Internship Program

I'm currently in an Internship Program in Columbus. It is a full-time paid staff RN position that lasts 16 wks. The Nurse Interns at my hospital rotate to 3 units for 3 wks each (where we work alongside our Nurse Preceptor and are expected to grow more and more independent). At the end of the rotation, we interview once again for a permanent position for one of the 3 units we rotated to and are guarenteed a position.

Before I began interviewing I absolutely knew that I wanted to go through an Internship program. So far, I have not regretted the decision. We have been taking specialized courses (that are also paid) that relate to our specialty. It's almost been 2 months and I've learned so much!

If you have any other ?s just let me know. Good luck!

?Was it hard to get into an internship program?? I mean- Did you have to apply repeatedly? I've applied to one recently and have been denied. I have just graduated and am waiting to take boards to get my license. To feel better--I've assumed the reason for being "tossed aside" was because I do not currently have my license.

Thank you for reply. Do you know when the next internship should be? I would really really love to go through an internship. I believe it is the way to go to start a nursing career. Any tips to get accepted? I truly truly appreciate your reply. I have been discouraged by many to go through an internship.

What were the reasons you were discouraged to pursue an internship? They are an amazing experience - I've heard nothing but good stories about them.

Thank you for reply. Do you know when the next internship should be? I would really really love to go through an internship. I believe it is the way to go to start a nursing career. Any tips to get accepted? I truly truly appreciate your reply. I have been discouraged by many to go through an internship.

I"m also curious to know why some people have discouraged you from pursuing an internship program. If I had it to do all over again, I would still go through an Internship. The program that I'm in now is absolutely priceless. I've interned on 3 different cardiac floors and have learned sooo much. I've also taken classes regarding various Cardiac issues...these classes have covered topics that were barely covered (or not at all) during nursing school. Most teaching hospitals have Internships (I think alot of non-teaching hospitals also have them). I'm not sure when the next Internship class begins (I think there might be a group that starts in May and in August...however, I believe they've stopped interviewing for those tracks). When in doubt, just call HR.

Again, I would highly recommend going through an Internship program...The support that these types of prgrams provide new grads can really make a huge difference in the difficult transition from nursing student to new grad Nurse. The pros greatly outweigh the cons ; )

**As far as advice for getting into a program--I sought advice from a professional in putting my resume together. I also made sure that during my senior year I attended conferences that were geared toward my area of interest (Cardiac Nursing). I also put together a portfolio that included letters of reference from Nurse Managers and Clinical Instructors, special presentations, papers, my best care plans from throughout my nursing school experience. I then had Kinkos bind it up...the finished product looked great. The Nurse Managers that I interviewed with loved it.

Good Luck!

Thank you for the tips. Question, you consulted a professional? like how do you do that? I'm interested. Also, is it really difficult to get into the program? Some said it is because we have a lot of nursing graduates in Columbus. (sigh)

As for reasons, they said because I have a BSN degree, I didn't need the internship program. Also, they've mentioned that I will be paid way less for doing so. How much do you get paid for (if you don't mind)? I really have no clue how much the hourly rate in Ohio is.