[Hydakins]

Has anyone done an externship at this Med Ctr? How was the experience? What was the salary?...and any other helpful info would be appreciated.

[vikit05]

I was a Student Nurse Extern (or SNE) last summer and thought it was a wonderful opportunity. Make sure you apply and interview early. The floors to intern on are at a first come/first serve basis. Don't go to the geriatric floor (5 Saint John), a fellow student went there and hated it. Some floors are more accepting to SNE's than others. If you are having a tough time there, speak up to Nursing Ed. and you will have a much better experience. Some floors will give you a better experience than others. L&D, ER, MICU, and ICU are some of the floors that I heard of good experiences. I was on the Women's Surgical floor and I am now a Nursing Assistant there while I am in school. I love my floor, but I don't know if it is a good floor the be a SNE on because all of the employment opportunities are currently filled, so you may want to extern on a floor that has better future employment opportunities.
As for the salary, an extern is paid about $15-16 per hour depending on the time of day and if it is a weekend or not. Right now parking is in Wood-Ridge and you are bused in from there, but that may change. If you get floated, keep in mind that it is a learning experience, although the nurses may not view it as such.
I am very greatful to my experience at HUMC and as a NA I am still learning something new every day.
No matter where you extern, it will give you more experience than you will ever see in clinicals because it is a full-time job. Good Luck!

[willbesoonRN]

Hello vikig99,

Would you happen to know if HUMC offer part-time hours/ and or weekend schedule for their Extern program in the summer? I work full-time at night (12 hrs/3 days networking job) and am really looking for somewhere that offer part-time intern or extern?

Thanks for your help..

[Hydakins]

I believe that it is only full time plus a class each week.

[vikit05]

Last summer most departments were full time, 8 hour, M-F, 7am-3pm positions. There were a few floors (such as the ER) that offered 12 hour shifts during both days and nights. As far as I know, the hospital only offers full-time externships. Everyone who was an extern was going into their last year of school, no matter if they were in a BSN or RN program. It was a great opportunity. I highly suggest that everyone does an externship.

[Hydakins]

Thank you for the replies! I hear that hospitals are having a "budget" problem and that is why it is taking a while for them to call students for interviews. Did you experience this vikig99? I sent my resume and all other requested paperwork in December. Someone in HR at Hackensack confirmed that they recieved the info but didnt want to answer any questions. Actually it was more like she didnt want me to ask any questions. I applied to there and Valley Hospital. I was just wondering if you had to wait a while before hearing anything. St Josephs and St Peters arent sure if they are even going to offer it this year. I was thinking of applying to Morristown Memorial but the areas that I have interest in are filled already (they have students who are also employees that grabbed the spots). My clinical rotations are there this semester. Its not a bad hospital. Im not too familiar with NJ hospitals so if anyone else knows of any other hospitals where I can get a good externship experience, please feel free to share. It may help someone else too!

[vikit05]

The hospitals in Bergen just had a bidding war for part of Pascack Valley Hospital, and Hackensack won, so there may be some budget trimming. If you are looking for other hospitals to apply for you may want to look at the list of hospitals on http://www.njha.com/directories/index.aspx and call the human resources offices and inquire. Some of the hospitals have info on their web sites. It may be easier to get an externship at a hospital that you have clinicals at.

Good luck!