StaRN internship program?

I've never heard of it but hate the name. Playing on our hard-earned professional title by blending it with the English colloquial for "celebrity" is not cool.

Did she say specifically how it made the new grad an indentured servant?

So I just did some Googling and apparently the name is an acronym, so maybe I was overthinking that. A little. (Still not crazy about it though.)

With that little bit of Googling I couldn't find a lot...so far have read stuff from the company and a couple of AN threads with those posting being in the app process or haven't started.

I saw something about 13 weeks being at a lower pay rate, and a 2 yr contract.

2 yrs isn't a huge commitment, but you'd really want to vet the hospital. Med-surg positions are going to be busy, but is it one that routinely solves staffing holes with mandatory OT? Do the penalize RNs for calling in sick and encourage the bad practice of working sick? Or like AN member ThePrincessBride, telling them to sit 1:1 with an impulsive pt while her other 6 or 7 pts were basically unattended? Do they encourage RNs to work off the clock -- e.g. clock out on time and THEN finish charting, or work through the unpaid lunch break and not adjust the time sheet for "no lunch?" Is taking your legally entitled breaks blatantly discouraged?

What are the consequences for breaking the contract? A new grad I was in new grad class with took a 1.0 FTE -- 40 hrs/week, 8 hr shifts -- and couldn't so much as drop down to 0.9 without having to pay her full sign-on bonus (at the pretax amount, no less.) I remember that because when discussing difficulties of new grad life, she said "I had no idea how exhausting 1.0 would be, and now I'm stuck." I opted to decline the sign on bonus because I didn't know if we would even be in the state a year from then. My husband had just started working on his accelerated MBA, and we would have moved for the right job opportunity for him.

I would make a list of non-negotiables (mandatory OT was mine) and discuss those with the recruiter and hospital admin before signing anything.

I've heard of it here in Florida with HCA hospitals. The pay is low until you're on the floor in your assumed position but then it goes to their base rate pay. A nurse I graduated with went into a CCU or ICU StaRN program due to no experience but if you have experience I wouldn't start out as a "new" nurse and do one of these.

Wow that's pretty bad that it's low but I guess we are greatful for the job

The pay is only low while you're on orientation. Once you're done, you're pay is adjusted to the hospitals starting rate. If you are new it is a good program. You learn te basics before hitting the floor, ie acls bls basic EKG NIH.

You also learn the hospitals equipment, standards, charting etc before hitting the floor. So it helps in many ways. It is kinda like nursing school on steroids but hospital specific. I have had one new grad that went throught the program before getting to me on the floor and one that was hired before the program. The one that went through the program was easier to teach and guide than the new grad I had to show how to do everything from orders to charting to assessment and time management. Hope this helps some [emoji6]

Thank you that has been very helpful. I haven't quite hit the job market yet. I am now ACLS certified so I hope that will help get me in the door somewhere.

Does anyone know if you can transfer to another unit during your 2 year contract with HCA? For example, at Florida Hospital, you can move laterally. Meaning, if I started out in Medical PCU, but wanted to go into CVPCU after 1 year, I am still honoring the contract and do not have to add any additional time. But, if after a year I want to go from Medical PCU to CVICU or MICU, I have to add 1 additional year to my contract.Or of course, if you go from PCU to Med-surg, there is no penalty, although that is most likely not going to be the case lol

The StaRN program is 14 weeks long, the 1st 7 weeks is broken up into a few parts ( classroom skills practice, home study days for online review modules, a few lectures/demonstrations ( wound care, ostomy, end of life care and so on) and then the really cool part is you get 5 days of simulation training where they actually teach you what to do and then you practice it. they break up the class into groups of 5, you don't get criticized or embarrassed, lots of fun while doing it. The next 7 weeks you work on your floor at your hospital you were hired at with a preceptor, 3 12hr shifts a week. hope this helps, lots of Youtube info to type in StaRN program , best program ever!

Always a good idea to ask nurses that work on the floor that you apply to what's it like to work here. Every place I worked before becoming a nurse had its good and bad ( people included ). Money varies from area to area, but with nursing, you will always have a job and be respected! couldn't say that about my other careers, however you don't do this work for the money, the money will come before you know it, the great part of this career is the reward you get at the end of the day when you know you were a big part of saving someones life or making it just a little better. I can't tell you how many thank you cards and cookies I have received, but it is always awesome!

Does anybody know how is the interview?