Internship?!

[egibson]

I am starting RN school soon (in the spring) and was wondering if in my last year (or even semester) if i should ask around at my local (not where i will be doing clinical at) to see if they will let me intern there? (I am good friends with A LOT of the nurse mgrs up there as i use to work there several years back as an admissions clerk). or if that is "unheard of" and not a polite thing to do. TIA

[chloecatrn]

Your school will set you up with a preceptorship in your last semester. That being said, over the summer between terms, an externship is an excellent idea. A lot of hospitals have such programs, and you can get valuable experience. Check and see if they have a formal program, and if not, see what qualifications they would want you to have. Good luck!

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Due to the liability associated with clinical internships, these are pretty much limited to formal programs run by the education department rather than the individual internships that are more common in other types of careers. Admission to nursing internships is usually very competitive - maintaining a high GPA & making favorable impressions on the facility staff will certainly boost your chances of acceptance.