nurse extern - vs - nurse tech

just wondering how many of you all have been through a nurse externship (this is what i asked about when i sent the email to check on availability) or a nurse tech (this is what the lady from hr called the position when she called me back). i specifically asked if this was a "nurses aide" position (which i don't want) and the recruitor said no.

what is the difference, if any, in the two positions?

if you have done either postion while in nursing school, what things were you allowed to do and what was your position called?

also, if anyone is from (d/fw) texas, would you pm me so i could ask you about what to expect as far as salary range?

thanks,

lifelongstudent

i have no idea what a "tech" is, but i'm currently a nurse extern, and our scope of practice is governed by the az bon. we're allowed to do anything an entry-level rn can do (with supervision until our preceptor is comfortable with our level of proficiency) except anything to do with meds or ivs, as well as "high risk" procedures like cardioversion and peritoneal dialysis. we cannot even dc an iv or prime a line, nor can we flush a lock (because saline is considered a med).

just wondering how many of you all have been through a nurse externship (this is what i asked about when i sent the email to check on availability) or a nurse tech (this is what the lady from hr called the position when she called me back). i specifically asked if this was a "nurses aide" position (which i don't want) and the recruitor said no.

what is the difference, if any, in the two positions?

if you have done either postion while in nursing school, what things were you allowed to do and what was your position called?

also, if anyone is from (d/fw) texas, would you pm me so i could ask you about what to expect as far as salary range?

thanks,

lifelongstudent

i am just starting as an er tech. and i am to start my second and final year of school. one of the other new techs is about to start his first year of school in the same program i am in. i am just a regular er tech and he is a nurse-extern tech. i asked the clincal educator who is training us what the difference is and the only real difference is that the extern position is a much longer orientation/preceptorship--a few months versus 4 weeks. and the extern learns the basics up--vitals, adl's, bed baths etc even tho its an er position. i am already assumed to know that stuff and i am going to do higher level stuff--ekg's, bg's, urine dips, blood draws, foley's, enemas...thats most of it. the nurse-extern tech will do the same, but not for several months yet. so really, being already halfway thru the nursing program, the externship would pretty much be a review and maybe hold me back a bit.

something to keep in mind if you pursue a tech position is that where you work affects what your duties are. floor techs are doing mosty cna type stuff whereas er techs do more clinical duties. it probably varies from hospital to hospital, but that's how it is where i am. er techs make more money than floor techs too. i didn't ask the extern tech how much he is making but i think that less experience = less pay.

I just transitioned from ICU Tech to Nurse Exetern and i am able to do a whole new world of things. These things include but are not limited to: Assessment on all 4 patients (on IMU floor), charting on all patients, medications on all of them, pyxis codes, and computer access, with RN signing off on meds, starting IV's D/C iv's foleys, Adjusting temporary pace makers, calling the MD for verbal orders, (I&O's and Vitals are completed by the Techs on the floor) so for me its lthe best position before taking the RN boards, i get to do what i can ask questions, have an RN sign off, observe and make sure i know what im doing etc. I highly recommend it!!!

"are you directly assigned with a preceptor, or are you functioning more in the roll of an lpn, except without giving meds?"

suzanne - i am not sure how the hospital utilizes the "nurse techs". the lady from hr was very rushed when she called me to come in and interview, so i was not able to get much info. she said that she would talk about "all that" on monday. i was looking to get a heads-up from you all about nurse-extern verses nurse-tech. she only asked me what school i attend and how much longer until graduation (2 more semesters of class and one semester of residency meaning 3 clinical days x 12 hours each and no official classes).

i am very excited to learn/practice more nursing skills. this may sound bad, but i don't have to work (financially). i want to. however, it is not worth me taking time away from studying if all i am going to do is be an aide (change linens, pass trays, assist pt's going to bathroom) or a ward clerk. i don't need that type of experience. those positions are a godsend and essential to the functioning of a unit, but that is not the experience that i am looking for at this time.

