My school does not offer externships

justme1972 · Oct 13, 2008

I start the my nursing program in Jan '09 and just found out that my school does not offer any type of externship. How do I get one now? Has anyone ever been in this boat before?

Schools don't offer externships....hospitals do.

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Oct 13, 2008

You apply to hospitals for externships. Consider working as a unit clerk or CNA too, as you will learn a lot in those positions.

sooperdooper · Oct 13, 2008

I know schools dont offer externships themselves, but they must have an agreement with hospitals because the school is responsible. My school does not have an agreement with any hospitals.

justme1972 · Oct 13, 2008

I know schools dont offer externships themselves, but they must have an agreement with hospitals because the school is responsible. My school does not have an agreement with any hospitals.

No, that isn't true. You are confusing clinicals with externships and they are not the same thing.

Clinicals is what you do during school and all nursing schools have clinical time for pre-licensure. You don't get sent into the hospital alone...you go as a group with a faculty member to supervise you and you work there under their license.

As an extern, you are not under the school, you are under the hospital and each state has different restrictions of what they will allow unllicensed personnel to do and each hospital has more expanded efforts for nursing externs, as you are usually paired with a perceptor.

The best thing to do is call the nurse recruiter at the local hospital where you would like to extern...they will tell you if they have an extern program available and how it works.

sooperdooper · Oct 13, 2008

I am not confusing the too, at least in California it is that way. I know what clinicals are :) According to a couple friends in classes now at my school and my friend who is an ICU manager at the hospital near me, our school has to have some sort of agreement to allow me to work as an extern. I have heard that some people at my school have done there externships through another school in San Diego. I just don't know the correct path.

gabriella86 · Oct 13, 2008

Is an externship required before you are able to sit for the NCLEX or do schools usually offer enough clinical hours to be able to get licensed?

sooperdooper · Oct 13, 2008

Is an externship required before you are able to sit for the NCLEX or do schools usually offer enough clinical hours to be able to get licensed?

No its not, but some hospitals prefer to hire you if you have externship experience or if you did an externship with them, which is the case with a hospital near me (i want to work there).

sooperdooper · Oct 13, 2008

This was taken from a job post at a hospital here:

"Nursing school must have contractual relationship with Scripps Memorial, La Jolla."

Thats what I am talking about...

http://www.hospitaljobsonline.com/jpmoreinfo.aspx?JobID=16693576&AffID=253974&utm_source=SimplyHired&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=SimplyHired

ZooMommyRN, ADN, RN · Oct 13, 2008

even if you can't get an externship, try to get on as a CNA or PCT, it's a great way to get your foot in the door, get to know the facility and people which can make for an easier transition when you start as a nurse, I worked as a unit clerk for 6 months and it led me to the job I have now, I already knew the doctors and my co workers and it made it alot less intimidating when I need help with something

sooperdooper · Oct 13, 2008

The other reason I want to do an externship is because they get paid roughly $18-20/hr, have very flexible schedules, and can work as many days as they want as long as they work one day per week.

justme1972 · Oct 13, 2008

This was taken from a job post at a hospital here:
"Nursing school must have contractual relationship with Scripps Memorial, La Jolla."
Thats what I am talking about...
http://www.hospitaljobsonline.com/jpmoreinfo.aspx?JobID=16693576&AffID=253974&utm_source=SimplyHired&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=SimplyHired

There is another way that can be read. Here we have something similar. If the school does not permit the hospital to come in to do recruiting efforts, the hospital won't accept their externs. They also won't accept externs from schools that don't do CLINICALS at the hospital....both of those can be considered contractual arrangements.

Granted, I don't live in Cali.

The nurse recruiter, not your classmates, is going to be the person that is going to be able to answer your questions.