Student Nurse Externship Resume

[JCon]

Hi everyone! I am currently in my 3rd semester of my RN program and am applying to a few student nurse externship positions. I am not quite sure what is pertinent to include on my resume, do I mention my tasks from school, or what exactly are they looking for on a resume for an application for a student nurse externship position? Sorry if this is a silly question, but I want to make sure I am including everything that should be included, as well as making myself come across as a strong applicant!

Thanks in advance! :)

[llg, PhD, RN]

A lot depends on the specific externship. Is it a position that basically functions as a nursing assistant (but maybe with a little more responsibility)? If so, the skills that you have practiced in school would be very important. I would never put them on the main page of the resume, but I would attach a list of them to the resume. On the resume, I would write something like: "See attached list of clinical experiences and skills."

However if the externship is more of a learning program (like the extern program I coordinate), the skills list is less important. When I consider candidates for my extern program, I am more interested in what kind of person they are ... whether they are emotionally/devlelopmentally ready to work in a hospital environment without the buffer of an instructor ... committed to the specialty for which they are being hired ... pleasant to have around ... a quick learner ... mature ... possessing inner strength ... etc. than I care about their having specific technical skills. Give me a good person and we will teach them the skills they need.

It's often hard to answer the "What are they looking for?" question because it can vary. Externships vary widely from hospital to hospital and it's important to do your homework to find out the details and expectations of each program you apply to.