Preceptorship?

I would think it could only help you, especially if your school doesn't offer a preceptorship as part of the program.

I thought every nursing student had to complete a preceptorship but i guess not. I would advise you to complete a preceptoship because you are given more leeway and it gives ample time and freedom to perfect your nursing skillset. My preceptorship was in the ER and after orienting with my preceptor for a shift or two i was basically given the keys to the car. Another plus of preceptorship is that it gives you a chance to network with the staff to secure a job.

We get to pick our top 3 choices out of different preceptorships the last semester of our program (ER, Med/surg, ICU, and others). It would give you a good item to put on your resume, and maybe the hospital that you do a preceptorship with could possibly want you as an employee if you do well.

I did a 240 hour externship (much like a preceptorship) during the summer between my junior and senior year. During that summer I was also taking an online research class and working at my 24-32 hours a week. Between my externship and my job I was working 48-56 hour weeks while doing research papers for my 6 week research class. It was very stressful and exhausting to say the least, but it was SO worth it!!! The experience alone was worth the long hard weeks, and it looks great on a resume! If you think that it is feasible then do it! Good luck! :)

A preceptorship is like a 240 hour job interview . . . more or less. You get the opportunity to observe the unit to see if it might be a place you'd like to work, and they get the opportunity to observe you to see if you might be someone they'd like to hire. I don't know what the job market is like in your area, but it might be a good opportunity to get a leg up on the hiring process.