or research they're contributing to and the project's duration.

10. Medical administrative assistant

National average salary: $21.15 per hour

Primary duties: A medical administrative assistant schedules and confirms patients' appointments. They bill patients, process payments, and assist with health insurance claims. They also compile and record medical charts, write reports, and manage medical documents.

11. Phlebotomist

National average salary: $22.23 per hour

Primary duties: A phlebotomist is a medical professional whose principal responsibility is to draw blood from a patient for various reasons, such as diagnostic tests, blood transfusions, or blood donations. They also review documents and make corrections before drawing blood. Phlebotomists also sterilize their tools, dispose of used materials, and monitor patients for side effects.

12. Unit clerk

National average salary: $22.42 per hour

Primary duties: A unit clerk may greet visitors to the facility and answer phone calls to ensure that they route callers to the correct patient's room or department. They may also prepare staff timesheets and process health care billings. These professionals interact with patients, families, and hospital staff members.

Related: What Does a Unit Clerk Do? (With Salary and Duties)

13. Monitor technician

National average salary: $22.48 per hour

Primary duties: A monitor technician, also known as a cardiac monitor technician, is responsible for reviewing and examining patients' heart monitors within a health care facility. They identify and report any abnormalities, including arrhythmia, also known as an irregular heartbeat. These professionals primarily assist nursing departments and help ensure that patients receive the medical attention they require.

14. Caregiver

National average salary: $22.60 per hour

Primary duties: Caregivers are professionals who help elderly, sick and disabled individuals with various tasks to improve their quality of life. This role includes monitoring individuals' medications and updating their health charts as changes in their conditions or requirements occur. They may assist with bathing, eating, dressing, and attending doctor's appointments. Caregivers may communicate with an individual's family members to keep them updated about the person's physical and emotional condition.

15. Physical therapist assistant

National average salary: $23.69 per hour

Primary duties: Physical therapist assistants assist patients in regaining movement and managing pain after an injury or illness. They typically work in physical therapists' offices and often stand for long hours while setting up equipment and helping care for patients. They're responsible for observing patients before, during, and after therapy and reporting their observations to their supervisor. While caring for the patient, they conduct particular exercises and medical techniques to relieve pain.

16. Dental assistant

National average salary: $24.38 per hour

Primary duties: Dental assistants assist with dental procedures on patients, such as fillings, scaling, polishing, crowning, and extractions. While preparing the patients for surgery, they also talk with them and perform administrative tasks. Dental assistants operate dental equipment and prepare examination areas for dentists.

17. Occupational therapy aide

National average salary: $25.09 per hour

Primary duties: An occupational therapy aide is a professional who performs various support tasks for occupational therapists to ensure that the materials and equipment they require for patients are ready to use and assembled, such as patient worksheets. These individuals may also help with clerical duties, such as answering the phone, scheduling appointments, and ordering and restocking supplies.

Occupational therapists may also rely on these professionals to fill out insurance forms and other paperwork and ensure that they submit the documents on time.

18. Pharmacy technician

National average salary: $25.37 per hour

Primary duties: Pharmacy technicians screen prescription orders to ensure accurate and complete dosage. They oversee prescription preparations, retrieve medication, and measure, weigh, count, and pour appropriate dosages. Physician technicians may also perform medication reconciliation.

19. Emergency medical technician

National average salary: $29.04 per hour

Primary duties: Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) respond to emergency calls and transport individuals to a hospital or other medical facility if necessary. Along with paramedics, these professionals may conduct primary, noninvasive interventions to save patients' lives before they arrive at a hospital and receive additional medical attention. EMTs can provide essential emergency medical care, and their role may require them to do so in stressful or high-pressure situations.

20. X-ray technician

National average salary: $33.14 per hour

Primary duties: An X-ray technician prepares patients for radiological procedures and escorts them to dressing and X-ray rooms. They also communicate with patients to provide instruction and ensure patient care and safety. They also help position patients' bodies in the X-ray machine for scanning.

Nursing skills you can develop by working in healthcare

There are some essential skills you require as a nursing student to perform certain tasks. These skills include:

• Communication

• Interpersonal skills

• Time management

• Physical endurance

• Teamwork

• Attention to detail

• Ethics and confidentiality

Salary figures reflect data listed on Indeed Salaries at time of writing. Salaries‌ ‌may‌ ‌‌vary‌‌ ‌depending‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌hiring‌ ‌organization‌ ‌and‌ ‌a‌ ‌candidate's‌ ‌experience,‌ ‌academic‌ background‌, ‌and‌ ‌location.