Need externship advice

[sj94, BSN, RN]

I am a first semester nursing student looking to get into an externship next summer (summer 2016, I will be a senior in between my 3rd and 4th semesters). I am wondering what sort of activities will make me more appealing for an externship. I am looking at the externships at the Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland clinic which I know are relatively difficult to get into. What extracurriculars should I be doing? I am already involved in NSNA at my school and a local chapter of National Association of Hispanic Nurses. Should I be volunteering at the hospital? Learning medical spanish? Taking a medical mission trip to another country? I am trying to think of things I can do this summer before going back to school. I work so I can't have any huge commitments, but any advice helps!

Thank you for your help!

[llg, PhD, RN]

I run an extern program (not one of the programs you are interested in) ... and what I look for most when I select my externs is the likelihood that they will want to work here after graduation and settle down in this region -- and that they will be successful as an extern and in the long run, successful as an RN within our health system. People who essentially tell me that their goal is life doesn't include working for my health system or working with the types of patients we have "loose a lot of points" in the selection process.

So ... anything that you can do to show that your interest in the patient population that you will be applying to work with as an extern is not just a whim will help. I like to see that the applicant has spent some time with that population in the past, etc. That's where well-chosen volunteer work can help. I also favor students with good grade point averages (but not necessarily 4.0's). Again, I am looking for people who have a track record of success in life. I look for leaders and high-achievers -- even if that is demonstrated in activities that have nothing to do with nursing (leadership in organizations, not just membership ... successful athletes, artists, musicians, etc.)

The mission trips rarely impress me much because:

1. They are so common

2. Many are short-term and mostly observational. Some are simply expensive field trips to observe health care in another country -- that don't do much to prepare the student for working in an American hospital. So unless it is more than the typical 10-day trip to a poor country to shadow a professional as they do their work, it's not going to impress me much.

So I guess I am recommending well-chosen volunteer work ... and/or anything you can do to help yourself be a more successful student ... and anything that would demonstrate an ability to lead and/or achieve something outstanding that can only be accomplished through persistence and hard work.

I hope that helps a little.