More questions

I appreciate all of the replies I've received already (to my previous posts) :D Thank you!

I've seen externships/internships/preceptorships mentioned.....what are these? I mean, I know WHAT they are, just not sure what the differences are. Would anyone mind filling me in on what they all mean, and when you normally do them. Also, are they for BSN, ASN or either? Also, how do you go about landing one of them? Are you made aware of them in nursing school?

Thanks in advance!

I did an externship after I finished medical assisting school. I had to work 240 hrs in an outpatient clinic without pay in order to complete the program. I think internship is about the same. Preceptors are the nurses whom you shadow either during clinical (with some programs) or as a new grad for a certain length of time, until you can handle your own pt load without supervision. Your school will tell you what is involved with their program, and the facility you work out will tell you what's involved with theirs.

And residencies are offered by some hospitals for new grads----these would be open to most new grads----including BSN/ADN or diploma school graduates, and even some have L/D positions for LPN's. You have to ask the individual hospital what they do offer.

Around here, an externship is a paid position at the local hospital. Once you finished your first year of nursing school, you're eligible to apply for an externship. They assign you to an RN and you work alongside her, doing everything a nurse would do (except according to our state BON, I'm not allowed to do anything with IVs, nor can I pass meds). I get paid about the same amount that a CNA or tech would be paid, and I'm learning very valuable experience. I started last June, and will continue to work as an extern until next summer when I've graduated and passed the NCLEX (at which time I will be a new grad RN). An externship in a department you want to work in as an RN is a great way to get your foot in the door.

The local hospital came to our school to talk to us about a month after we started our 2nd semester, to let us know about the externship and tell us how to apply if we were interested. Many hospitals offer externships, and have information about their program on their website (usually under "nursing education" or "nursing programs").

A preceptorship is what you do at the very end of your nursing school, before graduation. In our school, we're required to work 144 hours over the course of a month (so basically, fulltime that last month). Again, they assign you to an RN (preceptor) and you work under her license, but at this point, you're expected to do EVERYTHING, and the preceptor is basically just there to shadow you and making sure you're working safely. Since the preceptorship is part of your schooling, you don't get paid for it.

Where I live, an externship is offered to nursing students during the second half of their education. They pair up with an RN, learn about the role, attend classes on role development/delegation/etc. They can function like a CNA.

An internship is offered to a new graduate in a specialty area, usually for an extended length of time to learn the job and role. They also attend classes of general interest to new grads (role development etc.)

Preceptorships are offered to experienced RN's who are "switching specialties". Includes didactic and clinical, not as long as internships but last up to 4 months.

What one hospital refers to as an "internship" may be a "preceptorship" or just "orientation" in another hospital. Best to check what your potential hospital means by their language...

if you can get your hands on any experience before you are a new grad, go for it!!!!!!! It helps out soooo much.

I think these words can mean different things depending on the school, hospital, department, geographical area you work in.

I did an internship for the last 3 or 4 months before I became an RN. It was a hired position that was offered by the hospital. I was paid a little more then what I had made as an LPN. It didn't have anything to do with my school, other then the fact that the position required me to be enrolled in the last semester of an RN program. I was given the same orientation an RN would have received. I was able to do everything an RN can do (under the instruction of my preceptor).

Still at another hospital I worked at I was called "a nurse intern". Here all that meant was that I could work as a CNA without a CNA license. It was also a paid position from the hospital and required enrollment in a nursing program. I got paid $1 more then a CNA would.

Externships here are unpaid placements by the school. Kind of like an independent clinical. You can do RN stuff but are working under your preceptor. Some schools require them others just offer them. You get a grade and class credit for them.

Shadowing is informal and is just someone following a nurse around at work.

Orientation is what you receive after graduation or when you transfer to a different department. It's for RN to learn how to work on that floor. So you are an employee and are paid but are considered to be learning and working with your preceptor.