Please!!! Someone tell me how does Externships work?

allnurses Guide · Aug 7, 2011

Well, for the one I have, I had to call the hospital, ask if they had any externships available, then apply, interview and be hired. This was after my first semester of nursing school. Four of us out of 50 or so were chosen to interview and only one of us (me) was hired. I feel very, very fortunate.

healthnut84 · Aug 7, 2011

Oh that is really good congrats!! So you were doing the externship as well as nursing school? What made you want to an externship? Are there any benefits besides understanding/learning to become a nurse? What is the difference between an externship and internship?

Thank you!

gr8txrn2b · Aug 7, 2011

Well, for the one I have, I had to call the hospital, ask if they had any externships available, then apply, interview and be hired. This was after my first semester of nursing school. Four of us out of 50 or so were chosen to interview and only one of us (me) was hired. I feel very, very fortunate.

Hey that's great that you got an externship after your first semester! :yeah: I'm in the DFW area also. I was thinking that we had to wait until after our second semester, but I guess it depends on where you apply. If you don't mind can you tell us what hospital you applied to?

33762FL · Aug 7, 2011

An externship is like a job, you apply for it with a resume and cover letter, if you're lucky you get an interview and an offer. The benefits are mainly:

1. You get far more experience than your fellow students

2. You make contacts at the facility where you extern, and become first in line for an RN job there assuming you were a good extern

3. You get an advantage applying to RN jobs at other facilities, because you have more experience than your peers and it looks great that you were chosen over hundreds (if not thousands) of other applicants for the externship.

healthnut84 · Aug 7, 2011

Oh wow that sounds amazing!! Do you think once I am admitted into the program, I should research hospitals that offer externships, or should I do that prior (like after I receive my acceptance letter)? Also I am assuming externships are paid so they work around your school schedule? Aww thank you so much, Im learning something new everytime I am on these boards!! Thank you:)

allnurses Guide · Aug 7, 2011

Oh that is really good congrats!! So you were doing the externship as well as nursing school? What made you want to an externship? Are there any benefits besides understanding/learning to become a nurse? What is the difference between an externship and internship?
Thank you!

Yes, I am doing my externship along with school. I am PRN, so I set my own hours and work it around my school schedule. It works fine.

Frankly, the biggest benefit to getting an externship is having a foot in the door at the hospital. Nursing jobs are hard to find and you have a better chance of getting hired if you have been working an externship (which is basically a paid working interview for a nursing position after graduation).

Generally speaking, internships are what new graduate nurses get in order to have adequate training to start as a nurse at the hospital. In general, externships are for student nurses prior to graduation.

You do not say if you are going for an LVN degree, ADN degree or BSN degree. LVNs generally aren't hired for hospital externships or internships because LVNs generally aren't hired in hospitals anymore. There are some, but not like it used to be. Also ADNs are having a harder time finding externships than before, at least in my area.

I apologize but I am not comfortable stating where I work on this forum. Thanks.

allnurses Guide · Aug 7, 2011

Oh wow that sounds amazing!! Do you think once I am admitted into the program, I should research hospitals that offer externships, or should I do that prior (like after I receive my acceptance letter)? Also I am assuming externships are paid so they work around your school schedule? Aww thank you so much, Im learning something new everytime I am on these boards!! Thank you:)

You can research it if you want but you won't be eligible to apply for any you manage to find until you have 1-2 semesters under your belt. Not all externships are PRN either. Some go for eight weeks or 10 weeks straight through the summer; some are part time. It depends on the hospital.

healthnut84 · Aug 8, 2011

Oh ok thank you so much. I appreciate it. Its ok about not stating where you work. I am actually planning to apply for a accelerated BSN program in Memphis, TN. So you think I should wait until I have 1-2 semesters under my belt in nursing school before applying for a externship?

allnurses Guide · Aug 8, 2011

To be honest, in an accelerated program it is highly unlikely you will have time or energy to work an externship. From what I hear the coursework is brutally intense from trying to cram so much information into such a short amount of time. You can ask on here if anyone has worked through an accelerated BSN program. I don't think you will find many. But yes, if you try for one, you will have to see if the hospital prefers one or two semesters under your belt.

gr8txrn2b · Aug 8, 2011

RN2BDFW....I understand about your job situation too. I've been looking at a lot of area hospital websites. Can you tell us how far in advance did you apply? Did you wait until you finished the semester or were you still completing the semester. I'm trying to get a good time line together for when I apply because I don't want to waste precious weeks...lol. Thanks!

allnurses Guide · Aug 8, 2011

I applied the summer after my first semester ended. I have not met anyone else since then who has been hired after first and definitely nobody hired during first. You are more likely to get responses favorably after your second semester has ended I suspect.