intern/externship really necessary to get a job?

[tabycat]

Hi, I'm still a nursing student. I'll be graduating in May next year. Most of my friends in my class have worked as intern or extern before, but I haven't got a chance to because always something came up during my summer breaks. Also, now I'm pregnant with due date in March. If everything goes well, I'll be able to take NCLEX in summer. My question is, is internship/externship critical in getting a job? Since I wouldn't have time to do that before taking my NCLEX and also I don't know if I'll have time available with my baby born in spring, I don't know if my resume would look so bad without such experience. Shall I try hard to do externship before applying for a job?

Another question is, are the job interviews really hard? Will you be at disadvantage if your talking skill is not good? English is my second language and also I'm not good at answering quesions instantly. Interviews like behavior interviews really make me worried.

[floatRN]

I didn't do any internships while in nursing school and had no problem finding a job. The people who did internships at my hospital did get first dibs on job openings though. If you have never worked in a hospital, an internship would be very helpful in making you feel more confident as a new grad but its not absolutely necessary. You still have your clinical experience.

[swatch007]

Internship is not really necessary to get a job. However, it will give you a competitive advantage because you have an experience compared with other nurses who are fresh out of school with no experience. It will also affect your level of confidence since you already preconditioned your mind to function in a hospital. In addition, many of the things you have learned in text books will make more sense to you when you see them in real clinical settings. Since English is your second language, internship will also gradually help you feel confident in front of people.

If you are not able to do internship because of your schedule and/ or pregnancy, try looking for volunteer opportunities in hospitals around your area since many hospitals have available positions for volunteers. You may not be allowed to provide direct care to a patient, but volunteering is a good alternative to internship. Also, you only have to spend few hours a week instead of putting a lot of time when you are doing internship.

The point is have something to write in your resume when you apply for a job and get your feet wet buy having an experience working in a hospital either by intership or volunteering.

Wishing you the best in your future career and in the new chapter of your life

for being a great Mom!:smiley_aa

[jo272wv]

intern and externships are set up to give experience and knowledge. I did both and trust me it not only got my foot in the door when I graduated but the things I saw and did during this time helped answer a lot of questions on the boards.