Anyone in or completed the INOVA crictical care internship?

[TiffBennett07]

I was just looking at the INOVA website and am interested in information about the critical care internship but they only have a brief paragraph about it. (Also could not find any contact information for my questions) I was wondering..

• How many people were in the program?
  
• How competitive is it?
  
• Are there any specific certifications, or anything else besides good grades that would give me an advantage?
  
• What is the schedule like? (What kind of shifts and how do the courses fit into them.)
  
• Do you get the opportunity to work at INOVA in critical care after successfull completion of the internship?
  

Thanks guys! I love this website!:redbeathe

[InovaEdelmanCenter]

Hi Tiff - I know it's been a while since you asked this question but I thought I'd let you know just in case you or anyone else is still wondering. Internships, also called Fellowships, at Inova Health System are available only to nurses who are hired into a specialty (such as critical care). So how do you get in? Apply for a critical care position as a new graduate, or as an RN who hasn't worked in critical care before. Once you're hired you will automatically be enrolled in the appropriate internship/fellowship and will complete that before beginning work as a critical care nurse.

To address some of your questions specifically:

• How many people were in the program? - This changes every time they offer the program, depending on the number of positions available.
  
• How competitive is it? - Again, this varies. It just depends on how many positions are open. We cannot predict how many applicants we'll have or how many open positions we'll have at any given moment.
  
• Are there any specific certifications, or anything else besides good grades that would give me an advantage? - Inova hires candidates that are the best fit for the position, so you'll need to be a good match for the unit/department you're interviewing to join.
  
• What is the schedule like? (What kind of shifts and how do the courses fit into them.) - You'll be hired to work days, nights, or a combination of both and assigned to work with a preceptor at first. Before all that, however, you'll start in the classroom learning the more specific skills you'll need to be a successful critical care nurse.
  
• Do you get the opportunity to work at INOVA in critical care after successfull completion of the internship? - Hopefully you've already figured out the answer to this one, but it's yes - you WILL work in critical care when you're done with the fellowship.
  

Hope that answers your questions! If not, please visit inova.org/edelmancenter or feel free to email us at [email protected]