Nurse Extern

[LNOUVRESE]

I received a nurse extern position back in may. I feel I not done anything that a registered RN would do. I know I am not a registered RN, but I thought the position would help me get the feel of things along side my school clinical. To start my preceptor was a CNA. If its a nurse extern position I don't understand why my preceptor is a CNA. I have been trained in the capacity of a CNA. Please don't get me wrong. I know it is important to know the role and how they contribute in patient care, but that is all I have been doing, Giving baths, making beds, and bathroom runs. I am on the verge of quitting cause honestly I have not learn nothing that I could apply to school and clinical. What should I do I feel as if I am being used for a tech when that's not my official title. Someone please help me. It has gotten to the point I dread going to work.

[203bravo, MSN, APRN]

While I am a believer that you shouldn't work anywhere you are unhappy - there are a few questions that you should ask yourself before quitting:

1. is this facility somewhere you would like to work as a nurse after graduation? if so, who might they view it if you quit an extern position?

2. are you receiving class credit for the externship? if you are you may consider drop dates and how much you may lose in tuition

3. did any faculty member help you land this externship - make a phone call, letter of recommendation, etc? - If they did would they be willing to make the same recommendation if you quit now?

Best of luck.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

Forgive me if this sounds like Captain Obvious in action, but are you 100% certain that the job you took would be AS a nurse extern....and did someone tell you EXACTLY what that position would entail? Is it possible the job you think you took isn't the job they offered?

I ask because my facility hires student nurse techs on a seasonal basis. These are all students who are doing well in an RN program and have been recommended for the jobs. However, they do NOT do "nursing work" in the manner in which you might think; they do NOT do what the RNs do. They really are more like PCT/CNAs, techs. They hold no license or certifications as aides, so they do pretty much whatever they can to assist in whatever needs to be done. They are NOT increasing their nursing knowledge, they ARE increasing their knowledge of how a hospital works, how the unit works, and increasing their skills at patient care.

For the most part, they come away with the ability to perform excellent patient care tasks, a respect for the employees on the unit and how they work together; they have a much greater understanding of interdisciplinary cooperation (how pharmacy, PT, RT, etc coordinate care for the patients' best outcomes).

IOW, you may well have been given an opportunity to do exactly what you ARE doing....but maybe you didn't realize what that was. Possible?

[mrsboots87]

I'm pretty sure you are confused as to what a nurse extern is. In some facilities, you follow a nurse and it is similar to a preceptorship. But due to having to pay an RN for you to work with, those are usually unpaid. From what I have heard, most many nurse extern positions are similar to what you describe.

Did you ask about what your job responsibilities would be when you interviewed or did you just assume? Also, what semester of your program are you in? For the nurse extern "jobs" that allow you to practice skills such as IV starts or foleys, you usually have to be in your last year of a nursing program and you would have to show proficiency in those skills before they pay you to perform them on patients.

Lastly, you are discounting all the experience you have gotten purely over dissatifaction in your own confusion about your role. This job will teach you time management, basic patient care, how to respect your CNAs, how to treat patients through direct patient contact. On top of that, you get to see how the hospital works, how the nurses work, how the entire medical team interacts, humility, and how to delegate properly. There are many nursing jobs out there that are total care. Where you don't get a CNA or maybe have one to a floor of 30 patients. You will need to be proficient in basic care if you expect to survive on a floor like that.

You may not realize it now, but this job will help you more then you know when you get back to school and after you graduate. I became a CNA and got a job between second and third semester and it definitely helped with my clinicals. I am more confident around patients and when providing care. That confidence has led to the nurses I worked with offering me more opportunities to practice skill. I also saved a nurse on a total care neuro floor a lot of time by helping her with her cares and cleaning u a soiled patient. She then spent 30 minutes going over EKG strips and gave me some really great notes and tricks to reading strips. She also gave me a mini cardiac lecture because I had mentioned thats where I struggle. Had she been too busy with her patients, I wouldnt have gotten those priceless teaching moments. Dont take this opportunity for granted. It really will help you more then you know.

Also, if you stick it out, you now have your foot in the door at this facility. if you can't even complete a summer externiship, why would the facility wish to hire you later. Work hard and dont burn this bridge.

[johsonmichelle]

I think you need to reread your job description, during the interview/hiring process, you should have asked questions about your job position and expectations.I work as a student nurse, I was also trained by a cna and basically work as a pct/tech. I'm not sure what nursing duties you were expecting to perform but you cannot perform them because you were not hired as a nurse. Nurse extern positions are hard to come by and many students would love to have your position. This position can help you become more comfortable with patient care and learn the hospital system. If you quit this position, it would not look good and may hold you back from getting future nursing positions.