externship question

Spatialized · Apr 25, 2007

I'm doing my externship this summer on the tele unit of a highly regarded hospital (which is conveniently close to my home). I've thought about what I want to get out of the experience and have chosen these as my top priorities:
1) continue to refine my time management skills (I can manage 3 patients OK, but obviously that's not a full load)
2) continue to hone my assessment skills
3) begin to build a foundation in rhythm interpretation
It's an 8 week program. I'll be working regular 7p-7a shifts with (I'm told) the same preceptor for the entire time (I work what she/he works).
Too many items? Too few? I'm seriously considering cardiac nursing as a specialty so I want to get all that I can out of this externship. I do tend to ask a lot of questions (a family trait), so that won't be an issue.

Not at all, seems like a great way to go at it. Those were the 3 things (among others) that I took away from my extern program. One thing I would suggest is to try to get in on every procedure you can, which is not always possible at nights, but you should try nonetheless. I was able to see several procedures that I would not have been able to if it wasn't for my externship. Make sure the other nurses know you're an extern and are open to help/see/learn whatever you can.

Good luck and have fun!

Tom

llg, PhD, RN · Apr 25, 2007

As someone who runs an extern program, I think those goals sound very appropriate. I also think that it is terrific that you are planning ahead and helping yourself learn by making goals, etc. Good job!

I'd also suggest that you set a goal or two that is not patient-care focused. Much of a person's success on the job relates to their non-clinical abilities. Too many students and new grads focus only on the direct patient-care skills and ignore things such as interpersonal skills, team skills, establishing a positive professional image, exploring different career possibilities, etc. In the extern program that I run, we spend 3 mornings in class each summer. Only a few of those classes relate to patient care topics. The majority focus on how to be a good employee and how to have a long, satisfying nursing career. We discuss career planning, how to choose a job, different career paths in nursing, problem-solving, getting along with co-workers, etc. The externs tell me later that those classes have really helped them be successful as new grads.

It sounds from your original post that you already have at least one important trait that will help you have a successful career -- you are taking responsibility for planning your own learning. That's huge, a great thing to do. Try planning a few non-clinical learning experiences during your summer. Perhaps you can assess yourself for your likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses in nursing. Perhaps you can talk with a few people in advanced nursing roles to see what types of jobs appeal to you for the future. Perhaps you can talk with your co-workers and learn from their career successes and frustrations. Perhaps you can learn from them how to solve some of the daily frustrations of the job and how to avoid suffering from burn out. etc. etc. etc.

emtb2rn, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Apr 26, 2007

Thanks for the feedback.

Everybody will know I'm an extern, we get a patch that warns them :lol2:

As for the soft skills, I agree that it's an area that nursing school hasn't yet put a tremendous amount of focus into from more than a "you're going to have to work together" approach. My prior career (I won't name the company, but it's one of the most well-known corporations on the planet) involved a number of high visibility positions dealing with international and domestic customers (all of whom were very unhappy when I was brought as a troubleshooter) at the director/CIO/CEO level, so I have some experience along those lines.

Ahhh, the choices of a nurse... It's the perfect career for someone who doesn't know what they want to be when they grow up. I'm really interested in cardiac nursing now, but when I started nursing school all I could think of was ED. I did two days in the PACU this semester and thought that was really cool too. Plus, my friends who work in the pharma sector are telling how many great jobs there are for RNs who can also project manage. Anyway, I'm rambling. Thanks again for the feedback.