Question About Internships

[RetSGT]

Please forgive me for my lack of knowledge in the field but, I'm a new (soon to be) graduate and I'm looking into applying for an E.R. internship and hope that somebody can give me some information about them. First of all... How do they work???

Are nursing internships the same as the classic internship that people do in college where it's basically volunteer work and you get paid in experience with the hope that the boss takes a liking to you and hires you?

If not, and you do get paid, do you get the same pay as any other new hire nurse? Are there any guarantees for employment down the road or are there any mandatory commitments?

Finally, are internships viewed as a good opportunity in nursing or is it more of a foolish move to get into a position?

Thanks

[LM NY]

I think not much can be said without reading the description of the internship. Did it require you to be a nurse graduate? Or have completed a certain amount of clinical hours?

[BrooklynRN11201]

it depends on the program - Woodhull offers a 9 week program that pays $11 per hour, others are basically doing YOU a favor by offering you the experience. from what I've been told, you'll be hard pressed to find a facility that will give you a job as a new grad with ZERO experience - intern/externships are really valuable because they're separate from school. I know a couple of people who have been offered jobs following an internship but nothing is guaranteed. I know a girl where she was offered a job from the hospital she interned at 4 months later. sometimes hospitals just have hiring freezes. but the internship program should set you up with expectations for the job hunt ahead and you might just get lucky. but to answer your question, yes it's basically a volunteer type of thing, except you're the one benefiting more than they are. you are usually paired up with a nurse or several nurses in different units and it's like a preceptorship where you shadow the nurse. like I said though, each program is very different. good luck!