Externs in NJ

ckh23, BSN, RN · Mar 31, 2006

Hi Everyone,
I am in an ADN program right now, I will be doing an 8 wk. nursing externship at a local hospital over the summer, and I am wondering what I will be able to do? Will I giving meds along with the nurse, giving injections, or is it more getting the pt out of bed and getting ready for the day? Wondering....
Thanks!

I think it depends where you do your extern. I did mine at Kennedy in Cherry Hill and I hated it. During the inteview they promised me all this experience and that I would be following a nurse around doing nursing things. Turns out they turned me into a nurses aide, not that there is anything wrong with that but I never got the experience that I was looking for. I hope yours turns out better than mine.

NJNursing, ASN, RN · Apr 3, 2006

I agree with the above poster. I didn't do one (wish I did, though), but I have a friend who did one at Helene Fuld Medical Center in their ICU and she said it was bascically an observation with the exception of vital signs. Others who did theirs at Robert Wood Johnson in Hamilton, were basically working in conjunction with the nurses and did everything but some meds and IV push. So really it all depends on where you go.

CallMePatti · Apr 5, 2006

I'm being interviewed for an externship.

I figure anything will help me, because I don't feel school clinicals one day a week is nearly enough.

StepSta · Apr 6, 2006

I was a nurse extern at the hospital where I worked as PCT-T! I TOO didn't care too much for it! I regretted it coz it took a WHOLE summer away from my kids! I too was promised all this "exposure".... All the exposure I got was how all the nurses EAT all the time and "talk" A LOT about everyone and everything!!! I was not allowed to give meds. I was practically 2 steps behind my preceptor the entire time! It DID however let me see how a nurse's day is spent...

thee_thee13 · Apr 13, 2006

I did an externship last summer at Lourdes Burlington and it was great experience!! It was a full time paid job and and good externship experience. i did not get to pass meds but that was fine. I got to do pretty much everything else with the nurse. It was 8 weeks and you rotated to a different department each week to get exposure in each of them. As long as you got a great nurse that day, you could do alot! It was 12hrs Tues, Wed, Thur, and a information session on Mondays. I would recommend it:)

naijanurse · Jul 23, 2006

I did an externship last summer at Lourdes Burlington and it was great experience!! It was a full time paid job and and good externship experience. i did not get to pass meds but that was fine. I got to do pretty much everything else with the nurse. It was 8 weeks and you rotated to a different department each week to get exposure in each of them. As long as you got a great nurse that day, you could do alot! It was 12hrs Tues, Wed, Thur, and a information session on Mondays. I would recommend it:)

hey i know this is like 3 months old, but i was just reading through old posts, and i saw u did an externship program at lourdes burlington last summer. so did I!!! :lol2: lol, i know this is all late, but i just got excited when i saw this. we probably know each other since we werent a big group.

~shakira

Skeletor · Feb 1, 2008

Would any former SJ Nurse Externs recommend the hospital that they worked at to a fellow nursing student? I'd appreciate any and all comments, positive or negative, about your past experience; thank you.

anastaro · Nov 12, 2010

Do you know a contact at Lourdes. I cant find information online or get a hold of a nurse recruiter. Thanks!