CHOP Nurse Externship (Summer 10-week’s)

[Samm06, BSN, RN]

Hello everybody,

I recently became informed about a Nurse Externship at the Children's Hospital of Philedelphia for 10-weeks in the summer of 2018. My questions are has anyone completed this kind of Externship at this hospital and if so how did you benefit from from this experience? (Also, was it a paid Externship? If you are not from the area do they pay for housing?)

Thank you.

[chare]

Have you visited CHOP's Nursing Student Programs site yet? Also, if you are interested in other programs:

Nursing Externships and Service Opportunities (UNC)

Summer Externship and Opportunity Resource Guide (Penn)

[Samm06, BSN, RN]

I have looked over the website for the details but I was hoping to gain insight on personal experiences.

[PixieRN1]

I've personally never heard of a paid externship or reimbursement for housing. None of mine were paid on any level at least when I was a student. I did one in NICU, PACU, and ICU. Mine weren't paid. I can't imagine that anything would be paid, housing or hourly. What you get is the privilege of the unique experience an externship offers you.

Why? Well, if my hospital won't pay the $40 discounted rate for their established nurses to stay in a nearby hotel during a blizzard or a flood when they need those very nurses for critical staffing, I doubt that they would pay for a student to have an educational offering or pay for housing when that student isn't contributing to improving staffing levels. Nurses co-bunk in any spare room on air mattresses. I doubt they will pay for a student hotel.

Maybe I'm wrong...I'm probably somewhere between a realist or a pessimist here. But that sounds like it would be a pretty significant benefit give out and usually students don't get any kinds of benefits from hospitals, period.

Usually the benefit is that the student gets the ability to practice nursing with a skilled preceptor in a unit of their preference for an extended time, which they can then list on their new grad resume. Externships definitely can help you land your preferred job as a new grad!!! That is a massive benefit!! My NICU externship was a big reason I got hired as a new grad in the same unit I externed in. That was my benefit.

The externship indirectly takes away from the hospital's resources anyway because it is an investment of the preceptor's time...and that preceptor may or may not make an addition $0.25-$1.00 an hour for that role...so the hospital is paying to host you in a way.

So if the preceptor is to make next to nothing for their time, I doubt the student would be making anything at all.

I could be wrong. But I've never seen an externship have any financial incentive. YMMV. I agree a quick call to the program will let you know.

[Samm06, BSN, RN]

I was just wondering because I live over an hour away but it sounds like a great opportunity, however I would need some kind of income during those 10-weeks

[llg, PhD, RN]

There are lots of paid externships out there -- and they are typically very valuable to the students who get them. Note that these are jobs run by the hospital -- not clinical rotations arranged through a school. While each program is a little unique, most involve working in a role that is somewhat of an "advanced nursing assistant" in conjunction with an RN preceptor. Some are just glorified CNA roles, but the better programs include classes and mentoring designed to augment the extern's education and better-prepare them for success as a new grad.

Note also ... that the best programs are often highly competitive ... with a lot more applicants than available spaces. So contact the programs that interest you, ask your questions, and develop a strong application if you are interested.

[Nurse0322]

Hi,

I just wanted to let you know that there are paid externships. I know the hospitals where I live do pay you, and its more than regular CNA II pay. I completed a program last summer. Although I didn't get an offer on the unit I wanted, I was able to use the experience to really learn a lot about the nursing field. I also was able to use the information I learned towards my interviews. I know a few people who went to other states to do externships and were paid. I highly recommend it! You network quite easily this way. Even if you don't stay at the same hospital, you will have a significant leg up on other applicants.

Hope this helped!

[cleback]

I did a paid summer exterm ship between my junior and senior year. Although it paid about the same as my nursing assistant job, it was a pretty valuable experience. I got to take on what felt like more responsibility and feel like a nurse as opposed to a student. Also, a few of the other program participants got rn job offers at the end.