Externships are WONDERFUL!!

[klone]

I started my externship at the local hospital about 3 weeks ago, and I can't believe how much I've learned already, after just 4 shifts on the floor. After another 2 weeks, I will have more floor nursing experience after a month than I have in the entire past year of nursing school. And the externship lasts a year. By the time I graduate, I will be SO far ahead of the game compared to other students, I almost feel guilty about it. :chuckle And I'm pretty much guaranteed a job in the unit as a new grad RN next year after graduation.

If externships are offered at the hospitals in your area, DEFINITELY take advantage of it. The experience you gain cannot be measured, it's such an awesome opportunity, and you get PAID!!

[chattypattyCRNA2B]

Here's what I've learned about externships ...

You really have to be aggressive about it in school. They don't always tell you about externships and there is often misinformation ... like when you can start. Some hospitals will take you after just one semester of nursing school. Other hospitals want you to finish at least two semesters. Don't listen to rumors. Find out first hand from the hospitals and the school administrator in charge of externships how the program really works.

At my school you also have to sign up for cooperative education to do it. If you don't, you can get in big trouble with the Board of Nursing. One student got kicked out of nursing school all together for not simultaneously registering for the required course work that accompanies the externship.

Also, at my school, you can do the skills that you have been checked off on in lab or clinical. It's great because you can practice skills as soon as you've been taught them in school. But you need to keep copies of your check offs so you can document that you're only doing the skills allowed under the program. That way you're also covered with the Board of Nursing.

The bottom line is: Be careful to find out about all of the rules and follow them carefully.

Not all externships are equal. Some hospitals do nothing but assign students CNA work. Other hospitals implement more "real" externships where you might do some CNA but are also assigned to RN's for lots of training. Find out which hospitals have the best programs.

And ... speaking of CNA ... don't be a primma donna. Some students felt they were above CNA work, refused to do it, and the hospitals did fire them. But once you prove you're a team player and do the CNA work, the RN's go out of their way to help train you and give you lots of RN skills ... or, at least, that's been my experience.

Externships are often competitive and the early bird does get the worm. Before I was even eligible, I started interviewing two months before the semester was over so I could get the slots left vacant by graduating students. So I was already set before other people applied who had to fight for vacancies.

Some externships will take you all the way through nursing school, including summer and winter breaks, with no time limits. And some programs are really flexible too. With my hospital, we completely set our own schedule. I only have to work six shifts the entire semester although, I choose to do more than that. And, if I have a test coming up, they usually let me skip work that week. It's great if you can find a really flexible program.

Oh ... and my externship pays $10 an hour.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for all the good information!

[wonderbee, BSN, RN]

I have one of those externships that is actually a patient care tech position. Actually I have two; one in SICU and the other on a tele floor. The one on the tele floor is of no use to me for my future as a nurse. Really, the nurses couldn't be bothered. The SICU position is a different matter altogether. My first night on the unit, I assisted the nurses and the doctors with just about everything, including a resucitation and a bedside swan ganz (cardiac cath) insertion. What I guess I'm saying is, don't turn down a position just because it might be a nursing assistant job. The units and the ER are great places to learn in any clinical capacity.

[Purdue_Nurse]

I definitely agree! I am doing an externship this summer and it has been wonderful. I learn new things every day and feel so much more confident with my nursing skills. In the program I'm in we get to do most of the things an RN does but with supervision. I would highly recommend it to anyone wanting more experience before graduating!

[Curious1alwys, BSN, RN]

Good for you on holding out and getting what you want, Klone! I am so happy for you! This thread has been of interest to me, makes me really want to get out there in the clinical arena. School starts for me Friday! Yikes!

Yep, I interviewed for a position at another hospital last fall (they took on externs after only one semester). You do get a competitive hourly wage, but they consider the externship as training/education, and as such, have put a price tag on it. For every month you work as an extern, you owe them one month as a new grad RN after graduation. If you choose not to work for them after graduation, you have to pay them $100 for every month you owe them. If I had taken the position and then decided not to work for them as a new grad, I would have had to pay $1800 to buy out my contract with them. Between that and the 90-minute drive (one way), I opted to hold out for an externship at the local hospital. The gamble paid off and I couldn't be happier!