thanks for the info,

lifelongstudent

i just transitioned from icu tech to nurse exetern and i am able to do a whole new world of things. these things include but are not limited to: assessment on all 4 patients (on imu floor), charting on all patients, medications on all of them, pyxis codes, and computer access, with rn signing off on meds, starting iv's d/c iv's foleys, adjusting temporary pace makers, calling the md for verbal orders, (i&o's and vitals are completed by the techs on the floor) so for me its lthe best position before taking the rn boards, i get to do what i can ask questions, have an rn sign off, observe and make sure i know what im doing etc. i highly recommend it!!!

that is what i am hoping for!

lifelongstudent

However, it is not worth me taking time away from studying if all I am going to do is be an aide (change linens, pass trays, assist pt's going to bathroom) or a ward clerk. I don't need that type of experience.

At the hospital where I work, we're expected to do half nurse's aide and half student extern. That means one day your aide, the next day you do nothing but RN stuff. It's kind of the price you pay to get RN training.

Every program is different, and some don't do much extern at all even though they claim to. Some basically use the extern program to try cover shortages on NA's. So you have to be careful and ask around before you commit to anything.

I think nurse tech is a term used by facilities to attract nursing students to do the work of unlicensed assistive personnel and recruit a future nurse all in one shot. I think it depends on the facility and the unit/floor to which you are assigned exactly what those duties might be. It sounds nice and looks nice on the badge, but it could mean PCA or PCT, which could also mean different things.

For instance, my job is on a unit. My badge says "nurse intern". The unit staff refers to me as a PCT, and I do have expanded duties on the unit, unless I'm filling in on the desk as a HUC. Then I'm the PCT/HUC because I'm expected to do both, and monitor the monitors as well. Some of the nurses still refer to me as "the aide". When I get floated to the floor, I'm referred to as a PCA (straightforward nursing assistant duties) and I get asked by the charge nurse "what's a nurse intern"? They really don't know what to do with me or what my scope of practice is but why bother since I'm only being floated.

Confused? Me too. Just pay me. Soon I will be RN.

i am doing an externship in nc this summer. the difference between an externship and tech is huge. as an extern, you are legally able to do all the things at tech does (either na1 or na2 depending on which you are). but instead of doing it for the whole floor, you are shadowing a nurse for the entire program. you do the na tasks for the patients your nurse has. the goal of the externship is to teach you how nurses do things in the real world. you learn from them the critical thinking and assessment skills that you may not get exposed to. plus, working real hours you get a lot of experience and get to see a lot of things that clinicals will never provide you with. i could never have envisioned just how beneficial this externship would be. i have been in l&d all summer and have had an awesome preceptor. i highly recommend it to anyone.

just wondering how many of you all have been through a nurse externship (this is what i asked about when i sent the email to check on availability) or a nurse tech (this is what the lady from hr called the position when she called me back). i specifically asked if this was a "nurses aide" position (which i don't want) and the recruitor said no.

what is the difference, if any, in the two positions?

if you have done either postion while in nursing school, what things were you allowed to do and what was your position called?

also, if anyone is from (d/fw) texas, would you pm me so i could ask you about what to expect as far as salary range?

thanks,

lifelongstudent

At our hospital the nurse tech and nurse externship (we call it an internship instead of an externship...not sure of the difference) are the same. The nurse externship student immediately starts doing the same skills as a nurse tech here because they have already been taught those skills in school so they assume the student already knows how to perform those skills. Our internship is done the summer before our last semester of nursing school. But the skills are the same as other people have listed...no meds, no IV's or anything considered complicated.

The thing about our internships is that once we are hired we have to sign a contract to work for that hospital in that department as an RN for two years beginning as soon as we graduate from nursing school. So we have to make sure the internship is in an area we want to work. A nurse tech isn't guaranteed a nursing job in that department once they graduate from school. Sorry if all that is obvious information, I'm not sure how it's done elsewhere.

Good Luck

Ginyer