Internship?

lisabeth · May 13, 2006

just got accepted for a summer internship. will this truly help enhance learned clinical skills or am i going to be a nursing assistant?

i think it will help alot. i hope you enjoy it. i plan to do that next summer if i happen not to get into the program. eventually, i know i will.

you will get a real feel for what nurses really do i think.

llg, PhD, RN · May 13, 2006

just got accepted for a summer internship. will this truly help enhance learned clinical skills or am i going to be a nursing assistant?

the answer depends both on the particular program and on your abilites to make the most of the opportunities that arise.

some programs emphasize the student's learning needs. some the performance of "nursing assisant tasks." most programs include some aspects of both, recognizing that those nursing assistant tasks can provide valuable learning experiences for the good student who knows how to learn from those experiences.

as with most of life's experiences, what you learn from them depends as much (if not more) on your attitude and your experiential learning skills than anything else. some people are very good at taking an "ordinary" experience and seeing all the lessons that can be learned from it. other people go through life not learning from their experiences. they seemed to need someone to guide them by the hand (or hit them over the head) in order to learn.

think of the internship as your chance to experience a real job in a hospital -- and your chance to gain experience not only with patient care skills, but also with practicing the skills of learning on the job where there may not always be a teacher there to guide you. set your own goals. make plans for how you will meet them. review them regularly. revise them as appropriate. make a special effort to establish relationships with people who can teach you things or give you good career advice and feedback on your performance.

in other words, take responsibility for your own learning. make sure that you learn valuable lessons even if your employer doesn't serve it up to you on a platter. that's how you succeed in the work world over the course of an entire career. start now.

good luck! let us know how it goes.

llg

LoriH · May 13, 2006

Thanks llg...very good advice. :)

VRN-RN · Jul 14, 2006

where did you find this internship. i have been looking all over to find one so that i can gain some experience. but no luck so far.

so_buggie · Jul 18, 2006

Do you know if you have to have clinical experience to work in the hospital? I want to work in a hospital (next summer) to get some experience and to give me something to do. But i'm not sure if i'm allowed. I don't have any experience but i'm willing to learn. I would love an internship. That would help me get into the nursing program. I'm not in it get only because i didn't have 1 of my pre-reqs. I should be accepted next spring. Do you know where i could apply for an internship?

LoriH · Jul 18, 2006

Here in the Pittsburgh area you have to have at least two semesters of clinicals and a letter of recommendation from one of your instructors in order to be accepted for an internship. Keep looking, don't give up. It's really helping me to become comfortable with skills I was taught but haven't had a chance to do.

Good Luck.

googabin02 · Jan 13, 2007

I completed an externship in the summer going into my senior year of nursing school. I found that it was extremely helpful. I did it at Hershey Medical Center and was offered a job in December. It's good to get your foot in the door and show them what you have to offer. I highly reccommend it!